₦airaland Forum

yesloaded:
Your gf abandoned her 4m per month biz
Whoever making 4m profit per month will never shot down her biz even if she's relocating
I have lots of people earning less than 4m per month but still travelled out of the country while running their business

How do they navigate this effectively?

1b8m:
I have a friend who wants to relocate to either Canada or UK. She has a PhD in chemical engineering, postgraduate diploma in business administration, 10years of work experience as business development manager of a waste management company and 20m naira budget.

Can she make it to the UK or Canada? If no, which other country can fall within her budget?

Honestly, with that experience, why has she not thought of playing in the sector? That's one hot and largely unregulated industry with minimal government's nose-poking. Except she has been directly affected by the worsening insecurity.

moneylatalks:
You know why I like UK , you fit see your former oga .. dey do the same work u dey do..
Like una go dey offload container... U go trow cartoon for your oga or your oga go throw cartoon for you... Work go dey go on...

🤣🤣🤣🤣

It must be odd there.

mayorkent:
Even people way never handle pin for their life day shout business up and down....
The truth is that starting a business from scratch in this current economy and travelling abroad na almost the same risk. But everything depends on the individual....
Nobody know which one go work....na just to carry out personal analysis and make decision. At least in two - three years time the result go Don show clearly.
Inflation for this country no be Here. .
In 2022 I was selling this foreign heavy duty wheelbarrow for 35,000 as at today 3rd September 2025 ..
The wheelbarrow na 105,000...

Wheelbarrow is 100K? I never imagined wheelbarrow was even 10K or 20K, but it's now 100K+?

Why would a wheelbarrow cost more than minimum wage? E be like say naira don turn tissue paper o

That money with the qualifications she has, their isn't any need to relocate. She could invest or put the said amount into money market business, especially Treasure Bills.
20m will fetch at least 4m on 362 days ( almost a year ) investment plan. Which could be used in paying rents , offsetting children's school fee ( if married ooo ) or reinvest on landed property which is another assets.
Along the line , her work continues , gaining more experience with promotion base on the level of education in which salaries too continues.

Meanwhile ur capital is still intact which u can keep using to reinvest and even send on another errand in d future.

FunkyJustice:
Think about how to better yourself and leave other people

of course, just that it is clear that Nigerians have an inferiority complex problem that is now a culture, entrenched in the japa spirit..

ariesbull:
That's slave mentality...some people are designed to be slave till they die .. they are designed to earn salary and get paid till they die and not to be the ones paying

The education or training makes us agents and thinkers only..hence every one is a middleman. Education sector is bad..

Gerrard59:
This is true. There was an article about it in the New York Times including a book about millionaires in the US. Most don't have advanced education, but have technical know to run mid-size businesses which made them millionaires.

The tech and finance industries have distorted most people about the full picture of millionaires.

The millionaire next door

Tech has now cast unfortunately

Gerrard59:
How do they navigate this effectively?

Some businesses don't requires your physical presence while some that does, they employ competent hands and monitor the activities from overseas

Someone's I don't go to the office for a full month travelling from one place to the other but never close down any of my 2 offices because I can't easily monitor the activities going on despite the fact that I sell physical products too

yesloaded:
Some businesses don't requires your physical presence while some that does, they employ competent hands and monitor the activities from overseas

Someone's I don't go to the office for a full month travelling from one place to the other but never close down any of my 2 offices because I can't easily monitor the activities going on despite the fact that I sell physical products too

Interesting. Thank you for the response.

I've already summarized myself on this issue elsewhere. To be brief

IbeOkehie:
Nigeria is NOT a good place for most people to achieve a world standard middle class life. To get to that level in Nigeria a person must be EXTRAORDINARY in some way...talent, personality, beauty, drive or intellect. That's the truth, most average people like me have a better chance in the UK/USA.

For detailed response....

casualobserver:
Some of the poorest people in nigeria are educated people. Why? Because it seems our education has programmed our resourcefulness and initiative out of us. I was having a discussion on Nairaland a few weeks ago and I told someone my gardener makes over 400k a month. He said I was lying. I said instead of working for one person, he does part time at multiple houses in the same estate. When I calculated his minimum (1 day a week for which he often only does a few hrs) and the number of houses he works for. He makes over 400k.

A graduate will work for 100-200k, a professor will work for 500k, yet electricians, mechanics, plumbers can make 20-100k a day (400k to 1m+ a month) and they are never short of work.

Tell an educated Nigerian he can go into business and compound his capital. He wants you to tell him how and guide him in how to make the money.

There really is something wrong with the products of our education system when a PhD holder (an expert in a particular field) with N20m (capital) and a diploma in business ( basic knowledge of business) cannot think of a business to do in Nigeria or how to commercialize her expertise in Nigeria.

I know a Nigerian university graduate that migrated to the USA....New Jersey specifically....back in 2007 or so, I knew him from Nigeria. He overstayed his visa and stayed here. He eventually started his own business doing lawn service.

Here in NC there's also people doing the business. I have a Black American guy that does 3 properties for me. When I met him over 10 years ago, he already was servicing two other neighboring buildings. He charges me average of $60 per service for 4 visits a month on these properties. One time I saw him working in a town about 20 minutes away. Another time he told me "he can't do it next tomorrow because I don't have any jobs near you, let's make it next week when I'll be in your area". So at least 7 clients I'm aware of.

