₦airaland Forum

HustlaOfLagos:
Nigeria will not be better in your lifetime, we are too ignorant, short sighted, selfish and foolish to see the big picture.

The earlier you come to terms with that, the better for you

Maybe Lord Lugard was right after all

Raalsalghul:
I'm not surprised at him making that statement; it's just that the statement is just falsehood and lies.

Some of our people here on nairaland are like that too just that they are careful with their chosen word. They got to the top and wants the ladder removed.

WanderingChild:
..... Don’t also live life hoping that things back home will change. Nigeria is not an option. It has gone past the point of recovery. Nigeria is on a managed economic collapse. Anyone selling you on Nigeria is lying. The country is gone. Whatever you are seeing are the last moves of a dead horse.

As usual, I am not a financial adviser and please always consult a financial adviser.

HustlaOfLagos:
Nigeria will not be better in your lifetime, we are too ignorant, short sighted, selfish and foolish to see the big picture.

The earlier you come to terms with that, the better for you

In times like this, it's difficult to challenge certain narratives. Lets not miss the forest for the trees.

Most of the economic growth that the world would see in the coming decades would likely be outside the West. Many western nations are stagnating with things not looking to get better as their population ages. As we clobber to get in, let's remember we'd be fighting for a hardly growing pot without the headstart native populations have. The statistical reality is that many coming in would be stuck at lower rungs of society except they work terribly hard as the odds are stacked against them. We can see this among descendants of Caribbean migrants in London and the midlands- many are struggling.
At some point we'd ask ourselves... to what end? (Yes, I can appreciate most narratives and see how they tie-in)

For enterprising ones, the focus should not just be on where the opportunity train has been but where next it's going.

I have increasingly seen my colleagues think home - not because they're looking to relocate soon but because they see the opportunities there. Many have set up short-term lets some of which are priced in USD. I remember strongly considering investing in the Nigerian st0ck market a few years back as it seemed primed. I ultimately decided not to but its grown over 2x since. No regrets. Of late, I stumbled upon a community on Reddit called 'BackToIndia' which is a constitutes of Indians looking to move back. It was interesting reading posts there. While some were being forced to make that move due to visa issues, some established Indians in the west were making same move due to opportunities they see back home.

I visit Nigeria almost every year and for the first time in a while, I'm beginning to see fresh shoots of progress. Nigeria can effortlessly grow at a rate of 5% pa for the next 20yrs. Virtually no western nation can. With the right capital and knowledge which we have - that's a waiting opportunity begging to be tapped.

PO once mentioned how Indians in the west took readily available 'cheap' loans to invest in India. I saw the point but devaluation was the achilles heel. A successful business in 9ja owner recently told me they were seeking a bank loan and being quoted an interest rate of 37% with 2yr repayment by their bank. This got me scratching my head both for the locked opportunities and growth that could ensue when that is tapped.

I am not trying to convince anyone, but just like it was clear to me years back that I had better opportunities outside the UK, it's clear to me now that there are ready opportunities back home. All I pray for is a decent government and fairly stable currency. I dont even want the government to work wonders- just don't be a Buhari.

Adebayofca:
It seems the pressure is hitting primary academies too. I was reading a newsletter from one of the education trusts today, and for the second edition in a row they highlighted growing financial challenges caused by falling enrolment. National enrollment have dropped by 2% since it peaked 2018/19 and are predicted to fall another 4% over the next five years due to declining birth rates.

This particular trust has c650 fewer pupils this year, with further declines forecast for the next academic year, which of course means reduced income. This is not peculiar to the Trust, according to the newsletter . It does make one wonder what the numbers would look like without the children of recent migrants, who make up a good share of dependants 🤔

In the end, it is clear that immigration is driven by economic need, just as you’ve always argued. But those who deliberately opened the borders will never admit it, because doing so would put their jobs at risk.

Well said- we're here cos we are needed not cos we're wanted. Many were carried away few years back thinking it was a lovefeast. It never was and would never be.

What you say makes me remember all the narratives we've been gaslit with here- first that migrants were the reason for the health crises or folks inability to see their GP, next that migrants were crowding schools and preventing British kids from getting in. Next was that we come with our many diseases from Africa which were a strain on the health system.... it went on and on. The funny thing was anyone with a brain was able to see the folly in those statements. Its the funny thing about these Brexit-like narratives and how they come to bite back.

Take education for instance, because of how economies of scale work, the funny thing is that as pupil numbers drop, income to the school drops too but costs to train those kids remains same or doesn't drop as much. A relative of mine had to have their class merged with a higher class due to falling numbers. In Wales and some rural parts of England, some schools are closing. The wider effect on the local economy cannot be overstated. Maybe those schools should be converted to care homes.

I am now a bit sceptical about the position that most future growth will occurr outside of the west (I published in line with this in time past but my stance is changing) and this is because we are making one huge assumption - that outside of the west (e.g. Africa) has the capable labour force that will enable or drive this. This may not be true considering that about 70% of Africa's youth population are poor. Coupled with the absence of any governance framework in Africa that can evolve frameworks to drive up GDP/Capita, most of Africa's youth will end up being net negative contributors to national GDP. With the financialisation of commodities and almost every aspect of society, Africa is not poised to determine or impact how its services should be priced. Growth in Africa will ONLY be possible if we achieve full integration within Africa along with EU style freedom of movement of goods and people. That in itself also has a timeline as the more Africa's youths get poorer, the more difficult it will be to lift them up and see them become net positive contributors.

I acknowledge your observation of the Nigeria bourse but let's be clear - it is nothing more than a big Ponzi scheme. Today, investors in a number of stocks on the NGX like Geregu are unable to divest because of general lack of liquidity. A critical assessment of P/E ratios, earnings and valuation of many companies also shows market manipulations of the stock market. Whatever growth is noted, there is no corresponding growth in liquidity (proxied via FDI). Remember that we had similar scenarios during the era of Ndi Okereke Onyiuke where the banks played bananas with shareholder funds and we saw the collapse of their prices. I want you to pause and think of how a company like Transcorp that had its share price collapse to 50 Kobo is now worth over 51 Naira today. Nigeria is a Ponzi scheme.

Another thing we must not confuse is our anecdotal views and what the data states. Network effect may put you in close proximity with folks in high paying jobs who also feel that their observation of a "buoyant economy" in Nigeria justifies remittances back home to "invest". The data is very dire. Nigeria's GDP has collapsed from over $800 billion in 2014 to just under $300 billion in 2025. This is not good news. In that same time, our population has increased meaning we have gotten poorer. Imagine this - Nigeria with a 6th of India's population has about 87 million people in acute poverty compared to about 240 million in India.

One other thing you must note in Nigeria is the huge money laundering machine it has become. Yes, Nigeria has exited FATF list, however there is a very coordinated money laundering system prevalent in Nigeria. We see this in the property market, the kidnapping gangs and contracting. It is pervasive and very organised but is what drives new Nigeria - not enterprise.

India is a painful example because despite their huge population, they have been unable to generate a huge GDP to boost GDP/Capita. Today, nominal GDP/Capita for select countries/regions are US ($89k), Europe (avg) at ($42k), China ($13k), Botswana ($7k), Namibia ($5k), Cambodia ($2k), Nigeria ($1.2k) and India ($3k). African countries like Namibia and Botswana have a better chance of being more economically powerful (GDP/capita wise) compared to India. I also think $5k is a sweet spot (arbitrarily chosen I must concede) to gauge any country that can grow wealth for its people and you can see that Nigeria is not near that figure.

I agree that some semblance of "opportunities do exist, but the huge risks and absence of competent leadership and better use of our resources which have lasted for the better part of the last 60+ years mean that we have lost the possibility of any sensible recovery. You do not want to retire to chaos, rampant crime and huge social unrest. Such environment cannot also be conducive for growing actual wealth. What you will find there is mostly extraction and exploitation. Also, what we call opportunities are nothing but evidence of market and government failures. If we have MPR rates so high at 27% compared to a 15% interest rate, that creates a distrust in inflation values and indicates that the government has lost control of how to rein in the huge cash in the informal sectors. If ATMs worked and money transfer worked like M-PESA, businesses like Moniepoint and maybe O-Pay will be out of business. If financial services made money from deals (loans to the real economy) rather than bank charges and arbitrage from "shorting" the Naira (through dollar-Naira trading) along with widespread presence, people will be incentivised to bank more than transact with cash. If government had a huge housing development scheme and effective transport networks (e.g. fast train between Ibadan and Lagos), property prices and rent will collapse, Lagos will be decongested and states like Oyo and Ogun will see more development. Most of what we think are "opportunities" are simply outcomes from failed market and government policies.

A lot of folks are sick in Nigeria, there is paucity of good healthcare facilities in Nigeria. Do you think this "opportunity" will exist if government did their jobs? Why do we have a lot of private universities in Nigeria - simply because government owned universities have failed. We really should not be talking about "opportunities" because of market and government failures but rather in the sense of improvement in efficiency. This is what will create the scaler effect driving huge benefits, creating more opportunities and generating wealth. This is why I argue that Nigeria is on a managed economic collapse. The government has failed to act for decades and now Nigeria has become this complex maze of failed sectors that are poorly funded and with officials that are at loss of what needs to be done. Let me shock you - Peter Obi will fail woefully. He will fail because the only way for Nigeria to achieve any meaningful progress is to see its acute poverty list permanently decrease by 50% in 4 years. That will mean huge industries, massive industrialisation at a fifth of China's scale. That will cost trillions which we don't have and which have been squandered.

My call for our people to be extremely cautious about returning to Nigeria is to ensure that people who are stuck with the catastrophic immigration policies here in the west do not end up going back home and ending up losing everything. The west for now still provides the safety and exposure to the changing world especially for their kids compared to what is obtainable in Nigeria. As long as they have a fighting chance to remain here, let them try. Back home, it is more of dog eat dog system that places no value on your capabilities but your subscription to the infinity logo.

Lastly, I know we don't agree on the issue of the contribution of our youths to humanity, but think of how you can move freely between Canada and the UK and enjoy superior pay as a medical professional in Canada? Think of the exposure, access to latest tech and literature and ecosystem of sane humans you get to meet. Imagine how that improves your capabilities and makes you more valuable? This is what Nigeria cannot provide. Think of how the systems are setup to make you your best option, this is what will be lost going back to Nigeria. Today, we have an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria and states are denying it. We had over 150 people kidnapped in a Northern state some weeks ago and the police denied it and later recanted. That is what Nigeria has to offer. We are building a coastal road to nowhere while we have for over 40 years failed to build a simple dam in Benue to absorb excess release from Cameroon leading to thousands of deaths every year. No child or youth is such a system is thinking of innovation or growth or productivity. Nigerians cannot get most US visas (immigrant and non-immigrant) today. Nigerians are far behind in AI infrastructure (we have no one in Africa). This is not a place where immigrants here in the west confronting fluid immigration policies should be encouraged to go. They will find themselves trapped in circumstances that will grind them down.

jedisco:
In times like this, it's difficult to challenge certain narratives. Lets not miss the forest for the trees.

