₦airaland Forum

ProfGday:
I always tell people that care to listen that if you've never spend 6months in UK,US,Canada or other good countries of the world, you won't know that Nigeria is a hell on earth.

The sheer opportunity to be whatever you dreamt of without knowing or related to any politician or big man is why Nigerians rush to all these developed countries.

This is completely untrue.

I get it, you're happy in your new home but some of you overdo it with the lies.

There are class systems in place and entrenched prejudices that you clearly have no clue about. Many jobs do depend upon referrals and prior relationships. The idea that you can be anything you want to be in the West is childlike dishonesty.

uche87:
Psychologically, the human brain is wired to remember pain more easily than good experiences. You might feed a man 100 times, and he may forget. But he will never forget the day you sent him away from your house, and that memory might define his relationship with you.

This is the problem the UK has. The country has been receiving a lot of bad press in recent times. As a writer, I have also been guilty of this. A poultry farmer recently criticised Nigerians in the UK, claiming they work three shifts just to survive. He also said that no Nigerian in the UK can boast of having £20,000 in their bank account. Similarly, a social media personality, Temi Ashebu, a 46-year-old single mother based in Florida, US, accused Nigerian men in the UK of mostly doing menial jobs to survive. This has become the strategy of people seeking social media attention, and it is unlikely to stop. It is rage bait.

The UK certainly has its challenges. However, people often become so accustomed to the positives of a place that they begin to focus almost entirely on the negatives. After the excitement of settling into a new environment fades, the mind naturally adapts and starts noticing imperfections instead.

I want this article to offer something beyond what you can easily find on Google, so I will make it a little personal.

In 2022, I met a lady at work who told me she had been earning less than ₦50,000 a month in Nigeria. Life became so difficult that a family member agreed to fund her relocation abroad with the understanding that she would repay the money later. She grabbed the opportunity. From earning ₦50,000, she began making the equivalent of over ₦2,000,000 a month doing blue-collar jobs. She proudly told me she was almost done repaying the money, much to the surprise of the person who financed her relocation. To her, the UK was the best country in the world.

I also met a teacher who earned ₦70,000 a month, and even those salaries were irregular. Sometimes, her employer simply did not pay. Moving to the UK transformed not only her life but also the future of her son, who was still in Nigeria at the time.

Another person is my benefactor. He was born into a large family in the suburbs of Lagos State. Life was hard. He lived with his family in an uncompleted building while pursuing a career in Accounting and trying his hand at business. The more money he made, the greater the financial demands from his extended family became.

One night, he sat down and reflected on his life. He realised that a rich man surrounded by poor people can still feel poor. He knew he needed to take a bold step, create a fresh path and open doors for his siblings. With the little money he had saved, he relocated to the UK about 12 years ago, long before the healthcare visa era.

According to him, life was difficult. Visa sponsorship required almost divine intervention. He worked in factories, warehouses, hospitals, bars, anywhere he could find work. During COVID, he laced up his boots and confronted danger daily. He eventually made enough money to buy a house, got married and started bringing members of his family to the UK. This man played a significant role in bringing me here, and I will always be grateful. Today, life is good, and most of his siblings are now in the UK working in professional careers.

I remember arriving in the UK in October 2021 with just £10, which I exchanged at Yaba Market in Lagos, two large travelling bags filled with foodstuffs that my mum packed for me, and about ₦100,000 in my account. I arrived alone. Today, if I choose to leave, I will be leaving with a beautiful family. I also went from doing a blue-collar job to sitting in a predominantly white office in a major government organisation.

What amazes me most is what the future could hold. I love the quality of education my son is receiving, and I look forward to helping him fulfil his potential. I now send my parents sizeable monthly stipends, and they can visit the UK whenever they wish. I could never have done that while living in Nigeria. One day, I told my dad, “Whenever you need anything, just call me. I am here for you.” He almost cried.

My story is not an isolated one. Many Nigerians who started with blue-collar jobs are gradually transitioning into technology, management and other professional careers. Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Absolutely.

I know an engineer who was working in healthcare and preparing to leave the UK because his visa was about to expire. Someone encouraged him to keep applying for jobs, even though it seemed like searching for a needle in a haystack. He gave it one last shot and landed a £79,000-a-year role with a well-known logistics company. The company sponsored both his visa and those of his family members for five years, covering all the associated costs.

The statistics also tell an interesting story. Nigeria is consistently listed by the Migration Observatory and the World Bank as one of the top recipients of remittances sent from the UK, alongside India and Pakistan. Official migrant remittances leaving the UK amount to roughly £9.3 billion each year. Nigeria receives a significant share of that money. The reverse is virtually non-existent.

Is the UK a perfect place? Certainly not. Life is expensive, visa restrictions can slow people’s progress, the cost of living is high, racism still exists, and good jobs can be difficult to secure.

The problem is that many Nigerians who are doing well value their privacy and rarely share their success stories. Those who are struggling often take to social media to vent their frustrations, while others pretend everything is perfect. In today’s world, the loudest voices often shape public perception.

To this day, there is still a huge demand for talented Nigerians in the UK, and there are many legitimate opportunities for those who are willing to work hard, develop themselves and remain consistent. The UK is not perfect, but for many people, it remains a place where lives can be transformed.

I often wonder what my life would have looked like if I had never moved here. For everything this country has made possible for my family and me, I remain deeply grateful.

https://www.facebook.com/thevillagetowncrier/posts/pfbid0247u4UVgftKcL5Usmzq7daqjmyebfN4Zg7ZFvVMwkeacHSFzynweMW7inogNwZVhzl

I don't know why I always seem to run into scammers. It's really frustrating. For now, I'll just put my travel plans on hold. I don't want to ruin myself because of traveling. When I find the right connection and the right opportunity, I'll do what needs to be done.