My landscaper owns a big truck and riding lawn mower, it takes him 30 minutes to 1 hour to do my yard.

Also I pay a total of around $2500 per year for major services around change of season...like cleaning gutters, cutting tree limbs and such.

$60 = ₦90,000....let's give him a profit of ₦40,000 per job visit.

So let's say the guy in New Jersey can do similar having been in the USA for over 12 years, surely he can remit ₦200K per month to Nigeria. Between him and your gardener, who is more LIKELY to accumulate more NAIRA savings over a 10 year period? And who will enjoy HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING while doing the business?

The point is, that business is available to be done in EVERY COUNTRY, but the ROI and standard of living is HIGHER in some countries than others. It's a really simple point. Does your gardner have a higher standard of living than a Nyash Cleaner in the USA or UK?

mayorkent:
Even people way never handle pin for their life day shout business up and down....
The truth is that starting a business from scratch in this current economy and travelling abroad na almost the same risk. But everything depends on the individual....
Nobody know which one go work....na just to carry out personal analysis and make decision. At least in two - three years time the result go Don show clearly.
Inflation for this country no be Here. .
In 2022 I was selling this foreign heavy duty wheelbarrow for 35,000 as at today 3rd September 2025 ..
The wheelbarrow na 105,000...

This is real down to earth. You forgot to mention currency fluctuation that can DESTROY accumulated savings and profits, but I guess it's the same as inflation. I don't understand why if Nigeria is such a business paradise why it doesn't have much higher HDI than say, South Africa or Botswana or Namibia.

Thanks.

casualobserver:
Oh I didn’t know you were looking for easy life.

Cleaning bottoms of elderly women is not easy too. Pick your poison. Investing your N20m in relocation expenses to likely end up Cleaning bottoms with a maximum income upside or starting a business in Nigeria with unlimited upside.

My cousin migrated to UK two years ago and started as a Nyash Cleaner, now he works in a factory at 15% higher pay. He drives a car, lives in his own apartment.

Does the person who starts out as a Nyash Cleaner always remain in that job forever? Is that the norm in the UK?

Here in the USA, socio-economic mobility is generally positive. I started out as a $4/hr fast food cook, today I'm a pharmacist. Most of my cohort, I'd put it at 80%, have moved up the economic ladder. Many of us also own businesses, Nigeria is not the only country in the world where it's possible to start a business.

Besides, I know MANY business owners that have migrated from Nigeria to the UK and other Western countries. I wonder why they did that?

I used to work for this independent pharmacy owned by a Nigerian - the guy has retired. I won't name him but it's easy for anyone to find out. He owned the building in which his pharmacy was located just two blocks from one of the best hospitals in the world. You know what? He used to own a chain of pharmacies in Lagos. He left it all to migrate to the USA. When I was thinking of doing the Jakpada, I explored the option of doing pharmacy business in Nigeria and he advised against it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=broadway+pharmacy+baltimore&rlz=1C1NDCM_enUS837US837&oq=broadway+pharmacy+baltimore&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCTEzMTQxajBqOagCBrACAfEFRJd6OrLxMsI&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

It's good you used the word LIKELY, that's the key. What's the PROBABILITY of reaching the World Standard of Middle Class life in Nigeria vs the UK?

Gerrard59:
Honestly, with that experience, why has she not thought of playing in the sector? That's one hot and largely unregulated industry with minimal government's nose-poking. Except she has been directly affected by the worsening insecurity.

There was a time people did the garbage business in Aba and PH, for sure. The culture of waste disposal as an organized venture didn't last in Aba, PH I don't know. I bet there's some way of disposing household waste in Lagos and Abuja, are there people doing it? People on this forum live in Nigeria, how do you dispose of household waste? Burning has always been a major method of disposal even from my childhood.

When I did Jakpada to Nigeria we generally BURNED it in the backyard or if it got too big took it to a garbage dump...but we had good cars or means to do that drive. Most people don't have that which is why a lot of it ends up in the streets. Maybe Nigeria can't AFFORD good garbage disposal?

I know there's a job called "night soil men" that handles the clearing away of bucket latrines in urban areas of Nigeria. I also remember as a teen our buildings soak-away pit filled up and some company had to be called to suck it out and take it away.

By the way, you have some knowledge of the hotel business, how do they handle waste?

The real question to ask - What is the ROI for the garbage business in Nigeria? Does anyone have an idea? Before moving to Nigeria in 2011, I presented my plans to a secondary school classmate who is an investment banker in London....his father is also an investment banker. He invested in building up property in Lagos, he gave me details and said though they made a profit it wasn't worth it. After looking over my plans for a couple of weeks he advised me that it wouldn't work because the ROI wasn't worth it. He was wrong in the short run but correct in the long run

More generally, for the average or any random Nigerian, educated or not, is the 10 year ROI for investing or doing business with ₦20 million in Nigeria higher than returns that would accrue from migration to the UK?

Good Luck to Nigerians.

IbeOkehie:
I know a Nigerian university graduate that migrated to the USA....New Jersey specifically....back in 2007 or so, I knew him from Nigeria. He overstayed his visa and stayed here. He eventually started his own business doing lawn service.