Most of the economic growth that the world would see in the coming decades would likely be outside the West. Many western nations are stagnating with things not looking to get better as their population ages. As we clobber to get in, let's remember we'd be fighting for a hardly growing pot without the headstart native populations have. The statistical reality is that many coming in would be stuck art lower rungs of society except they work terribly hard. The odds are stacked against them. We can see this among descendants of Caribbean migrants in London and the midlands- quite a few are struggling.
At some point we'd ask ourselves... to what end? (Yes, I can appreciate most narratives and see how they tie-in)

For enterprising ones, the focus should not just be on where the opportunity train has been but where it's going

I have increasingly seen my colleagues think home -not because they look to relocate soon but because they see the opportunities there. Many have set up short-term lets some of which are priced in USD. I remember strongly considering investing in the Nigerian st0ck market a few years back as it seemed primed. I ultimately decided not to but its grown over 2x since. No regrets. Of late, I stumbled upon a community on Reddit called 'BackToIndia' which is a constitutes of Indians looking to move back. It was interesting reading posts there. While some were being forced to make that move, some established Indians in the west were making same move due to opportunities they see back home.

I visit Nigeria almost every year and for the first time in a while, I'm beginning to see fresh shoots of progress. Nigeria can effortlessly grow at a rate of 5% pa for the next 20yrs. Virtually no western nation can. With the right capital and knowledge which we have - that's a waiting opportunity to be tapped.

PO once mentioned how Indians in the west took readily available 'cheap' loans to invest in India. I saw the point but devaluation was the achilles heel. A successful business in 9ja owner recently told me they were seeking a bank loan and being quoted an interest rate of 37% with 2yr repayment by their bank. This got me scratching my head both for the locked opportunities and growth that could ensue when that is tapped.

I am not trying to convince anyone, but just like it was clear to me years back that I had better opportunities outside the UK, it's clear to me now that there are ready opportunities back home. All I pray for is a decent government and fairly stable currency. I dont even want the government to work wonders- just don't be a Buhari.

[quote author=Goke7 post=138440436]And the blame continues 😂 wetin musa no go see again for gate!

Manchester United part-owner has told @EdConwaySky the UK has been "colonised" by immigrants, who are draining resources from the state, as he warns of the country facing profound political, social and economic challenges.

🔗 https://t.co/bie6uFZ1Tp pic.twitter.com/qFpiO0HkfO

— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 11, 2026

fellow moved his tax residence to Monaco to avoid paying tax to the UK he loves so much

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/eye-watering-amount-man-utd-36714555.amp

But immigrants

lavida001:
Maybe Lord Lugard was right after all

Well... yes, he was ...

It will be hard for us to develop as a collective and the powers that be do not want the split to happen because they are benefiting from the chaos. We cannot even be trusted to manage the chaos that happens when splits occur like the case with Sudan, Somalia.

Except we find a way to make it work collectively, na long thing we dey

WanderingChild:
I am now a bit sceptical about the position that most future growth will occurr outside of the west (I published in line with this in time past but my stance is changing) and this is because we are making one huge assumption - that outside of the west (e.g. Africa) has the capable labour force that will enable or drive this. This may not be true considering that about 70% of Africa's youth population are poor. Coupled with the absence of any governance framework in Africa that can evolve frameworks to drive up GDP/Capita, most of Africa's youth will end up being net negative contributors to national GDP. With the financialisation of commodities and almost every aspect of society, Africa is not poised to determine or impact how its services should be priced. Growth in Africa will ONLY be possible if we achieve full integration within Africa along with EU style freedom of movement of goods and people. That in itself also has a timeline as the more Africa's youths get poorer, the more difficult it will be to lift them up and see them become net positive contributors.

I acknowledge your observation of the Nigeria bourse but let's be clear - it is nothing more than a big Ponzi scheme. Today, investors in a number of stocks on the NGX like Geregu are unable to divest because of general lack of liquidity. A critical assessment of P/E ratios, earnings and valuation of many companies also shows market manipulations of the stock market. Whatever growth is noted, there is no corresponding growth in liquidity (proxied via FDI). Remember that we had similar scenarios during the era of Ndi Okereke Onyiuke where the banks played bananas with shareholder funds and we saw the collapse of their prices. I want you to pause and think of how a company like Transcorp that had its share price collapse to 50 Kobo is now worth over 51 Naira today. Nigeria is a Ponzi scheme.

Another thing we must not confuse is our anecdotal views and what the data states. Network effect may put you in close proximity with folks in high paying jobs who also feel that their observation of a "buoyant economy" in Nigeria justifies remittances back home to "invest". The data is very dire. Nigeria's GDP has collapsed from over $800 billion in 2014 to just under $300 billion in 2025. This is not good news. In that same time, our population has increased meaning we have gotten poorer. Imagine this - Nigeria with a 6th of India's population has about 87 million people in acute poverty compared to about 240 million in India.

One other thing you must note in Nigeria is the huge money laundering machine it has become. Yes, Nigeria has exited FATF list, however there is a very coordinated money laundering system prevalent in Nigeria. We see this in the property market, the kidnapping gangs and contracting. It is pervasive and very organised but is what drives new Nigeria - not enterprise.

India is a painful example because despite their huge population, they have been unable to generate a huge GDP to boost GDP/Capita. Today, nominal GDP/Capita for select countries/regions are US ($89k), Europe (avg) at ($42k), China ($13k), Botswana ($7k), Namibia ($5k), Cambodia ($2k), Nigeria ($1.2k) and India ($3k). African countries like Namibia and Botswana have a better chance of being more economically powerful (GDP/capita wise) compared to India. I also think $5k is a sweet spot (arbitrarily chosen I must concede) to gauge any country that can grow wealth for its people and you can see that Nigeria is not near that figure.

I agree that some semblance of "opportunities do exist, but the huge risks and absence of competent leadership and better use of our resources which have lasted for the better part of the last 60+ years mean that we have lost the possibility of any sensible recovery. You do not want to retire to chaos, rampant crime and huge social unrest. Such environment cannot also be conducive for growing actual wealth. What you will find there is mostly extraction and exploitation. Also, what we call opportunities are nothing but evidence of market and government failures. If we have MPR rates so high at 27% compared to a 15% interest rate, that creates a distrust in inflation values and indicates that the government has lost control of how to rein in the huge cash in the informal sectors. If ATMs worked and money transfer worked like M-PESA, businesses like Moniepoint and maybe O-Pay will be out of business. If financial services made money from deals (loans to the real economy) rather than bank charges and arbitrage from "shorting" the Naira (through dollar-Naira trading) along with widespread presence, people will be incentivised to bank more than transact with cash. If government had a huge housing development scheme and effective transport networks (e.g. fast train between Ibadan and Lagos), property prices and rent will collapse, Lagos will be decongested and states like Oyo and Ogun will see more development. Most of what we think are "opportunities" are simply outcomes from failed market and government policies.

A lot of folks are sick in Nigeria, there is paucity of good healthcare facilities in Nigeria. Do you think this "opportunity" will exist if government did their jobs? Why do we have a lot of private universities in Nigeria - simply because government owned universities have failed. We really should not be talking about "opportunities" because of market and government failures but rather in the sense of improvement in efficiency. This is what will create the scaler effect driving huge benefits, creating more opportunities and generating wealth. This is why I argue that Nigeria is on a managed economic collapse. The government has failed to act for decades and now Nigeria has become this complex maze of failed sectors that are poorly funded and with officials that are at loss of what needs to be done. Let me shock you - Peter Obi will fail woefully. He will fail because the only way for Nigeria to achieve any meaningful progress is to see its acute poverty list permanently decrease by 50% in 4 years. That will mean huge industries, massive industrialisation at a fifth of China's scale. That will cost trillions which we don't have and which have been squandered.

My call for our people to be extremely cautious about returning to Nigeria is to ensure that people who are stuck with the catastrophic immigration policies here in the west do not end up going back home and ending up losing everything. The west for now still provides the safety and exposure to the changing world especially for their kids compared to what is obtainable in Nigeria. As long as they have a fighting chance to remain here, let them try. Back home, it is more of dog eat dog system that places no value on your capabilities but your subscription to the infinity logo.

Lastly, I know we don't agree on the issue of the contribution of our youths to humanity, but think of how you can move freely between Canada and the UK and enjoy superior pay as a medical professional in Canada? Think of the exposure, access to latest tech and literature and ecosystem of sane humans you get to meet. Imagine how that improves your capabilities and makes you more valuable? This is what Nigeria cannot provide. Think of how the systems are setup to make you your best option, this is what will be lost going back to Nigeria. Today, we have an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria and states are denying it. We had over 150 people kidnapped in a Northern state some weeks ago and the police denied it and later recanted. That is what Nigeria has to offer. We are building a coastal road to nowhere while we have for over 40 years failed to build a simple dam in Benue to absorb excess release from Cameroon leading to thousands of deaths every year. No child or youth is such a system is thinking of innovation or growth or productivity. Nigerians cannot get most US visas (immigrant and non-immigrant) today. Nigerians are far behind in AI infrastructure (we have no one in Africa). This is not a place where immigrants here in the west confronting fluid immigration policies should be encouraged to go. They will find themselves trapped in circumstances that will grind them down.

TL DR

I strongly disagree with the idea that there’s no hope for Nigeria.

Things are terrible but there are many improvements taking place (infrastructure (e.g. petrol, electricity, transportation (rail, light rail in Lagos/Abuja), economic and financial services reform and many opportunities opening up.

Returning to live in Nigeria is a key part of our early retirement strategy (although we’re flexible and if things don’t work out we’ll head to Spain or France or South Africa, Kenya or wherever else that’s working well, is more affordable and has better weather in 20-something years’ time) so I’m involved substantially with the country business-wise and go frequently as a result. Can’t be too detailed on that point but the takeaway is that there are opportunities and being in the UK gives you very good leverage to maximize them if you can move beyond ideological roadblocks.

