₦airaland Forum

rickpat:
So someone that set a long term goal to relocate to a better country with better pay and job...then saves up to relocate...that's not an achievement abi?..moving from your $200 a month job to a $3000 a month job,no be achievement abi...oga rest, everybody has his or her own definition of achievement....I have even see British english teachers that moved to Saudi Arabia to teach English and get very high salaries, if you see as these oyibos dey happy..some wishing their application was successful...oga rest....oya tell us things you call achievement, let's see

helinues:
The issue with your calculation is, with your $200, you can escape bill, postpone bill, ask for extension in Nigeria but you see in abroad if you are not careful, bills might take all the money.

Some countries in abroad, after on the 5th of the month, if you did not pay your rent , your apartment closed. That pressure alone is what normally make abroad people to be forming busy

If you read some Nigerians story even in the 1st class countries, you go sope ti e

rickpat:
So $200 in nigeria is better than $3000 abroad...okay,well done

rickpat:
So someone that set a long term goal to relocate to a better country with better pay and job...then saves up to relocate...that's not an achievement abi?..moving from your $200 a month job to a $3000 a month job,no be achievement abi...oga rest, everybody has his or her own definition of achievement....I have even see British english teachers that moved to Saudi Arabia to teach English and get very high salaries, if you see as these oyibos dey happy..some wishing their application was successful...oga rest....oya tell us things you call achievement, let's see

helinues:
$200 per month might give you a rest of mind in Nigeria than $3,000 per month in abroad.

I have a friend in USA , his average monthly bill is around $20k per month. Someone struggling for $20k , if you asked him ordinary $50 he might not give you. Though it's unnecessary social conformity. If things changed you adjust, you dont need to meet up for anybody . His likes full Lekki in Lagos state

rickpat:
Monthly bill 20k...bro..abeg shut...na so una go dey lie..i have a friend...na be say your friend dey earn how much per month...easy abeg

helinues:
Na your friend or you know the person which I am talking about.

Hahahaha, your circle in life will determine your journey to success

rickpat:
I hear you...mr.audio money...dey sleep for nairaland...dreamer

helinues:
Stop using your life predicaments to be judging others.

I didn't make my comments for you to believe

helinues:
$200 per month might give you a rest of mind in Nigeria than $3,000 per month in abroad.

I have a friend in USA , his average monthly bill is around $20k per month. Someone struggling for $20k , if you asked him ordinary $50 he might not give you. Though it's unnecessary social conformity. If things changed you adjust, you dont need to meet up for anybody . His likes full Lekki in Lagos state

Womanwoman:
20k/month? This is NOT possible. No be the same abroad we dey so?

helinues:
Are you using your wages/salary to say that?

Womanwoman:
I don’t intend to trade words with you. Just stating the obvious. Again, it is NOT possible

helinues:
Obvious by using your status to judge. Fingers are not equal. People are really making money without making any noise.

SixSeven:
We have an oppressive state of mind that believes rather than believing in the power of Ubuntu, it is better to be the surviving frog in the boiling water and show the others that "hey Charlie, I escaped". That's success to some of us. When your id is "bigger than" your ego and superego, you become impulsive and self-gratifying...... It's a form of insecurity and how we look down on others.

WhizdomXX:
Please share the book titke

drstranged:
This is an honest question, not an insult or shade. Why Do Many Nigerians See Travelling “Abroad” as an Achievement, While Other Africans Don’t?Why is it that in Nigeria, travelling abroad is often treated as a major life achievement, while in many other African countries it is seen as something quite ordinary—sometimes just for holidays, work, or short-term exposure?

I ask this because I have Rwandan and Kenyan friends, and the contrast is striking. Many of them genuinely can’t wait to return home after studying or working abroad. To them, “abroad” is not the ultimate destination. Home is. Some even find it strange that Nigerians celebrate travelling out of the country so loudly, as if it automatically equals success.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, the moment you hear that someone has travelled abroad, it is often spoken of with pride. Families announce it like a major milestone, and people are sometimes respected simply for having left the country, even when nothing tangible has changed in their lives. In many cases, the destination itself does not even seem to matter—as long as it is not Nigeria.

In contrast, many East African countries tend to view foreign travel as normal exposure rather than a status symbol. There is a strong emotional and economic investment in home, and success is often measured more by impact, stability, and contribution to society than by physical relocation.

This raises some important questions. Is this mindset a result of how badly Nigeria’s system has failed, such that leaving now feels more like an escape than ordinary movement? Could it be tied to a lingering colonial mentality where “foreign” is subconsciously equated with “better”? Or is it driven by harsh economic realities such as unemployment, insecurity, and a poor quality of life that make life abroad seem like the ultimate goal? Perhaps it is also a product of social conditioning and a validation-seeking culture, where travelling abroad has become one of the few visible markers of “progress.”

Why, then, do Nigerians often aspire so strongly to leave, while people from other African countries aspire just as strongly to return home?

I would genuinely love to hear thoughtful opinions—especially from Nigerians who have lived abroad and from Africans from other countries who have observed this difference.