Here in NC there's also people doing the business. I have a Black American guy that does 3 properties for me. When I met him over 10 years ago, he already was servicing two other neighboring buildings. He charges me average of $60 per service for 4 visits a month on these properties. One time I saw him working in a town about 20 minutes away. Another time he told me "he can't do it next tomorrow because I don't have any jobs near you, let's make it next week when I'll be in your area". So at least 7 clients I'm aware of.

Also I pay a total of around $2500 per year for major services around change of season...like cleaning gutters, cutting tree limbs and such.

My landscaper owns a big truck and riding lawn mower, it takes him 30 minutes to 1 hour to do my yard.

The point is, that business is available to be done in EVERY COUNTRY, but the ROI and standard of living is HIGHER in some countries than others. It's a really simple point. Does your gardner have a higher standard of living than a Nyash Cleaner in the USA or UK?




This is real down to earth. You forgot to mention currency fluctuation that can DESTROY accumulated savings and profits, but I guess it's the same as inflation. I don't understand why if Nigeria is such a business paradise why it doesn't have much higher HDI than say, South Africa or Botswana or Namibia.

Thanks.



My cousin migrated to UK two years ago and started as a Nyash Cleaner, now he works in a factory at 15% higher pay. He drives a car, lives in his own apartment.

Does the person who starts out as a Nyash Cleaner always remain in that job forever? Is that the norm in the UK?

Here in the USA, socio-economic mobility is generally positive. I started out as a $4/hr fast food cook, today I'm a pharmacist. Most of my cohort, I'd put it at 80%, have moved up the economic ladder. Many of us also own businesses, Nigeria is not the only country in the world where it's possible to start a business.

Besides, I know MANY business owners that have migrated from Nigeria to the UK and other Western countries. I wonder why they did that?

I used to work for this independent pharmacy owned by a Nigerian - the guy has retired. I won't name him but it's easy for anyone to find out. He owned the building in which his pharmacy was located just two blocks from one of the best hospitals in the world. You know what? He used to own a chain of pharmacies in Lagos. He left it all to migrate to the USA. When I was thinking of doing the Jakpada, I explored the option of doing pharmacy business in Nigeria and he advised against it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=broadway+pharmacy+baltimore&rlz=1C1NDCM_enUS837US837&oq=broadway+pharmacy+baltimore&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCTEzMTQxajBqOagCBrACAfEFRJd6OrLxMsI&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

It's good you used the word LIKELY, that's the key. What's the PROBABILITY of reaching the World Standard of Middle Class life in Nigeria vs the UK?



There was a time people did the garbage business in Aba and PH, for sure. The culture of waste disposal as an organized venture didn't last in Aba, PH I don't know. I bet there's some way of disposing household waste in Lagos and Abuja, are there people doing it? People on this forum live in Nigeria, how do you dispose of household waste? Burning has always been a major method of disposal even from my childhood.

When I did Jakpada to Nigeria we generally BURNED it in the backyard or if it got too big took it to a garbage dump...but we had good cars or means to do that drive. Most people don't have that which is why a lot of it ends up in the streets. Maybe Nigeria can't AFFORD good garbage disposal?

I know there's a job called "night soil men" that handles the clearing away of bucket latrines in urban areas of Nigeria. I also remember as a teen our buildings soak-away pit filled up and some company had to be called to suck it out and take it away.

By the way, you have some knowledge of the hotel business, how do they handle waste?

The real question to ask - What is the ROI for the garbage business in Nigeria? Does anyone have an idea? Before moving to Nigeria in 2011, I presented my plans to a secondary school classmate who is an investment banker in London....his father is also an investment banker. He invested in building up property in Lagos, he gave me details and said though they made a profit it wasn't worth it. After looking over my plans for a couple of weeks he advised me that it wouldn't work because the ROI wasn't worth it. He was wrong in the short run but correct in the long run

More generally, for the average or any random Nigerian, educated or not, is the 10 year ROI for investing or doing business with ₦20 million in Nigeria higher than returns that would accrue from migration to the UK?

Good Luck to Nigerians.

In all you wrote there (I couldn’t read it all) all I saw is that the educated Nigerian graduate who refused to use his intellect to see how he can turn a relative mundane occupation in Nigeria like gardening into a corporate business in Nigeria will eventually after washing bottoms and cutting lawns ultimately doing the same thing there even if eventually as a business.

Why go through the hassle when you have the capital to start in Nigeria? 90% of graduates who japa who japa because they can’t get good office jobs in Nigeria will ultimately never get the corporate office jobs they drove them away from Nigeria.

Very few NIgerians abroad will ever be able to live the lifestyle of a Nigerian who makes it in Nigeria. When we make it here, we dont pay car notes or mortgages, when we buy holiday homes there we pay cash! We don’t live in fear of deportation or credit scores!


For me if you don’t have citizenship and you didn’t have a proper respectable professional job lined up or a high probability you have the skills to obtain one, stay in Nigeria with your N20m. It will likely take you as a non citizen up to 10 years to get a foothold and you are living in constant fear of deportation. Your mates in Nigeria will 100% exceed you in 10 years and ultimately thereafter.