Business aside, I think there’s a key role to be played by the diaspora, contributing to the country’s turnaround via charity. I have a private arrangement with a few friends supporting a few NGOs and would encourage you to consider the same. Harvard etc are all fueled primarily by endowments.

We may not have millions to give yet but a group of 20 people who commit 20 pounds per month over the course of a year to support their Alma mater back home will have almost 5k pounds which is ~10 million Naira. That’s enough to pay fees for 100+ primary or secondary school students or cover several secondary school teachers’ salaries or provide lots of resource for 2 or 3 clinics. Double or triple that (which is still small money for many here) and you’re getting to amounts that can build a school building or clinic from scratch.

Goodenoch:
I strongly disagree with the idea that there’s no hope for Nigeria.

Things are terrible but there are many improvements taking place (infrastructure (e.g. petrol, electricity, transportation (rail, light rail in Lagos/Abuja), economic and financial services reform and many opportunities opening up.

Returning to live in Nigeria is a key part of our early retirement strategy (although we’re flexible and if things don’t work out we’ll head to Spain or France or South Africa, Kenya or wherever else that’s working well, is more affordable and has better weather in 20-something years’ time) so I’m involved substantially with the country business-wise and go frequently as a result. Can’t be too detailed on that point but the takeaway is that there are opportunities and being in the UK gives you very good leverage to maximize them if you can move beyond ideological roadblocks.

Business aside, I think there’s a key role to be played by the diaspora, contributing to the country’s turnaround via charity. I have a private arrangement with a few friends supporting a few NGOs and would encourage you to consider the same. Harvard etc are all fueled primarily by endowments.

We may not have millions to give yet but a group of 20 people who commit 20 pounds per month over the course of a year to support their Alma mater back home will have almost 5k pounds which is ~10 million Naira. That’s enough to pay fees for 100+ primary or secondary school students or cover several secondary school teachers’ salaries or provide lots of resource for 2 or 3 clinics. Double or triple that (which is still small money for many here) and you’re getting to amounts that can build a school building or clinic from scratch.

But.. but...

You see that but just tells it all. If you are talking about Namibia or Kenya, that but will likely never be part of that sentence. I encourage to read this - https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA543719.pdf

For the NGOs, problem is, a lot of NGOs you are referring to are money laundering / siphoning ventures. Their owners full Lekki buying new houses up and down & sauntering across continents while the ones who are need those NGOs do not get sufficient help. I mean, look at the SS

No let them whine you sha

It's acts like this, that makes it difficult for all of us.......

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy9wzd6l36o

HustlaOfLagos:
But.. but...

You see that but just tells it all. If you are talking about Namibia or Kenya, that but will likely never be part of that sentence. I encourage to read this - https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA543719.pdf

For the NGOs, problem is, a lot of NGOs you are referring to are money laundering / siphoning ventures. Their owners full Lekki buying new houses up and down & sauntering across continents while the ones who are need those NGOs do not get sufficient help. I mean, look at the SS

No let them whine you sha

There's no country where there's no "but" to speak of.

Search "Kenya failed state" and see what comes up. Some examples:

https://businesstoday.co.ke/kenya-failed-state-least-developed-countries-east-africa/
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-crisis-in-kenya/

For Namibia, see:
https://thebrief.com.na/2025/07/namibias-downgrade-a-harsh-reflection-not-a-glitch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Namibia/comments/1luveb4/how_do_you_see_namibia_in_510_years/

Search USA, UK and most other places with the same keywords and you'll find plenty of complaints as well.

To be clear I'm not diminishing how terrible of a state NG is in currently. The point is that I disagree that it is irrecoverable because there are signs of recovery plus there are things we in the diaspora can do to help.

Now to NGO fraud? So what? Haven't you seen the reportage about how a bulk of funds many of the big name charities raise go to paying their execs?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/15/the-controversial-row-over-charity-ceos-six-figure-salaries/
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/average-ceo-pay-at-uks-largest-charities-rises-to-192000.html

We don't give to random NGOs run by 'IG babes' and I don't expect any serious person to either. In fact I strongly doubt those 'IG babes' actually make money from the NGOs they claim to run, and that it is the other way around - they make money from somewhere else and use the NGOs to launder it or just boost their social cred. That's neither here nor there though - If you want to give, do your DD and you will find a way to do it effectively.

It is indeed a breath of fresh air today for the UK and the innovation space and for all lovers of gardening who use shovels (credit to Denny Crane in Boston Legal). It is obvious that the UK is now feeling the threat of being left behind in the AI and software age. Our company has filed 4 AI patents with the US PTO in the last 18 months and will file 6 more AI patents with the US PTO in the next 2 months God willing. By year end, we hope to file up to 50 AI patents with the US PTO (Amen!). At $15k/patent, that is $0.75M to the US and not the UK. Because all our patents are AI (utility) patents, they are not eligible for filing with the UK IPO because of Aerotel. However, with today’s Supreme Court ruling, the Aerotel Model has been discarded in favour of a lighter touch approach.

While this is good news, I would not be filing any first patent with the UK IPO. I would stick with the US who have been more practical in supporting innovation and AI based patents. While China grants 1 million patents yearly and the US 370k, the UK is granting under 10k patents yearly. I think the UK is still elitist in how it reviews and assesses patents and I do not want to be fodder for them for now.

This reminds me of uni back in Nigeria. When Covenant University (CU) started, it was not uncommon to see them graduating 7-10% of a cohort with first class. Federal universities felt it was a thing of pride to graduate just a handful of students with first class. What did this result in – CU and other private university graduates became heavily represented in most scholarships and work placements. Seeing how useless their beliefs were as well as the bad publicity for them, first class became “liberalised” leading to parity between Federal and Private universities in terms of first-class graduates.

Goodenoch:
We don't give to random NGOs run by 'IG babes' and I don't expect any serious person to either. In fact I strongly doubt those 'IG babes' actually make money from the NGOs they claim to run, and that it is the other way around - they make money from somewhere else and use the NGOs to launder it or just boost their social cred. That's neither here nor there though - If you want to give, do your DD and you will find a way to do it effectively.

Nigeria, whew! The less said about the country, the better. I do not see things getting better anytime soon unless there is a miracle (which I desperately hope for)

Good you due your DD, best to properly vet them before handing out any form of money. I trust them as much as I trust Wike or Cubana Chief Priest and that's not a lot.

WanderingChild:
I am now a bit sceptical about the position that most future growth will occurr outside of the west (I published in line with this in time past but my stance is changing) and this is because we are making one huge assumption - that outside of the west (e.g. Africa) has the capable labour force that will enable or drive this. This may not be true considering that about 70% of Africa's youth population are poor. Coupled with the absence of any governance framework in Africa that can evolve frameworks to drive up GDP/Capita, most of Africa's youth will end up being net negative contributors to national GDP. With the financialisation of commodities and almost every aspect of society, Africa is not poised to determine or impact how its services should be priced. Growth in Africa will ONLY be possible if we achieve full integration within Africa along with EU style freedom of movement of goods and people. That in itself also has a timeline as the more Africa's youths get poorer, the more difficult it will be to lift them up and see them become net positive contributors.

I acknowledge your observation of the Nigeria bourse but let's be clear - it is nothing more than a big Ponzi scheme. Today, investors in a number of stocks on the NGX like Geregu are unable to divest because of general lack of liquidity. A critical assessment of P/E ratios, earnings and valuation of many companies also shows market manipulations of the stock market. Whatever growth is noted, there is no corresponding growth in liquidity (proxied via FDI). Remember that we had similar scenarios during the era of Ndi Okereke Onyiuke where the banks played bananas with shareholder funds and we saw the collapse of their prices. I want you to pause and think of how a company like Transcorp that had its share price collapse to 50 Kobo is now worth over 51 Naira today. Nigeria is a Ponzi scheme.

Another thing we must not confuse is our anecdotal views and what the data states. Network effect may put you in close proximity with folks in high paying jobs who also feel that their observation of a "buoyant economy" in Nigeria justifies remittances back home to "invest". The data is very dire. Nigeria's GDP has collapsed from over $800 billion in 2014 to just under $300 billion in 2025. This is not good news. In that same time, our population has increased meaning we have gotten poorer. Imagine this - Nigeria with a 6th of India's population has about 87 million people in acute poverty compared to about 240 million in India.

One other thing you must note in Nigeria is the huge money laundering machine it has become. Yes, Nigeria has exited FATF list, however there is a very coordinated money laundering system prevalent in Nigeria. We see this in the property market, the kidnapping gangs and contracting. It is pervasive and very organised but is what drives new Nigeria - not enterprise.

India is a painful example because despite their huge population, they have been unable to generate a huge GDP to boost GDP/Capita. Today, nominal GDP/Capita for select countries/regions are US ($89k), Europe (avg) at ($42k), China ($13k), Botswana ($7k), Namibia ($5k), Cambodia ($2k), Nigeria ($1.2k) and India ($3k). African countries like Namibia and Botswana have a better chance of being more economically powerful (GDP/capita wise) compared to India. I also think $5k is a sweet spot (arbitrarily chosen I must concede) to gauge any country that can grow wealth for its people and you can see that Nigeria is not near that figure.

I agree that some semblance of "opportunities do exist, but the huge risks and absence of competent leadership and better use of our resources which have lasted for the better part of the last 60+ years mean that we have lost the possibility of any sensible recovery. You do not want to retire to chaos, rampant crime and huge social unrest. Such environment cannot also be conducive for growing actual wealth. What you will find there is mostly extraction and exploitation. Also, what we call opportunities are nothing but evidence of market and government failures. If we have MPR rates so high at 27% compared to a 15% interest rate, that creates a distrust in inflation values and indicates that the government has lost control of how to rein in the huge cash in the informal sectors. If ATMs worked and money transfer worked like M-PESA, businesses like Moniepoint and maybe O-Pay will be out of business. If financial services made money from deals (loans to the real economy) rather than bank charges and arbitrage from "shorting" the Naira (through dollar-Naira trading) along with widespread presence, people will be incentivised to bank more than transact with cash. If government had a huge housing development scheme and effective transport networks (e.g. fast train between Ibadan and Lagos), property prices and rent will collapse, Lagos will be decongested and states like Oyo and Ogun will see more development. Most of what we think are "opportunities" are simply outcomes from failed market and government policies.

A lot of folks are sick in Nigeria, there is paucity of good healthcare facilities in Nigeria. Do you think this "opportunity" will exist if government did their jobs? Why do we have a lot of private universities in Nigeria - simply because government owned universities have failed. We really should not be talking about "opportunities" because of market and government failures but rather in the sense of improvement in efficiency. This is what will create the scaler effect driving huge benefits, creating more opportunities and generating wealth. This is why I argue that Nigeria is on a managed economic collapse. The government has failed to act for decades and now Nigeria has become this complex maze of failed sectors that are poorly funded and with officials that are at loss of what needs to be done. Let me shock you - Peter Obi will fail woefully. He will fail because the only way for Nigeria to achieve any meaningful progress is to see its acute poverty list permanently decrease by 50% in 4 years. That will mean huge industries, massive industrialisation at a fifth of China's scale. That will cost trillions which we don't have and which have been squandered.

My call for our people to be extremely cautious about returning to Nigeria is to ensure that people who are stuck with the catastrophic immigration policies here in the west do not end up going back home and ending up losing everything. The west for now still provides the safety and exposure to the changing world especially for their kids compared to what is obtainable in Nigeria. As long as they have a fighting chance to remain here, let them try. Back home, it is more of dog eat dog system that places no value on your capabilities but your subscription to the infinity logo.

Lastly, I know we don't agree on the issue of the contribution of our youths to humanity, but think of how you can move freely between Canada and the UK and enjoy superior pay as a medical professional in Canada? Think of the exposure, access to latest tech and literature and ecosystem of sane humans you get to meet. Imagine how that improves your capabilities and makes you more valuable? This is what Nigeria cannot provide. Think of how the systems are setup to make you your best option, this is what will be lost going back to Nigeria. Today, we have an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria and states are denying it. We had over 150 people kidnapped in a Northern state some weeks ago and the police denied it and later recanted. That is what Nigeria has to offer. We are building a coastal road to nowhere while we have for over 40 years failed to build a simple dam in Benue to absorb excess release from Cameroon leading to thousands of deaths every year. No child or youth is such a system is thinking of innovation or growth or productivity. Nigerians cannot get most US visas (immigrant and non-immigrant) today. Nigerians are far behind in AI infrastructure (we have no one in Africa). This is not a place where immigrants here in the west confronting fluid immigration policies should be encouraged to go. They will find themselves trapped in circumstances that will grind them down.

Long read... you have most of your figures wrong.
You can write a book on the challenges Nigeria faces- same with most countries. Again, that is not why I'm here. I'm interested in identifying opportunities in a changing world. The last two times I preached about opportunities here was last year which I considered a good time to approach the housing market and post covid, when I talked about options outside the UK. I'm glad I latched onto both even when it seemed like folly.

I'd highlight a few oddities in your post.

1. You make the mistake of comparing GDP per capita without appreciating the economics of scale larger countries wield. Based on GDP per capita, China would be poorer than most European countries. How come they weild so much influence?

2. Already, over the last 20 years, most of the improvement in living standards happened outside the west. Its said that if you remove those China lifted out of poverty, the world has hardly made much improvement in poverty reduction in the last 20 yrs.

3. Nigerias GDP never got to $800 B and India do not have 240 million in poverty. Get your facts right.

4. When I mention business interest rates, I point to opportunities to unlock tremendous growth by getting some basics right.

5. I don't get your obsession with PO- I'm all about leadership that'd get certain basics right.

All said, I can only thank God I'm one of those youths Nigeria produced.


Going forward, let me preview your submissions here first.
As per your submissions :
1. Folks living in Africa are useless to humanity. Perhaps, they should unalive themselves and become manure
2. Any youth not in the top-10 world cities is useless to humanity (which ironically includes most of Europe). Now that Trump is shutting the U.S, should Europeans also convert themselves to manure?
3. Anyone without £300k to take risk is useless to humanity.
4. Not too long ago, you were mocking those who bought houses- an endeavour which has been a sure way to build wealth in the west
5. Now, you're preaching to folks to liquidate their pensions- a path that is sure to render many destitute in retirement.

There is more to life than ip. The reality we live in far different from aspire to acquire.


Lastly, it's easy to hide under the cowardly phrase- 'you're lucky because you're doctor' without appreciating the difference in mindset and approach. I was singing it like a song several years back that we're in the west cos we're needed, some folks thought I was proud and they were being invited to a lovefeast. Today, its kitikata. I had every opportunity to remain in Nigeria and the UK and be a top 2% earner for the rest of my career. Yet, I left - unapologetically. I'm glad that I'm at a point today where I can ask myself- to what end and not live solely to chase the next pay check.

Goodenoch:
I strongly disagree with the idea that there’s no hope for Nigeria.....
Returning to live in Nigeria is a key part of our early retirement strategy (although we’re flexible and if things don’t work out we’ll head to Spain or France or South Africa, Kenya or wherever else that’s working well, is more affordable and has better weather in 20-something years’ time) so I’m involved substantially with the country business-wise and go frequently as a result. Can’t be too detailed on that point but the takeaway is that there are opportunities and being in the UK gives you very good leverage to maximize them if you can move beyond ideological roadblocks.

Business aside, I think there’s a key role to be played by the diaspora, contributing to the country’s turnaround via charity. I have a private arrangement with a few friends supporting a few NGOs and would encourage you to consider the same. Harvard etc are all fueled primarily by endowments.

We may not have millions to give yet but a group of 20 people who commit 20 pounds per month over the course of a year to support their Alma mater back home will have almost 5k pounds which is ~10 million Naira. That’s enough to pay fees for 100+ primary or secondary school students or cover several secondary school teachers’ salaries or provide lots of resource for 2 or 3 clinics. Double or triple that (which is still small money for many here) and you’re getting to amounts that can build a school building or clinic from scratch.

@the bolded, there are arguments not worth having. Its like when I encounter posts on NL asking regular Nigerians not to travel so they don't pay tax or folks telling you coke is more expensive in the UK than Nigeria cos they are comparing the sticker price... where do you approach that from?

The advantage of a country like the UK is that by being a being rich nation, it lifts your average. After that, what next? Work till you're 70? How many of the folks looking to stop contributing to their pension are also ready to work till they are 70? There is a part to western nations that many have not understood.

Two instances I recollect;
First was years back when someone here was angry we were not consistently discussing about 'how to pass the driving test' or 'build your credit score'. I recollect saying that as communities grow, conversations evolve. Soon after that, the UK mortgage thread was born. This conversation is one I'm sure we'd come back to in time. After years grinding (and doing well), many would ask themselves... to what end?

Secondly, I also remember 2-3 yrs ago when the Canadian PR was much easier to get. I said I'd leave and probably remain a UK landlord as I go. I can still remember posts here mocking me for chasing utopia. Today, when it's testimony time, folks chorus 'u get luck'... my brother no be only luck.. na favour. Or is it all the preaching that we are here as a result of need... started singing that from day 1.

Most colleagues who I moved with are not planning to retire in Canada. However that does not stop us from providing services and availing ourselves of opportunities there. Even me no know where I go retire.. e fit be a mix of 4 countries... 3months per nation
Last week, I was chatting with someone who grosses 1mil CAD per year. Chap is heavily invested in luxury real estate in Lekki. He's already set to retire in 2 yrs and relocate to 9ja.
We also saw how blessed @Ticha narrated how many countries she has meandered thru... living life as it's meant to be.

I also visit Nigeria often and of late, its brimming with opportunities. I just need a government that tackles security, reduces inflation and keeps the naira fairly stable. Just do that and boys would do more. All said, the fact is that true economic freedom for many migrants would not be based on years of struggle and doing shift work but rather on how they leverage their position to tap into begging opportunities.

Long read... you have most of your figures wrong.
You can write a book on the challenges Nigeria faces- same with most countries. Again, that is not why I'm here. I'm interested in identifying opportunities in a changing world. The last two times I preached about opportunities here was last year which I considered a good time to approach the housing market and post covid, when I talked about options outside the UK. I'm glad I latched onto both even when it seemed like folly.

Response – My contention with property as a primary means of investment for growing wealth in today’s age is simply based on the fact that it is immobile and lacks the ability to scale wealth in ways IP does. A simple fund raising and a company is worth millions. Co-founders can extract a fraction of their wealth through debt and still invest in property or other businesses. This is the modern way of creating wealth. Property becomes a top up rather than a main route to wealth. Elon Musk has just demonstrated that again with their planned IPO for SpaceX at $1.25T valuation. Your property story is not being discounted, I am simply proposing an alternative that is timely for immigrants in today’s world.

I'd highlight a few oddities in your post.

1. You make the mistake of comparing GDP per capita without appreciating the economics of scale larger countries wield. Based on GDP per capita, China would be poorer than most European countries. How come they weild so much influence?

Response – If I go with this your logic, countries like Nigeria, DRC and Indonesia should wield similar influence? Economics of scale works when a country is able to develop the capacity of its population to grow wealth. China has been able to leverage its population along with fiscal discipline and a well-managed monetary policy in directly influencing capital allocation and priority areas. Overall, Chinese are much poorer than Europeans when purchasing power is compared. That is what economists use as a metric.

2. Already, over the last 20 years, most of the improvement in living standards happened outside the west. Its said that if you remove those China lifter out of poverty, the world has hardly made much improvement in poverty reduction in the last 20 yrs.

Response – Most of the improvement in living standards happened because of the gap. It is like saying party A is worth $1m today from $0.9m yesterday and party B has recently seen its wealth move from $50k to $500k. This does not mean Party B is worth more than Party A or better, it simply means the development gap Party B needs to cover is significant. This is what creates opportunity for investors. It is expected. Unfortunately, and as you concede, China has been responsible for MOST of this over the last 30 years and is plateauing meaning that growth from most Global South countries will start plateauing in the coming years.

3. Nigerias GDP never got to $800 B and India do not have 240 million in poverty. Get your facts right.

Response – Nigeria rebased her GDP in 2025 adding $235 billion to 2014 GDP. https://intelpoint.co/insights/nigerias-2024-gdp-just-got-a-65-billion-boost-after-the-2025-rebasing/

Reports show India having over 230 million people in poverty - https://thesouthfirst.com/news/india-has-23-4-crore-people-living-in-poverty-highest-in-the-world-un-report/

4. When I mention business interest rates, I point to opportunities to unlock tremendous growth by getting some basics right.

Response – Tremendous growth does not come from high interest rates. China leveraged low interest rates to drive private sector growth. In fact many business sectors were subsidised by the government with its currency deliberately undervalued for years to drive exports. Growth for China came from fiscal discipline, rapid expansion of exports (cheap manufacturing, cheap labour along with cheap loans) and a very well managed and aligned monetary policy. China does not run an exploitative economy. Growth driven by exploitation does not bode well for countries.