Furthermore after hunger stops being your primary focus you will realize you will forever be a nobody no matter how much your bank balance and most Japas will never have an enviable bank balance.

The story of japa is the story of the tortoise and the hare….the tortoise always wins the race!

For every Nigerian without papers who makes it (and please let’s get it straight it is only a minority) and probably starts out as a bottom cleaner and eventually owns his care home, starts as a gardener and eventually owns a landscaping business, starts driving cabs/trucks and eventually owns a cab/truck business. I can bet you they all thought to themselves why didn’t I think of this when I was in Nigeria.

The jobs Nigerians look down on at home is ultimately where the japa Nigeria ends up abroad. There is no office job/ corporate ladder job waiting for you.


NIgerians in diaspora should stop deceiving NIgerians at home with stories of “I know one” . For every 1 you know there are 99 languishing. These are the kinds of stories I was fed as a young man. I was lucky I was a British citizen so things were easier. I could take advantage of the many benefits the system offered me as a citizen to improve myself and access opportunities. I know the fate of Nigerians in the Uk without papers.. Eventually I reached a point of diminishing returns and I came home. I was earning very well in good corporate roles in the Uk but the truth is My mates in Nigeria who were struggling in Nigeria with entry level graduate trainee jobs when I left for london had passed me. There is a ceiling in London, there is no ceiling for a Nigerian in Nigeria.

Stop deceiving Nigerians here at home with “I know one”. You are the ones responsible for deceiving the other 90 who are languishing.

@IbeOkehie:

Regarding the waste management business, the profit or opportunities lie in recycling the waste into by-products and exporting them to buyers across the world. Many entrepreneurs are into this. Alternatively, this waste could be recycled into new raw materials for another round of production. A thriving company is WeCyclers founded by a returnee who studied at MIT Sloan School of Management. There are other similar businesses like this across the country. I watched a video by another returnee, also from the US, who hired a Big4 firm to conduct a business survey and he started his company. Demand outstrips supply.

His video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NigytVTHexU

casualobserver:
(1) Very few NIgerians abroad will ever be able to live the lifestyle of a Nigerian who makes it in Nigeria. When we make it here, we dont pay car notes or mortgages, when we buy holiday homes there we pay cash! We don’t live in fear of deportation or credit scores!

The question then becomes HOW MANY NIGERIANS make it in Nigeria? How does one define "making it" and what is the probability?

My measure of success is a middle class standard of living measured on a Worldwide basis. This Google search gives a good idea of it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+world+middle+class+standard+of+living&rlz=1C1NDCM_enUS837US837&oq=what+is+world+middle+class+standard&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgBECEYoAEyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigAdIBCTEwNDYxajBqOagCBrACAfEFqhIyA5VEAPc&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

If this refers to becoming very wealthy, as in say becoming a dollar millionaire, it's easier for a Nigerian immigrant to an Anglo-Western nation to become a dollar millionaire than in Nigeria. Around 2022 according to reputable lists like Thisday and Nairametrics, the HIGHEST EARNING CEO of a public traded company in Nigeria was an ASIAN who earned $600K total compensation. I know of MULTIPLE Nigerians and I've given credible source on at least one of them, that earn over $1 million per year in the USA.

(2) For me if you don’t have citizenship and you didn’t have a proper respectable professional job lined up or a high probability you have the skills to obtain one, stay in Nigeria with your N20m. It will likely take you as a non citizen up to 10 years to get a foothold and you are living in constant fear of deportation. Your mates in Nigeria will 100% exceed you in 10 years and ultimately thereafter.



That's a wild take. The good thing is I'm not hiding behind anonymity like most people on this forum. So when I can use myself as an example, it's to counter those who will say I'm telling false stories. I think my living standards, net worth and whatever else is OK compared to that of my age mates living in Nigeria. I don't think I have any reason to complain. I know where I stand compared to my age mates in Nigeria and I'll just leave it at that. I'll only add that I'm just AVERAGE compared to my cohort in the USA/UK

(3) Furthermore after hunger stops being your primary focus you will realize you will forever be a nobody no matter how much your bank balance and most Japas will never have an enviable bank balance.

The story of japa is the story of the tortoise and the hare….the tortoise always wins the race!

Stop deceiving Nigerians here at home with “I know one”. You are the ones responsible for deceiving the other 90 who are languishing.

This thing of "being a nobody abroad" is funny to me, especially as an Igbo man. You and I have discussed the Biafra thing. I have relatives in Lagos who were beaten and flogged for trying to vote in Lagos in the last Presidential Elections. That has NEVER happened to anyone I know of in the USA. So your perspective is different as a Yoruba and that's the rub. You're "somebody" in Nigeria, I'm "somebody" in the USA.

It's not about I know one....I'm my own best example. Anyone can hide behind anonymity and write anything.

Gerrard59:
@IbeOkehie:

Regarding the waste management business, the profit or opportunities lie in recycling the waste into by-products and exporting them to buyers across the world. Many entrepreneurs are into this. Alternatively, this waste could be recycled into new raw materials for another round of production. A thriving company is WeCyclers founded by a returnee who studied at MIT Sloan School of Management. There are other similar businesses like this across the country. I watched a video by another returnee, also from the US, who hired a Big4 firm to conduct a business survey and he started his company. Demand outstrips supply.