5. I don't get your obsession with PO- I'm all about leadership that'd get certain basics right.

Response – PO was mentioned without proper context (a fault on my part). I mentioned him to state that even our best shot (PO) at getting Nigeria right will fail because of the scale of what is needed for which we don’t have the funds.

All said, I can only thank God I'm one of those youths Nigeria produced.

Response – Excellent.


Going forward, let me preview your submissions here first.
As per your submissions :
1. Folks living in Africa are useless to humanity. Perhaps, they should unalive themselves and become manure

Response – You misstate my statement because you fail to contextualise it so not much my response can do here.

2. Any youth not in the top-10 world cities is useless to humanity (which ironically includes most of Europe). Now that Trump is shutting the U.S, should Europeans also convert themselves to manure?

Response – Lol. I actually said 20 and the Network effect of London and Paris covers Europe. Today, living in close proximity to top cities is what creates early access to opportunities to grow wealth. Being able to access funds investing in early and disruptive startups about to IPO is a function of proximity. Being able to even access funds, grants, abundant cloud resources or infrastructure to do significant work in your startup or AI is a function of proximity to top global cities. As harsh as the statement may sound, this is why the most valuable startups and businesses coalesce around these cities and where wealth id mostly created.

3. Anyone without £300k to take risk is useless to humanity. Lol...

Response – Again, you overexaggerate and misstate my statement here. This was talking about folks pooling together £300k and there was a context to this.

4. Not too long ago, you were mocking those who bought houses- an endeavour which has been a sure way to build wealth in the west

Response – I never mock. I stated that the property thread had died off. This was an observation and was contextualised with the rising anti-immigration sentiments in the UK. Most immigrant facing possible extension of their stay in the UK won’t be eager to take a mortgage. It is just gumption.

5. Now, you're preaching to folks to liquidate their pensions- a path that is sure to render many destitute in retirement.

Response – Again, you overexaggerate my statements. I was specifically talking about state pension reforms and how the government will be coming for immigrants by making it a benefit. When I responded to you earlier, I argued about wealth protection strategies for immigrants without settlement in light of growing anti-immigrant sentiments.

There is more to life than ip. The reality we live in far different from aspire to acquire.

Response – Not sure what this means but in today’s age, IP is the default wealth creation strategy hence the prevalence of VCs and startups and innovation, etc. It is IP everywhere. It does not discount other means but if people can also explore it, why not? Aspire to acquire is more the field of Fela Durotoye and co. Not sure how it works in today’s world. Maybe when I bring my “much anticipated” course on “10 proven ways on how to be a millionaire from your startup”, I can sign up to the group.

Lastly, it's easy to hide under the cowardly phrase- 'you're lucky because you're doctor' without appreciating the difference in mindset and approach. I was singing it like a song several years back that we're in the west cos we're needed, some folks thought I was proud and they were being invited to a lovefeast. Today, its kitikata. I had every opportunity to remain in Nigeria and the UK and be a top- 5% earner for the rest of my career. Yet I left - unapologetically. I'm glad that I'm at a point today where I can ask myself- to what end and not live to chase the next pay check.

Response – Hmmm…. You are not lucky because you are a doctor. You are lucky or fortunate because you left Nigeria timely and was able to thrive in societies that made sense of your prior training and availability. If you remained in Nigeria, would you have seen any significant rise in your quality of life compared to what it is today or the resources you can access? One’s profession is not necessarily important in wealth creation today. What matters is that you are in an environment that can take you and enable you create wealth. People “in the abroad” are killing it in food business and fashion design and startups and professional careers. There are also people with solid mindsets in Nigeria overwhelmed by poverty. Their mindset notwithstanding, they are unable to defeat the barriers setup by ecosystem that bounds them.

I think we are somehow aligned but talking past ourselves.

The key issues you raised ab initio to which I replied are as follows:

Most of the economic growth that the world would see in the coming decades would likely be outside the West. Many western nations are stagnating with things not looking to get better as their population ages.

Response – Not true again. Population growth is getting decoupled from GDP. In fact most of the $10T in wealth Donald Trump destroyed with his tariffs came from the US, UK, and Europe. AI has made population “irrelevant” as wealth has become intangible. The US GDP has been growing at averagely $1T yearly just from intangibles. Remove China and most of the Global South has plateaued or is in decline.

As we clobber to get in, let's remember we'd be fighting for a hardly growing pot without the headstart native populations have. The statistical reality is that many coming in would be stuck art lower rungs of society except they work terribly hard. The odds are stacked against them. We can see this among descendants of Caribbean migrants in London and the midlands- quite a few are struggling.
At some point we'd ask ourselves... to what end? (Yes, I can appreciate most narratives and see how they tie-in)

Response – This has been disrupted. World economy is growing (proxy GDP). Folks from migrant communities are getting into the financial space and startup space and changing the dynamics wealth-wise. Diversity policies have created pathways for many to secure access to ivy leagues and on to great careers in fantastic companies. Opportunities are actually more now than ever before because of AI and innovation in general.

I have increasingly seen my colleagues think home -not because they look to relocate soon but because they see the opportunities there. Many have set up short-term lets some of which are priced in USD. I remember strongly considering investing in the Nigerian st0ck market a few years back as it seemed primed. I ultimately decided not to but its grown over 2x since. No regrets.

Response – Nigeria’s stock market is a giant ponzi scheme with limited liquidity. Transcorp moving from 51 kobo to 51 Naira is bonkers.

PO once mentioned how Indians in the west took readily available 'cheap' loans to invest in India. I saw the point but devaluation was the achilles heel. A successful business in 9ja owner recently told me they were seeking a bank loan and being quoted an interest rate of 37% with 2yr repayment by their bank. This got me scratching my head both for the locked opportunities and growth that could ensue when that is tapped.

Response – China deliberately devalued its currency for years and that made its exports cheaper. Devaluation is a sound strategy when you are export heavy. Black market finance operations is evidence of market and government failure. When systems work (not perfect but work), they die off easily. No country builds wealth on exploitation and thrives.

I am not trying to convince anyone, but just like it was clear to me years back that I had better opportunities outside the UK, it's clear to me now that there are ready opportunities back home. All I pray for is a decent government and fairly stable currency. I dont even want the government to work wonders- just don't be a Buhari.

Response – You cite anecdotal reasons, so I cannot argue with that. The data however says otherwise.

jedisco:
Long read... you have most of your figures wrong.
You can write a book on the challenges Nigeria faces- same with most countries. Again, that is not why I'm here. I'm interested in identifying opportunities in a changing world. The last two times I preached about opportunities here was last year which I considered a good time to approach the housing market and post covid, when I talked about options outside the UK. I'm glad I latched onto both even when it seemed like folly.

I'd highlight a few oddities in your post.

1. You make the mistake of comparing GDP per capita without appreciating the economics of scale larger countries wield. Based on GDP per capita, China would be poorer than most European countries. How come they weild so much influence?

2. Already, over the last 20 years, most of the improvement in living standards happened outside the west. Its said that if you remove those China lifter out of poverty, the world has hardly made much improvement in poverty reduction in the last 20 yrs.

3. Nigerias GDP never got to $800 B and India do not have 240 million in poverty. Get your facts right.

4. When I mention business interest rates, I point to opportunities to unlock tremendous growth by getting some basics right.

5. I don't get your obsession with PO- I'm all about leadership that'd get certain basics right.

All said, I can only thank God I'm one of those youths Nigeria produced.


Going forward, let me preview your submissions here first.
As per your submissions :
1. Folks living in Africa are useless to humanity. Perhaps, they should unalive themselves and become manure
2. Any youth not in the top-10 world cities is useless to humanity (which ironically includes most of Europe). Now that Trump is shutting the U.S, should Europeans also convert themselves to manure?
3. Anyone without £300k to take risk is useless to humanity.
4. Not too long ago, you were mocking those who bought houses- an endeavour which has been a sure way to build wealth in the west
5. Now, you're preaching to folks to liquidate their pensions- a path that is sure to render many destitute in retirement.

There is more to life than ip. The reality we live in far different from aspire to acquire.


Lastly, it's easy to hide under the cowardly phrase- 'you're lucky because you're doctor' without appreciating the difference in mindset and approach. I was singing it like a song several years back that we're in the west cos we're needed, some folks thought I was proud and they were being invited to a lovefeast. Today, its kitikata. I had every opportunity to remain in Nigeria and the UK and be a top 2% earner for the rest of my career. Yet I left - unapologetically. I'm glad that I'm at a point today where I can ask myself- to what end and not live to chase the next pay check.

Goke7:
From the day Starmer insulted Aunty kemi as the self appointed saviour of the western world I started suspecting Starmer. It’s because folks don’t like Kemi including me that’s why it looks as if it wasn’t an issue but I still maintain that was a racist jab! Since that day my mind shifted away from Starmer and I started seeing him as a closet Reform party member!

That's the thing, people pick and choose who they like or react to. Kemi can say or do something with so much good in it, and because it is her, people will find a way to play it down, but someone else might do something with way less of a positive impact, and the world glaze on it. It is the way it is.

Truth be told, there are racists in every party. And its perfectly normal! Humans will always align with their own.

Saw this on Facebook

lavida001:
Na why I de cry everyday make Nigeria better even if na even 60% better. Where do we draw the line of jumping from one western country to another.

There are no sign of things getting better in Nigeria. It’s getting worse by the day.

we are stuck between a rock and hard place. The matter tire me.

This is the sad truth. The country does not look to get better in our lifetime.

justwise:
Saw this on Facebook

They don't know.

Goodenoch:
There's no country where there's no "but" to speak of.

Search "Kenya failed state" and see what comes up. Some examples:

https://businesstoday.co.ke/kenya-failed-state-least-developed-countries-east-africa/
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-crisis-in-kenya/

For Namibia, see:
https://thebrief.com.na/2025/07/namibias-downgrade-a-harsh-reflection-not-a-glitch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Namibia/comments/1luveb4/how_do_you_see_namibia_in_510_years/

Search USA, UK and most other places with the same keywords and you'll find plenty of complaints as well.

To be clear I'm not diminishing how terrible of a state NG is in currently. The point is that I disagree that it is irrecoverable because there are signs of recovery plus there are things we in the diaspora can do to help.

Now to NGO fraud? So what? Haven't you seen the reportage about how a bulk of funds many of the big name charities raise go to paying their execs?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/15/the-controversial-row-over-charity-ceos-six-figure-salaries/
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/average-ceo-pay-at-uks-largest-charities-rises-to-192000.html

We don't give to random NGOs run by 'IG babes' and I don't expect any serious person to either. In fact I strongly doubt those 'IG babes' actually make money from the NGOs they claim to run, and that it is the other way around - they make money from somewhere else and use the NGOs to launder it or just boost their social cred. That's neither here nor there though - If you want to give, do your DD and you will find a way to do it effectively.

Its an ample mix of both.

WanderingChild:
Long read... you have most of your figures wrong.
You can write a book on the challenges Nigeria faces- same with most countries. Again, that is not why I'm here. I'm interested in identifying opportunities in a changing world. The last two times I preached about opportunities here was last year which I considered a good time to approach the housing market and post covid, when I talked about options outside the UK. I'm glad I latched onto both even when it seemed like folly.

Response – My contention with property as a primary means of investment for growing wealth in today’s age is simply based on the fact that it is immobile and lacks the ability to scale wealth in ways IP does. A simple fund raising and a company is worth millions. Co-founders can extract a fraction of their wealth through debt and still invest in property or other businesses. This is the modern way of creating wealth. Property becomes a top up rather than a main route to wealth. Elon Musk has just demonstrated that again with their planned IPO for SpaceX at $1.25T valuation. Your property story is not being discounted, I am simply proposing an alternative that is timely for immigrants in today’s world.

I'd highlight a few oddities in your post.

1. You make the mistake of comparing GDP per capita without appreciating the economics of scale larger countries wield. Based on GDP per capita, China would be poorer than most European countries. How come they weild so much influence?

Response – If I go with this your logic, countries like Nigeria, DRC and Indonesia should wield similar influence? Economics of scale works when a country is able to develop the capacity of its population to grow wealth. China has been able to leverage its population along with fiscal discipline and a well-managed monetary policy in directly influencing capital allocation and priority areas. Overall, Chinese are much poorer than Europeans when purchasing power is compared. That is what economists use as a metric.

2. Already, over the last 20 years, most of the improvement in living standards happened outside the west. Its said that if you remove those China lifter out of poverty, the world has hardly made much improvement in poverty reduction in the last 20 yrs.

Response – Most of the improvement in living standards happened because of the gap. It is like saying party A is worth $1m today from $0.9m yesterday and party B has recently seen its wealth move from $50k to $500k. This does not mean Party B is worth more than Party A or better, it simply means the development gap Party B needs to cover is significant. This is what creates opportunity for investors. It is expected. Unfortunately, and as you concede, China has been responsible for MOST of this over the last 30 years and is plateauing meaning that growth from most Global South countries will start plateauing in the coming years.

3. Nigerias GDP never got to $800 B and India do not have 240 million in poverty. Get your facts right.

Response – Nigeria rebased her GDP in 2025 adding $235 billion to 2014 GDP. https://intelpoint.co/insights/nigerias-2024-gdp-just-got-a-65-billion-boost-after-the-2025-rebasing/

Reports show India having over 230 million people in poverty - https://thesouthfirst.com/news/india-has-23-4-crore-people-living-in-poverty-highest-in-the-world-un-report/

4. When I mention business interest rates, I point to opportunities to unlock tremendous growth by getting some basics right.

Response – Tremendous growth does not come from high interest rates. China leveraged low interest rates to drive private sector growth. In fact many business sectors were subsidised by the government with its currency deliberately undervalued for years to drive exports. Growth for China came from fiscal discipline, rapid expansion of exports (cheap manufacturing, cheap labour along with cheap loans) and a very well managed and aligned monetary policy. China does not run an exploitative economy. Growth driven by exploitation does not bode well for countries.

5. I don't get your obsession with PO- I'm all about leadership that'd get certain basics right.

Response – PO was mentioned without proper context (a fault on my part). I mentioned him to state that even our best shot (PO) at getting Nigeria right will fail because of the scale of what is needed for which we don’t have the funds.

All said, I can only thank God I'm one of those youths Nigeria produced.

Response – Excellent.


Going forward, let me preview your submissions here first.
As per your submissions :
1. Folks living in Africa are useless to humanity. Perhaps, they should unalive themselves and become manure

Response – You misstate my statement because you fail to contextualise it so not much my response can do here.

2. Any youth not in the top-10 world cities is useless to humanity (which ironically includes most of Europe). Now that Trump is shutting the U.S, should Europeans also convert themselves to manure?

Response – Lol. I actually said 20 and the Network effect of London and Paris covers Europe. Today, living in close proximity to top cities is what creates early access to opportunities to grow wealth. Being able to access funds investing in early and disruptive startups about to IPO is a function of proximity. Being able to even access funds, grants, abundant cloud resources or infrastructure to do significant work in your startup or AI is a function of proximity to top global cities. As harsh as the statement may sound, this is why the most valuable startups and businesses coalesce around these cities and where wealth id mostly created.

3. Anyone without £300k to take risk is useless to humanity. Lol...

Response – Again, you overexaggerate and misstate my statement here. This was talking about folks pooling together £300k and there was a context to this.

4. Not too long ago, you were mocking those who bought houses- an endeavour which has been a sure way to build wealth in the west

Response – I never mock. I stated that the property thread had died off. This was an observation and was contextualised with the rising anti-immigration sentiments in the UK. Most immigrant facing possible extension of their stay in the UK won’t be eager to take a mortgage. It is just gumption.

5. Now, you're preaching to folks to liquidate their pensions- a path that is sure to render many destitute in retirement.

Response – Again, you overexaggerate my statements. I was specifically talking about state pension reforms and how the government will be coming for immigrants by making it a benefit. When I responded to you earlier, I argued about wealth protection strategies for immigrants without settlement in light of growing anti-immigrant sentiments.

There is more to life than ip. The reality we live in far different from aspire to acquire.

Response – Not sure what this means but in today’s age, IP is the default wealth creation strategy hence the prevalence of VCs and startups and innovation, etc. It is IP everywhere. It does not discount other means but if people can also explore it, why not? Aspire to acquire is more the field of Fela Durotoye and co. Not sure how it works in today’s world. Maybe when I bring my “much anticipated” course on “10 proven ways on how to be a millionaire from your startup”, I can sign up to the group.

Lastly, it's easy to hide under the cowardly phrase- 'you're lucky because you're doctor' without appreciating the difference in mindset and approach. I was singing it like a song several years back that we're in the west cos we're needed, some folks thought I was proud and they were being invited to a lovefeast. Today, its kitikata. I had every opportunity to remain in Nigeria and the UK and be a top- 5% earner for the rest of my career. Yet I left - unapologetically. I'm glad that I'm at a point today where I can ask myself- to what end and not live to chase the next pay check.

Response – Hmmm…. You are not lucky because you are a doctor. You are lucky or fortunate because you left Nigeria timely and was able to thrive in societies that made sense of your prior training and availability. If you remained in Nigeria, would you have seen any significant rise in your quality of life compared to what it is today or the resources you can access? One’s profession is not necessarily important in wealth creation today. What matters is that you are in an environment that can take you and enable you create wealth. People “in the abroad” are killing it in food business and fashion design and startups and professional careers. There are also people with solid mindsets in Nigeria overwhelmed by poverty. Their mindset notwithstanding, they are unable to defeat the barriers setup by ecosystem that bounds them.

I think we are somehow aligned but talking past ourselves.

The key issues you raised ab initio to which I replied are as follows:

Most of the economic growth that the world would see in the coming decades would likely be outside the West. Many western nations are stagnating with things not looking to get better as their population ages.

Response – Not true again. Population growth is getting decoupled from GDP. In fact most of the $10T in wealth Donald Trump destroyed with his tariffs came from the US, UK, and Europe. AI has made population “irrelevant” as wealth has become intangible. The US GDP has been growing at averagely $1T yearly just from intangibles. Remove China and most of the Global South has plateaued or is in decline.

As we clobber to get in, let's remember we'd be fighting for a hardly growing pot without the headstart native populations have. The statistical reality is that many coming in would be stuck art lower rungs of society except they work terribly hard. The odds are stacked against them. We can see this among descendants of Caribbean migrants in London and the midlands- quite a few are struggling.
At some point we'd ask ourselves... to what end? (Yes, I can appreciate most narratives and see how they tie-in)

Response – This has been disrupted. World economy is growing (proxy GDP). Folks from migrant communities are getting into the financial space and startup space and changing the dynamics wealth-wise. Diversity policies have created pathways for many to secure access to ivy leagues and on to great careers in fantastic companies. Opportunities are actually more now than ever before because of AI and innovation in general.

I have increasingly seen my colleagues think home -not because they look to relocate soon but because they see the opportunities there. Many have set up short-term lets some of which are priced in USD. I remember strongly considering investing in the Nigerian st0ck market a few years back as it seemed primed. I ultimately decided not to but its grown over 2x since. No regrets.

Response – Nigeria’s stock market is a giant ponzi scheme with limited liquidity. Transcorp moving from 51 kobo to 51 Naira is bonkers.

PO once mentioned how Indians in the west took readily available 'cheap' loans to invest in India. I saw the point but devaluation was the achilles heel. A successful business in 9ja owner recently told me they were seeking a bank loan and being quoted an interest rate of 37% with 2yr repayment by their bank. This got me scratching my head both for the locked opportunities and growth that could ensue when that is tapped.

Response – China deliberately devalued its currency for years and that made its exports cheaper. Devaluation is a sound strategy when you are export heavy. Black market finance operations is evidence of market and government failure. When systems work (not perfect but work), they die off easily. No country builds wealth on exploitation and thrives.

I am not trying to convince anyone, but just like it was clear to me years back that I had better opportunities outside the UK, it's clear to me now that there are ready opportunities back home. All I pray for is a decent government and fairly stable currency. I dont even want the government to work wonders- just don't be a Buhari.

Response – You cite anecdotal reasons, so I cannot argue with that. The data however says otherwise.

wrong, on the 800billie GDP figs

Nigeria's all time high is around $576b, in 2014. That figure was rebased in 2025 using new methodologies relevant for this period (fair enough). But this is similar to the one that magically reduced unemployment figures from around 90% to under 10%. Now if you quote the rebased unemployment figures, I'm sure you know damn well and good that it is far from the truth.

Unfortunately for the IMF that sort of retroactive rebasing is devoid of reason and impact. Imagine rebasing a GDP for all time (including 2014) years later with new methodologies, for what... cos of the embarrassment that is our current GDP? Even with the rebasing na still same number 4 we dey🤣. They come rebase current GDP and retroactively rebased the GDP for all the years prior. I will study it more though, because there has to be consideration for all the key points and factors for each specific year, not a blanket retroactive rollout.

justwise:
Saw this on Facebook

😂 😂 😂 Billionaire kwa!