His video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NigytVTHexU

They were returnees, their success STARTED from the USA where they accumulated social and economic capital and connections. I'm happy for them. There's also plenty that didn't make it. Go read up on Ndidi Nwuneli who graduated from Wharton and returned to Nigeria to do agribusiness. How far? What is her business in Nigeria NOW? Anyone can do a check.

Success is possible ANYWHERE, there's even business studies showcasing thriving enterprises in Somalia. Again, it's about PROBABILITIES.

What you've cited actually PROVES the summary point I made at the start of my post, to wit -

Nigeria is NOT a good place for most people to achieve a world standard middle class life. To get to that level in Nigeria a person must be EXTRAORDINARY in some way...talent, personality, beauty, high social or financial capital, connections, drive or intellect. That's the truth, most average people like me have a better chance in the UK/USA.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

IbeOkehie:
It's not about I know one....I'm my own best example. Anyone can hide behind anonymity and write anything.



They were returnees, their success STARTED from the USA where they accumulated social and economic capital and connections. I'm happy for them. There's also plenty that didn't make it. Go read up on Ndidi Nwuneli who graduated from Wharton and returned to Nigeria to do agribusiness. How far? What is her business in Nigeria NOW? Anyone can do a check.

Success is possible ANYWHERE, there's even business studies showcasing thriving businesses in Somalia. Again, it's about PROBABILITIES.

What you've cited actually PROVES the summary point I made at the start of my post, to wit -

Nigeria is NOT a good place for most people to achieve a world standard middle class life. To get to that level in Nigeria a person must be EXTRAORDINARY in some way...talent, personality, beauty, high social or financial capital, connections, drive or intellect. That's the truth, most average people like me have a better chance in the UK/USA.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

Like I said you are one example. For every one who achieves a middle
Class life there are 50- 100 languishing in mediocrity. Stop deceiving NIgerians. Most Nigerians who are not citizens never achieve a middle class lifestyle. The majority are forever working class, living without valid immigration status from paycheck to paycheck, living in fear of being deported.

Stop deceiving Nigerians giving them false hope and dreams. It’s wickedness and it’s evil. I didn’t watch your video but I certainly hope you are not one of those Nigerians who exploit fellow NIgerians with false hope charging huge fees selling them fake dreams abroad. There was recently a protest in the Uk about people like that.

Nigerians if you are not a citizen your odds of making it are slim. Working class living from paycheck to paycheck, in fear of immigration is not a life, stuck can’t move forward, can’t come back home. Exceptions do not invalidate the rule. For every “i know one person” there are 40-100 whose japa dreams are shattered and are languishing anonymously .

Your biggest hurdle is you are not a citizen. Certain doors and opportunities are closed to you. 100%. of the people who are looking to japa are not citizens and the majority of them are are not doctors or such in demand skillse that can emigrate legally.

It is irresponsible for those who have experience of life abroad to sell false dreams based on exceptions to the rule. Did you also tell them in your videos that there are many Nigerians in America who are still illegal after decades are “prisoners” there can’t travel out and currently live in fear of Trump despite their “success”? For what?

A man will make it wherever he finds himself. Those who won’t make it in Nigeria won’t make it abroad especially if you are not a citizen. Those who are hiding from difficulties in Nigeria will face a different set of problems abroad. You just trade one set of problems for another. Those who don’t have capital don’t have the money to travel anyway. For a someone who has 20m to japa, his problem is not Nigeria. I repeat if you have 20m and you don’t have the resourcefulness to find a means of making money in Nigeria, your problem is not Nigeria and you almost certainly will not make it abroad where you are not a citizen. You will just fall into the trap of charlatans who charge you fees and promise you fake dreams abroad giving you examples of “I know one person”, forgetting to tell you the sad stories of the other 90.

The one thing you said that I just saw and Will concedes is that the issue of japa is different depending on your tribe and culture. In 20yrs abroad I never came across an Hausa/Fulani Nigerian doing menial jobs in England or the US or Europe. A Yoruba man will do it as a stepping stone to his goals but if he gets stuck there as many do, he will end up a miserable man. Money is 6th in the list of virtues and values in Yoruba society. Your occupation, honour self respect, matter more than money. When a Yoruba man japas because things are financially difficult in Nigeria, the minute he solves the financial problem, which is basically once he can feed and fend for himself then the question of his place is society, his dignity, honour, his occupation, become his driving force. If he can’t achieve that abroad, and as a man without papers he is unlikely ever to, he will be a miserable man. Let’s be truthful, Ibos are different so we won’t see japa with the same eyes. For a Yoruba man what you do for a living matters as it is your standing in society. That is why for Yorubas, our men have “professions” and the wives are the business women or traders. A Yoruba man did not go to university to spend his entire life driving taxis, cleaning bottoms, being a security guard mowing lawns and other low level existence. Nobody cares if you are financially “comfortable”. You are defined by what you do for a living. Many who japa illegally will end up stuck in that existence.

ariesbull:
But let’s face it:

Abroad, you rent, you pay bills, you live paycheck to paycheck. Many can’t save, many can’t even come home after years.

With the same ₦20m, you could own a business, land, real estate, and employ others.

Instead of being a “labourer” in the West, you can be a job creator at home.