WanderingChild:
Long read... you have most of your figures wrong.
You can write a book on the challenges Nigeria faces- same with most countries. Again, that is not why I'm here. I'm interested in identifying opportunities in a changing world. The last two times I preached about opportunities here was last year which I considered a good time to approach the housing market and post covid, when I talked about options outside the UK. I'm glad I latched onto both even when it seemed like folly.

Response – My contention with property as a primary means of investment for growing wealth in today’s age is simply based on the fact that it is immobile and lacks the ability to scale wealth in ways IP does. A simple fund raising and a company is worth millions. Co-founders can extract a fraction of their wealth through debt and still invest in property or other businesses. This is the modern way of creating wealth. Property becomes a top up rather than a main route to wealth. Elon Musk has just demonstrated that again with their planned IPO for SpaceX at $1.25T valuation. Your property story is not being discounted, I am simply proposing an alternative that is timely for immigrants in today’s world.

I'd highlight a few oddities in your post.

1. You make the mistake of comparing GDP per capita without appreciating the economics of scale larger countries wield. Based on GDP per capita, China would be poorer than most European countries. How come they weild so much influence?

Response – If I go with this your logic, countries like Nigeria, DRC and Indonesia should wield similar influence? Economics of scale works when a country is able to develop the capacity of its population to grow wealth. China has been able to leverage its population along with fiscal discipline and a well-managed monetary policy in directly influencing capital allocation and priority areas. Overall, Chinese are much poorer than Europeans when purchasing power is compared. That is what economists use as a metric.

2. Already, over the last 20 years, most of the improvement in living standards happened outside the west. Its said that if you remove those China lifter out of poverty, the world has hardly made much improvement in poverty reduction in the last 20 yrs.

Response – Most of the improvement in living standards happened because of the gap. It is like saying party A is worth $1m today from $0.9m yesterday and party B has recently seen its wealth move from $50k to $500k. This does not mean Party B is worth more than Party A or better, it simply means the development gap Party B needs to cover is significant. This is what creates opportunity for investors. It is expected. Unfortunately, and as you concede, China has been responsible for MOST of this over the last 30 years and is plateauing meaning that growth from most Global South countries will start plateauing in the coming years.

3. Nigerias GDP never got to $800 B and India do not have 240 million in poverty. Get your facts right.

Response – Nigeria rebased her GDP in 2025 adding $235 billion to 2014 GDP. https://intelpoint.co/insights/nigerias-2024-gdp-just-got-a-65-billion-boost-after-the-2025-rebasing/

Reports show India having over 230 million people in poverty - https://thesouthfirst.com/news/india-has-23-4-crore-people-living-in-poverty-highest-in-the-world-un-report/

4. When I mention business interest rates, I point to opportunities to unlock tremendous growth by getting some basics right.

Response – Tremendous growth does not come from high interest rates. China leveraged low interest rates to drive private sector growth. In fact many business sectors were subsidised by the government with its currency deliberately undervalued for years to drive exports. Growth for China came from fiscal discipline, rapid expansion of exports (cheap manufacturing, cheap labour along with cheap loans) and a very well managed and aligned monetary policy. China does not run an exploitative economy. Growth driven by exploitation does not bode well for countries.

5. I don't get your obsession with PO- I'm all about leadership that'd get certain basics right.

Response – PO was mentioned without proper context (a fault on my part). I mentioned him to state that even our best shot (PO) at getting Nigeria right will fail because of the scale of what is needed for which we don’t have the funds.

All said, I can only thank God I'm one of those youths Nigeria produced.

Response – Excellent.


Going forward, let me preview your submissions here first.
As per your submissions :
1. Folks living in Africa are useless to humanity. Perhaps, they should unalive themselves and become manure

Response – You misstate my statement because you fail to contextualise it so not much my response can do here.

2. Any youth not in the top-10 world cities is useless to humanity (which ironically includes most of Europe). Now that Trump is shutting the U.S, should Europeans also convert themselves to manure?

Response – Lol. I actually said 20 and the Network effect of London and Paris covers Europe. Today, living in close proximity to top cities is what creates early access to opportunities to grow wealth. Being able to access funds investing in early and disruptive startups about to IPO is a function of proximity. Being able to even access funds, grants, abundant cloud resources or infrastructure to do significant work in your startup or AI is a function of proximity to top global cities. As harsh as the statement may sound, this is why the most valuable startups and businesses coalesce around these cities and where wealth id mostly created.

3. Anyone without £300k to take risk is useless to humanity. Lol...

Response – Again, you overexaggerate and misstate my statement here. This was talking about folks pooling together £300k and there was a context to this.

4. Not too long ago, you were mocking those who bought houses- an endeavour which has been a sure way to build wealth in the west

Response – I never mock. I stated that the property thread had died off. This was an observation and was contextualised with the rising anti-immigration sentiments in the UK. Most immigrant facing possible extension of their stay in the UK won’t be eager to take a mortgage. It is just gumption.

5. Now, you're preaching to folks to liquidate their pensions- a path that is sure to render many destitute in retirement.

Response – Again, you overexaggerate my statements. I was specifically talking about state pension reforms and how the government will be coming for immigrants by making it a benefit. When I responded to you earlier, I argued about wealth protection strategies for immigrants without settlement in light of growing anti-immigrant sentiments.

There is more to life than ip. The reality we live in far different from aspire to acquire.

Response – Not sure what this means but in today’s age, IP is the default wealth creation strategy hence the prevalence of VCs and startups and innovation, etc. It is IP everywhere. It does not discount other means but if people can also explore it, why not? Aspire to acquire is more the field of Fela Durotoye and co. Not sure how it works in today’s world. Maybe when I bring my “much anticipated” course on “10 proven ways on how to be a millionaire from your startup”, I can sign up to the group.

Lastly, it's easy to hide under the cowardly phrase- 'you're lucky because you're doctor' without appreciating the difference in mindset and approach. I was singing it like a song several years back that we're in the west cos we're needed, some folks thought I was proud and they were being invited to a lovefeast. Today, its kitikata. I had every opportunity to remain in Nigeria and the UK and be a top- 5% earner for the rest of my career. Yet I left - unapologetically. I'm glad that I'm at a point today where I can ask myself- to what end and not live to chase the next pay check.

Response – Hmmm…. You are not lucky because you are a doctor. You are lucky or fortunate because you left Nigeria timely and was able to thrive in societies that made sense of your prior training and availability. If you remained in Nigeria, would you have seen any significant rise in your quality of life compared to what it is today or the resources you can access? One’s profession is not necessarily important in wealth creation today. What matters is that you are in an environment that can take you and enable you create wealth. People “in the abroad” are killing it in food business and fashion design and startups and professional careers. There are also people with solid mindsets in Nigeria overwhelmed by poverty. Their mindset notwithstanding, they are unable to defeat the barriers setup by ecosystem that bounds them.

I think we are somehow aligned but talking past ourselves.

The key issues you raised ab initio to which I replied are as follows:

Most of the economic growth that the world would see in the coming decades would likely be outside the West. Many western nations are stagnating with things not looking to get better as their population ages.

Response – Not true again. Population growth is getting decoupled from GDP. In fact most of the $10T in wealth Donald Trump destroyed with his tariffs came from the US, UK, and Europe. AI has made population “irrelevant” as wealth has become intangible. The US GDP has been growing at averagely $1T yearly just from intangibles. Remove China and most of the Global South has plateaued or is in decline.

As we clobber to get in, let's remember we'd be fighting for a hardly growing pot without the headstart native populations have. The statistical reality is that many coming in would be stuck art lower rungs of society except they work terribly hard. The odds are stacked against them. We can see this among descendants of Caribbean migrants in London and the midlands- quite a few are struggling.
At some point we'd ask ourselves... to what end? (Yes, I can appreciate most narratives and see how they tie-in)

Response – This has been disrupted. World economy is growing (proxy GDP). Folks from migrant communities are getting into the financial space and startup space and changing the dynamics wealth-wise. Diversity policies have created pathways for many to secure access to ivy leagues and on to great careers in fantastic companies. Opportunities are actually more now than ever before because of AI and innovation in general.

I have increasingly seen my colleagues think home -not because they look to relocate soon but because they see the opportunities there. Many have set up short-term lets some of which are priced in USD. I remember strongly considering investing in the Nigerian st0ck market a few years back as it seemed primed. I ultimately decided not to but its grown over 2x since. No regrets.

Response – Nigeria’s stock market is a giant ponzi scheme with limited liquidity. Transcorp moving from 51 kobo to 51 Naira is bonkers.

PO once mentioned how Indians in the west took readily available 'cheap' loans to invest in India. I saw the point but devaluation was the achilles heel. A successful business in 9ja owner recently told me they were seeking a bank loan and being quoted an interest rate of 37% with 2yr repayment by their bank. This got me scratching my head both for the locked opportunities and growth that could ensue when that is tapped.

Response – China deliberately devalued its currency for years and that made its exports cheaper. Devaluation is a sound strategy when you are export heavy. Black market finance operations is evidence of market and government failure. When systems work (not perfect but work), they die off easily. No country builds wealth on exploitation and thrives.

I am not trying to convince anyone, but just like it was clear to me years back that I had better opportunities outside the UK, it's clear to me now that there are ready opportunities back home. All I pray for is a decent government and fairly stable currency. I dont even want the government to work wonders- just don't be a Buhari.

Response – You cite anecdotal reasons, so I cannot argue with that. The data however says otherwise.

Your first paragraph is a good example on why I struggle to engage with you- it's far disconnected from reality. I've met quite a few wealthy folks - dont know any who owns IP. I wonder what percentage of Americans own IP. There are niche means of wealth geberation and there are means that apply to most. But I agree with you- I'd sell down my properties, liquidate my savings, stop saving in pensions and pursue ip.

There is no point going back and forth in a rigmarole. That'd simply derail this thread.
In times past I used to have drawn-out debates with folks. These days, I've learned to skip unnecessary arguments. Like I said at the outset, I'm not trying to convince you. Your narratives are known - that Nigeria (and Nigerians) are of no use is the latest. As folks become established in the west, I'm sure this conversation would be revisited in future.

The last I'd add is that whether it was my work in Nigeria, relocation to the UK or subsequently Canada. There was no luck involved. At the time I moved to the UK, it was not neither the quickest, cheapest, most straightforward or best paid option. Opportunities have and would always be fleeting- the ability to spot and take those as they arise is not luck.