True dignity is in ownership, not in slavery.
The shame is not in traveling — it’s in wasting your youth abroad as a second-class citizen while opportunities at home are untapped.

Many Nigerians OWN BUSINESSES in the UK/USA.

Not everyone RENTS abroad and not everyone OWNS their home in Nigeria in the urban areas where they work.

The stats are that about 70% of Nigerians in urban areas are RENTERS, there was a recent story on Nairaland about that.

Most of the NEW HOMES built in my village and Nigeria as a whole are funded by diasporans.

Rich people in Nigeria want to keep others in poverty. Which ensures a steady supply of servants and terrorized women for cheap sex. That's the APC approach to governance...abject feudalism. Here's an example

https://www.nairaland.com/7437636/japa-nigerian-elites-disconnect-reality

And it's madness to CHOOSE to live in a country where one can be beaten up or killed for trying to vote as happens to Igbo people in Lagos and Northern Nigeria. Many Yoruba youth corpers were killed while supervising the 2011 elections in Northern Nigeria, no attempt was made to prosecute the killers until Bola Tinubu became President in 2023.

And someone wants to talk about being "somebody" in Nigeria?

Good Luck to Nigerians.

miketayo:
How much do you think it cost to japa ? 20 milli is not enough today

my question is, why Japa if you can save 20 million in Nigeria?

osazsky:
u they hear japa japa..how much u think say them take they travel before..I just they laff..20m can't even pay sch fees if she uses the study route

I didn't ask how much it costs to travel, my question is why consider travelling if you can save 20 million in Nigeria?.

Poultry business is not 4d weak or fainted heart, baba u don see where almost all ur birds go die under 1 day, fish farming is better 2 me than broilers or layers. , wholesale business and pharmacy is very ok. But u see saloon & spa,laundry & bakery omo if u no get money 2 recharge ur energy meter just 4get that business completely cause u will be surely tempted to bypass the meter

ariesbull:
Profitable Business Ideas in Nigeria with ₦20 Million Capital

1. Food & Agriculture (Guaranteed Market)

Poultry Farm (Layers & Broilers):

Egg demand is endless (bakeries, homes, restaurants).

Broilers sell fast in festive periods.

With ₦20m, you can start with 3,000–5,000 birds, modern cages, and feeds.

Profit margin: 20–40% depending on scale.


Fish Farming (Catfish / Tilapia):

Catfish pepper soup is a daily demand.

₦5–10m can set up concrete ponds + fingerlings + feeds.

Rest can go into marketing, processing (smoking/drying) for higher returns.


Food Processing & Packaging:

Example: Packaged garri, beans flour, palm oil, spices.

Nigerians abroad even import these — so you can sell locally and export.

₦20m can set up machines, branding, NAFDAC approval.




2. Retail & Trade

Mini Supermarket / Provision Store:

Start in a busy estate or along a major road.

Stock rice, noodles, drinks, toiletries.

With ₦15m stock + ₦5m for rent & branding, you can make steady daily sales.


Wholesale Distribution (FMCG):

Buy Indomie, Milo, bottled water, and supply to retailers.

High turnover, lower margin but consistent cash flow.


Pharmacy (with licensed pharmacist):

Drug sales don’t go out of fashion.

₦20m covers rent, registration, and stock.

Health is wealth = strong and stable demand.




3. Real Estate & Housing

Short-let Apartments (Airbnb model):

Buy/lease and furnish 2–3 flats in a city (Lagos, Abuja, PH).

Daily rental income (₦50k–₦150k/night).

₦20m can comfortably set up 2–4 units.


Hostel Investment Near Campuses:

Build or renovate into student lodges.

₦20m can build 8–10 self-contained rooms in some states.

Students always pay upfront.



4. Manufacturing & Light Production

Bakery (Bread & Snacks):

Bread is eaten in every home.

₦15m for equipment, ₦5m for rent, staff & marketing.

Fast turnover if located in dense population areas.


Sachet & Bottled Water Factory:

Everyday product, good margins.

₦20m can get NAFDAC registration, automatic machines, delivery trucks.


Soap, Detergent & Cleaning Products:

Easy to produce, high demand.

Raw materials are local, packaging makes the difference.




5. Services & Tech

Logistics & Delivery Business:

5–10 bikes doing deliveries for food, e-commerce, and groceries.

₦1.2–₦1.5m per bike including registration and branding.

Steady daily income if managed well.


Laundry & Dry Cleaning Service:

In urban estates, people pay ₦500–₦1,000 per cloth.

₦20m can set up a modern outlet with machines + delivery vans.


ICT Hub / Training Center:

Teach coding, design, data analysis, or offer co-working space.

Youths need skills, and you earn while empowering others.




---

6. Lifestyle & Entertainment

Salon & Spa (Unisex):

₦20m can set up a classy place with equipment and staff.

Men’s grooming + women’s beauty = daily cash flow.


Event Center (Small scale):

₦20m can build/renovate a hall for birthdays, weddings, church events.

Rental is ₦100k–₦1m per event depending on city.


Gym / Fitness Center:

Urban youths are more health-conscious.

₦20m gives you space, modern equipment, trainers.




---

🚨 Message to Nigerian Youths

Many youths believe “japa” is the only way forward, spending ₦20m (or even more) to struggle abroad doing dishwashing, cleaning, factory shifts, or care work — things they would look down on in Nigeria.

But let’s face it:

Abroad, you rent, you pay bills, you live paycheck to paycheck. Many can’t save, many can’t even come home after years.

With the same ₦20m, you could own a business, land, real estate, and employ others.

Instead of being a “labourer” in the West, you can be a job creator at home.

True dignity is in ownership, not in slavery.
The shame is not in traveling — it’s in wasting your youth abroad as a second-class citizen while opportunities at home are untapped.

babajero:
my question is, why Japa if you can save 20 million in Nigeria?

That 20m in 2 years wont have the same value. You don't know how long it took to save that amount.
Everyone is Nigeria is playing a game of catch with naira.

xyrexzmanto:
Poultry business is not 4d weak or fainted heart, baba u don see where almost all ur birds go die under 1 day, fish farming is better 2 me than broilers or layers. , wholesale business and pharmacy is very ok. But u see saloon & spa,laundry & bakery omo if u no get money 2 recharge ur energy meter just 4get that business completely cause u will be surely tempted to bypass the meter

making money has not been a weak people or fainted mind ones ...it's for the brave

casualobserver:
Like I said you are one example.

Stop deceiving Nigerians giving them false hope and dreams. It’s wickedness and it’s evil. I didn’t watch your video but I certainly hope you are not one of those Nigerians who exploit fellow NIgerians with false hope charging huge fees selling them fake dreams abroad. There was recently a protest in the Uk about people like that.

Nigerians if you are not a citizen your odds of making it are slim. Working class living from paycheck to paycheck, in fear of immigration is not a life, stuck can’t move forward, can’t come back home. Exceptions do not invalidate the rule. For every “i know one person” there are 40-100 whose japa dreams are shattered and are languishing anonymously .

Your biggest hurdle is you are not a citizen. Certain doors and opportunities are closed to you.

A man will make it wherever he finds himself. Those who won’t make it in Nigeria won’t make it abroad especially if you are not a citizen. Those who are hiding from difficulties in Nigeria will face a different set of problems abroad.

The one thing you said that I just saw and Will concedes is that the issue of japa is different depending on your tribe and culture.

1) Oga please don't engage in ad-hominem or whatever it's called. I'm an honest person, I've NEVER defrauded anyone in my life. That's why I'm not anonymous on this forum, I have nothing to fear from any person or government. Let's keep it civil abeg.

2) Thousands of Nigerians become citizens of the United States every year. I'm a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria and there's tens or even hundreds of thousands of other Nigerians just like me.

3) The truth as I've experienced it is that my human rights, my political and socio-economic rights are more secure in the USA than in Nigeria. You know it and everyone knows it.

4) It's easier for an average person to attain World Middle Class status in the Anglo-West than in Nigeria. That's why migration is a hot topic on Nairaland. Not only that, at every socio-economic level or in any job or business role, the person doing it in the Anglo-West will likely get higher earnings and accumulate far more wealth than their peers in Nigeria or any place in Black Africa.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

IbeOkehie:
1) Oga please don't engage in ad-hominem or whatever it's called. I'm an honest person, I've NEVER defrauded anyone in my life. That's why I'm not anonymous on this forum, I have nothing to fear from any person or government. Let's keep it civil abeg.

2) Thousands of Nigerians become citizens of the United State every year. I'm a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria and there's tens or even hundreds of thousands of other Nigerians just like me.

3) The truth as I've experienced it is that my human rights, my political and socio-economic rights are more secure in the USA than in Nigeria. You know it and everyone knows it.

4) It's easier for an average person to attain World Middle Class status in the Anglo-West than in Nigeria. That's why migration is a hot topic on Nairaland. Not only that, at every socio-economic level or in any job role, the person doing it in the West earns far more than their equivalent in Nigeria.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

. Don’t start using yourself as an example when there are many Nigerians who don’t have the same experience as you and then come here saying don’t engage in ad hominem. I challenge you to reply honestly by answering this simple question

In your experience, how many Nigerians who enter the USA who are not citizens ever get middle class professional jobs commensurate with their education. I am not talking about cab drivers, truck drivers, bottom cleaners, security guards and other blue collar working class jobs. Out of every 100 how many? I am not talking about income middle class to me is not about your income, there are uneducated people in Nigeria who take in millions a month. I am talking about the actual occupation. How many are able to secure respectable careers. Teachers, office jobs, accountants, IT, engineering etc etc. because most of the people seeking to japa are educated people. The subject of this thread is a woman with a ph.D. These are the people who believe they can have a better life abroad if they sell everything they have and start a new life abroad. These are the people who sell their houses in the belief of a life people like you paint. None of them think they will end up permanently as truck drivers etc when they set sail.

We don’t want stories of outliers the 1% or the 10%, what is the expected fate of the 50%? Give Nigerians the true figures of the average non status educated immigrant in the USA


It is intellectually deceitful to compare incomes in Nigeria to that abroad. How much of that income is left over, how much of lifestyle is debt. I also take exception to this “middle class” classification based on income. Most non status Nigerians abroad are working class. A driver is a driver is a driver anywhere in the world, that he earns more than a Nigerian driver does not make him middle class. Whether he is a truck driver, a cab driver, an Uber driver a delivery driver or an executive limo driver or a chauffeur, he is working class. And at the end of the month they are both broke. A driver is not middle class, neither is a security guard, or anyone engaged in blue collar work. In any society you are the bottom of the ladder.