As regards pensions, alot has been said and people would make their decisions and bear the outcome. I'd end with this - even with all the uncertainty, all I'd say is that you don't need to live the rest of your life in a place to make use of opportunities that arise.

In Nigeria, I served in the north- was never sure I'd settle in the state longterm but it didn't stop me from picking up a piece of land. As per the UK, It was when it became clear to me I'd leave the UK that I hurried to complete my property purchase. I contrinued contributing to the NHS pension till the last day I was eligible. Even though I was leaving, I weighed the pros of property ownership via a business in the UK to still be worth it- afterall, it was a system I knew and Canada was largely unknown. My accountant recently told me- why not just sell everything and bring it over to Canada and invest. I told him - baba leave that one there- e get why.


What am I saying? Access to a modern pension system is one of the basic means westerners use to maintain wealth. I've looked at Nigerian based funds and I'm yet to see any with the cheap fees or global reach as you'd see in the UK. For reference, the difference between a 0.5 and 1.5% annual fee might seem small but over 25 years can easily amount to over 30% in additional returns. That you may leave the UK does not mean you cannot benefit from its pension apparatus. Also remember you can move your personal pension to many countries. It's your money and would payout when the time comes. No one knows the furure but we can only plan based on information we have.


When someone says don't contribute to a pension, do well to ask them how you should fund your retirement - is it thru ip? Also ask yourself if you plan to keep working till 70.
I'm not talking about state pension contributions as that is mandatory. I'm referring to additional contributions.
I'm labouring this point as it's one area most migrants hardly engage with. We don't have many older folks around who've seen it through. Even among colleagues, I'd count on one hand those with a robust SIPP.


I'd end by saying this- there are two financial moves I regret as per my time in the UK.

1. Not buying a place before or during covid eventhough I had the means to. I dillydallied on this and thought that afterall, I can always buy. End is I missed about 50k in capital gains I'd have earned if I did.

2. Not prioritising my personal pension. Yes, the NHS pensions are generous with the state pension being a the cherry on the top as I thought. However, as I later learned, the tax advantage and flexibility of ones private pension is unrivalled. I focused more on my ISAs most of the time I was in the 40% tax band. Yes, I always used my ISA allowance but some money would have gone much farther in a pension considering my tax band. By the time I started contributing aggressively, I couldn’t maximise lost years due to contribution caps. A good example was a government grant of £20k I received. I paid 8-9k in tax on that money. If I had shoved a chunk into a SIPP in that tax year, my tax liability on that sum would have been significantly reduced. I left so much on the table by not utilising my SIPP.
Today my UK SIPP is a decent sum (pictured) but could have easily been much more robust. This would have enabled me be bolder in exploring opportunities elsewhere.

Mcleo007:
This is the sad truth. The country does not look to get better in our lifetime.

It's best to accept defeat and seek alternatives...... If Nigeria gets better in 200 years, I owe you an island on the moon (shame I would not be around to give you the keys)....... 😂 🤣 😊

jedisco:
As regards pensions, alot has been said and people would make their decisions and bear the outcome. I'd end with this - even with all the uncertainty, all I'd say is that you don't need to live the rest of your life in a place to make use of opportunities that arise.

In Nigeria, I served in the north- was never sure I'd settle in the state longterm but it didn't stop me from picking up a piece of land. As per the UK, It was when it became clear to me I'd leave the UK that I hurried to complete my property purchase. I contrinued contributing to the NHS pension till the last day I was eligible. Even though I was leaving, I weighed the pros of property ownership via a business in the UK to still be worth it- afterall, it was a system I knew and Canada was largely unknown. My accountant recently told me- why not just sell everything and bring it over to Canada and invest. I told him - baba leave that one there- e get why.


What am I saying? Access to a modern pension system is one of the basic means westerners use to maintain wealth. I've looked at Nigerian based funds and I'm yet to see any with the cheap fees or global reach as you'd see in the UK. For reference, the difference between a 0.5 and 1.5% annual fee might seem small in a beay but over 25 years can easily amount to over 30% in additional returns. That you may leave the UK does not mean you cannot benefit from its pension apparatus. Also remember you can move your personal pension to many countries. It's your money and would payout when the time comes. No one knows the furure but we can only plan based on information we have.


When someone says don't contribute to a pension, do well to ask them how you should fund your retirement - is it thru ip? Also ask yourself if you plan to keep working till 70.
I'm not talking about state pension contributions as that is mandatory. I'm referring to additional contributions.
I'm labouring this point as it's one area most migrants hardly engage with. We don't have many older folks around who've seen it through. Even among colleagues, I'd count on one hand those with a robust SIPP.


I'd end by saying this- there are two financial moves I regret as per my time in the UK.

1. Not buying a place before or during covid eventhough I had the means to. I dillydallied on this and thought that afterall, I can always buy. End is I missed about 50k in capital gains I'd have earned if I did.

2. Not prioritising my personal pension. Yes, the NHS pensions are generous with the state pension being a the cherry on the top as I thought. However, as I later learned, the tax advantage and flexibility of ones private pension is unrivalled. I focused more on my ISAs most of the time I was in the 40% tax band. Yes, I always used my ISA allowance but some money would have gone much farther in a pension considering my tax band. By the time I started contributing aggressively, I couldn’t maximise lost years due to contribution caps. A good example was a government grant of £20k I received. I paid 8-9k in tax on that money. If I had shoved a chunk into a SIPP in that tax year, my tax liability on that sum would have been significantly reduced. I left so much on the table by not utilising my SIPP.
Today my UK SIPP is a decent sum (pictured) but could have easily been much more robust. This would have enabled me be bolder in exploring opportunities elsewhere.

I hope you understand how withdrawal from SIPP also works....... You're only allowed 25% tax free and the rest is taxable.........

Lexusgs430:
I hope you understand how withdrawal from SIPP also works....... You're only allowed 25% tax free and the rest is taxable.........

Yes, in retirement, one should be in lower tax bands hence pay much less in tax than they'd have paid if they weren't invested in a pension. That's the whole idea behind pensions being deferred tax wrappers in most countries. The UK is quite generous with their 25% tax-free lump sum. Infact the UK SIPP and ISAs are about the most generous in the developed world.

jedisco:
Yes, in retirement, one should be in lower tax bands hence pay much less in tax than they'd have paid if they weren't invested in a pension. That's the whole idea behind pensions being deferred tax wrappers in most countries. The UK is quite generous with their 25% tax-free lump sum. Infact the UK SIPP and ISAs are about the most generous in the developed world.

I fully agree.... Anyone not taking advantage of all this tax incentives, via an investment vehicle, is doing a dis service to themselves....... 😊 😂

jedisco:
As regards pensions, alot has been said and people would make their decisions and bear the outcome. I'd end with this - even with all the uncertainty, all I'd say is that you don't need to live the rest of your life in a place to make use of opportunities that arise.

In Nigeria, I served in the north- was never sure I'd settle in the state longterm but it didn't stop me from picking up a piece of land. As per the UK, It was when it became clear to me I'd leave the UK that I hurried to complete my property purchase. I contrinued contributing to the NHS pension till the last day I was eligible. Even though I was leaving, I weighed the pros of property ownership via a business in the UK to still be worth it- afterall, it was a system I knew and Canada was largely unknown. My accountant recently told me- why not just sell everything and bring it over to Canada and invest. I told him - baba leave that one there- e get why.


What am I saying? Access to a modern pension system is one of the basic means westerners use to maintain wealth. I've looked at Nigerian based funds and I'm yet to see any with the cheap fees or global reach as you'd see in the UK. For reference, the difference between a 0.5 and 1.5% annual fee might seem small in a beay but over 25 years can easily amount to over 30% in additional returns. That you may leave the UK does not mean you cannot benefit from its pension apparatus. Also remember you can move your personal pension to many countries. It's your money and would payout when the time comes. No one knows the furure but we can only plan based on information we have.


When someone says don't contribute to a pension, do well to ask them how you should fund your retirement - is it thru ip? Also ask yourself if you plan to keep working till 70.
I'm not talking about state pension contributions as that is mandatory. I'm referring to additional contributions.
I'm labouring this point as it's one area most migrants hardly engage with. We don't have many older folks around who've seen it through. Even among colleagues, I'd count on one hand those with a robust SIPP.


I'd end by saying this- there are two financial moves I regret as per my time in the UK.

1. Not buying a place before or during covid eventhough I had the means to. I dillydallied on this and thought that afterall, I can always buy. End is I missed about 50k in capital gains I'd have earned if I did.

2. Not prioritising my personal pension. Yes, the NHS pensions are generous with the state pension being a the cherry on the top as I thought. However, as I later learned, the tax advantage and flexibility of ones private pension is unrivalled. I focused more on my ISAs most of the time I was in the 40% tax band. Yes, I always used my ISA allowance but some money would have gone much farther in a pension considering my tax band. By the time I started contributing aggressively, I couldn’t maximise lost years due to contribution caps. A good example was a government grant of £20k I received. I paid 8-9k in tax on that money. If I had shoved a chunk into a SIPP in that tax year, my tax liability on that sum would have been significantly reduced. I left so much on the table by not utilising my SIPP.
Today my UK SIPP is a decent sum (pictured) but could have easily been much more robust. This would have enabled me be bolder in exploring opportunities elsewhere.

😂 guy abeg Dey hide disclosure about things like this o cos na wetin Dey stir anti immigrant rhetoric out there including from fellow migrants (awon old takers)

Don’t be another coloniser o 😂 we’ve been thru and still going thru a lot e jo!

Goke7:
😂 guy abeg Dey hide disclosure about things like this o cos na wetin Dey stir anti immigrant rhetoric out there including from fellow migrants (awon old takers)

Don’t be another coloniser o 😂 we’ve been thru and still going thru a lot e jo!

Hehe. Forget anti-immigrant rhetoric. I am not looking to change someone's thought process but I've come to see that not stating our stories gives certain groups the fulcrum to insult us.

When was the last time someone here blamed migrants for not being able to see their GP or the state of the NHS as was commonplace years back?

Most racists are just like bullies- they always retreat when challenged. They'd see a care worker looking to get by and blame them for the housing crises but remain silent when they encounter migrants who are unapologetic landlords. Tell me I'm the cause of high housing cost and I'd tell you I'm in the process of acquiring more - with no apologies.

Truth be said, 78k in a SIPP is modest by all accounts. A trip to FIREUK community on Reddit would show folks who have amassed over a million in their SIPP in preparation for retirement. Yes, we all start from somewhere but those ones no get two heads.