Gerrard59:
The UK has a laggard biotech/pharmaceutical industry considering the number of applicants. The salaries are also terribly low even by European standards. Worst still, your sister is indebted. So when will she pay off the debt, and save something for herself?

Too bad..

Wat i noticed the agent really chop her money because she wanted to jappa by all means

Watcharena:
At least she is serving anything you can do to leave Nigeria just do it

yes o!! because 9ja is becoming something else see rivers election just destroyed my mind of voting

zagorakis:
Is olosho part of the things she does to survive there?

na ur interest be dat

mightyhazel:
Toto logy kwa


Abeg ooo🤲😁


Na tautology them teach me o

ok thanks 4 d correction i go ask Google

casualobserver:
. Don’t start using yourself as an example when there are many Nigerians who don’t have the same experience as you and then come here saying don’t engage in ad hominem. I challenge you to reply honestly by answering this simple question

This is what you wrote -

casualobserver:
Stop deceiving Nigerians giving them false hope and dreams. It’s wickedness and it’s evil. I didn’t watch your video but I certainly hope you are not one of those Nigerians who exploit fellow NIgerians with false hope charging huge fees selling them fake dreams abroad. There was recently a protest in the Uk about people like that.

There's no point engaging anyone who makes such insinuations.

babajero:
I didn't ask how much it costs to travel, my question is why consider travelling if you can save 20 million in Nigeria?.

Because the long term Return on Investment is likely higher for migrants. That's why.

And the longer the term of reference, the more LIKELY it is that a wider differential will result.

Read fromNairametrics on Aug 30 2025 -

https://nairametrics.com/2025/08/30/top-10-countries-to-migrate-to-for-better-salaries-and-career-growth-in-2025/

Other findings show that where you choose to work/migrate and invest your resources of time can significantly influence your long-term earnings and career trajectory.

Beyond paychecks, these destinations offer robust industries, economic mobility, and livability, making them the top 10 countries to watch for career growth and higher salaries in 2025.

So that $13K = N20 million and its possible investment returns in Nigeria is a laughable reason to give up on a chance to migrate and become a US/UK citizen. By the way, I put $12K down on my first home over 25 years ago. Would I have done better in Nigeria? Read this discussion or argument and maybe it will make sense...

IbeOkehie:
Please tell them. Facts speak for themselves. No need to look far in the age of internet. Here's one from Baltimore Maryland, one of the UNDESIRABLE cities in the USA. I chose this house because I know a Nigerian couple that bought on the same street back in 1986 for $90K.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1127-Cowpens-Ave-Baltimore-MD-21286/36411353_zpid/

This house was bought for $79K in 1979. Today it's priced over $500K. The records as shown make it likely that it's owned by the same person/family that originally bought it in 1979 because it hasn't been bought or sold since then. It's very likely the mortgage is paid off. Ditto for the Nigerian family, they've lived there since I came to this country. The man is a high school teacher, wife is a nurse.

So what exactly is the problem with mortgage biko nu? Gain of $400K = ₦560 million at current exchange rate. As in, half a billion naira....this man and wife can sell their house and get half billion naira cash. And the kids are all grown, one is nurse, one engineer at Microsoft. When the parents do die, these kids will inherit this profit. Imagine how comfortable their grand children will be. Would this have been possible in Nigeria?

Also this ---

https://guardian.ng/property/foreign-real-estate-investors-record-huge-losses-amid-rise-in-exchange-rate/

Real estate, business or enterprise, professional job, handiwork or artisan laborer...the returns are generally higher in the Anglo-West and with lower risk. The argument has been raging on Nairaland since 2007 or even earlier. Then in 2018 Nigeria was named the official Poverty Capital of the World. Between migrants and those who chose to remain in Nigeria, who has come out ahead?

Good Luck to Nigerians.

IbeOkehie:
This is what you wrote -



There's no point engaging anyone who makes such insinuations.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

Forget about me block me so I don’t respond to you anymore answer the question for the people who you are deceiving with promises of a middle class life in America.

You owe them the stats not stories of outliers. What is the fate of 1 in 2 Nigerians without citizenship who emigrate to the US. For their sake answer…simple question.

I won’t respond to you anymore, and you can answer the question without quoting me the only reason I respond to you is because I see a notification on my mentions. but you can’t back out now. I have not been posting because I care about you, I post for Nigerians who are reading this and do not understand what they are getting into. You owe them an answer.

He can never answer because the truth is different from what he is portraying and he knows.

miketayo:
That 20m in 2 years wont have the same value. You don't know how long it took to save that amount.
Everyone is Nigeria is playing a game of catch with naira.

if you can save 20 million in Nigeria in apc regime then I don't see any travelling out.

dollytino4real:
Wat i noticed the agent really chop her money because she wanted to jappa by all means

Why did she wanted to japa by all means? What was she doing while in Nigeria? How was life for her, especially compared to the UK and with the new immigration policies?

Apologies for my many questions.