This is one of the best comments i have read for a while now.

In reality you are also saying that one should not follow the crowd sometimes.
Try and experience urself.

rapcy:
Thank you for your post. It's nothing but the truth. A family friend has been in the UK since 2007, he's a medical doctor, he got married to a uk citizen, but till today, he hasn't taken anyone from his family here in Nigeria to the UK, he always talk about life being different and saying people in Nigeria would not understand. He has no investment in Nigeria, he says investing in Nigeria would be a mistake for him and all that.

On the other hand is another family friend who left Nigeria 2023, she was a contract staff in a bank while she was here. Before leaving, she sold the only land that she had. She works as a support worker and other menial jobs in the UK. She's constantly talking about UK being the best thing that has happened to her, according to her, she does different shift, and any possible work she sees, she jumps on it. Presently, she bought a land in Nigeria early last year and she's done building and furnishing her duplex last month. What am I saying, mindset is the difference, some people earn 100k in Nigeria and they're good with saving and managing their cash, while some earn 700k and they're constantly in debt and always complaining. That's the reason i don't listen to those people always complaining about the UK because 95% of them are just lazy, ungrateful and have no money management skills.

What jobs can one do there?

FineUsername:
Australia is bae. If you must sell your assets to JAPA. Make sure is Australia. You will never regret it.

Why do you like the uk?
And why is wrong with european countries?

fykes:
There is no europesn country i will go to right now, outside of the UK

But you will come back to nigeria to retire(old age)?

A sincere question.

BabaAgba79:
Your stories may be true. Europe or America or your home country is a choice. The choice that you may continue to live with for the rest of your life. Every human being must have a value they live for. Your value in life matters. If you need a good life and you have no money as a Nigerian, may be u may gather money and travel out of Nigeria to Europeor America. You will suffer! You will cry but it may pay off later. But if u value ur v Africanness; u have self-esteem and believe in yourself, Europe or America will be like an Illusion! For me, I have escaped the illusion or misery of "if I don't relocate to Europe or America, I would not make it"! I relocated my family from the UK to Nigeria having spent over 60m. My eyes are clear! Choose ur value in life. Stop telling people what to do with their choices!

Goldbw122:
I don't know why I always seem to run into scammers. It's really frustrating. For now, I'll just put my travel plans on hold. I don't want to ruin myself because of traveling. When I find the right connection and the right opportunity, I'll do what needs to be done.

Do it yourself brr. You don't need agents

mmsen:
With all due respect you really don't know how she's doing and in my experience most of you don't actually care. You only care about that money transfer at the end of the month.

You don't know how much debt she's laboring under. You don't know what she's having to deal with at work. You don't know her living conditions.

For your info, I didn't say she sends money to me. What I said is that she makes some investments back home and that when we make general family contributions to solve a family needs, she contributes generously unlike before. Mind you, she's not under any debts because she was sponsored by our family such that she didn't have to borrow money for her schooling.

I understand the fact that cost of living is high over there in the UK but any little pounds sent to Nigeria from UK becomes a large sum in our currency and that's why many of them in the UK still make investments in Nigeria regardless how hard things are over there.

Jman06:
For your info, I didn't say she sends money to me. What I said is that she makes some investments back home and that when we make general family contributions to solve a family needs, she contributes generously unlike before. Mind you, she's not under any debts because she was sponsored by our family such that she didn't have to borrow money for her schooling.

I understand the fact that cost of living is high over there in the UK but any little pounds sent to Nigeria from UK becomes a large sum in our currency and that's why many of them in the UK still make investments in Nigeria regardless how hard things are over there.

Her schooling is one thing, her accommodation, transport and the daily expenses of living in the UK are something else. From what I've seen over probably thousands of cases, besides those connected to politicos, what the people come with from Nigeria (amongst other places) isn't close to being enough and that puts those people in danger of horrible exploitation from both ends.

From those in their home country looking for them to send them money and from people in the UK looking to use them for cheap, often illegal, labor.

The pandemic exposed the fallacies that some of you are trying to project about this "japa" business that you have turned into a right of passage. Africans and Asians were more likely to die in the UK during the pandemic because of their worse living and working conditions. That has not changed.

What do you mean by care job?

And what do you mean by rose in ladder?

MatrixCircle:
I live in the UK 🇬🇧, I also japa in 2022. While in Nigeria I was earning N150k monthly in Lagos which can barely feed my family for a month.

I relocated. Now I do care job and has rose in the ladder. My Children later joined me and are in good schools with free education in UK 🇬🇧.

I save N2 million naira (£1080) monthly transferred to my Nigerian Bank account. I also have my own house in Uk under morgage, I have a land in Lagos and Abuja. I can boast of having N25, million in my Nigerian bank account.
I have visited many sheghen countries from UK 🇬🇧 because it's as simple as ABC to get sheghen visa as a UK 🇬🇧 residence, even if you like to visit Canada 🇨🇦 or Australia 🇦🇺 from UK 🇬🇧, na ABC.

But when I was struggling in Nigeria for many years, I was unable to save upto N500k ever while in Nigeria, struggling.

Let no one deceive you, if you have opportunity. JAPA !!!!

Love800:
What do you mean by care job?

And what do you mean by rose in ladder?

She means professional nyash cleaner.

They went from cleaning nyash to telling others to clean nyash.

Love800:
Why do you like the uk?
And why is wrong with european countries?

First, i have lived here in the last 4 years.
The most basic thing about living here is the respect for human live, the adherence to basic principles of decency and the fact that you can actually make plans, follow it through and without much external and or environmental influences achiebe your plans.

Is it perfect, far from it, is it best fit for everyone, far from it. But its orderly and coming from the sort of chaos naija is, you can gather yourself.

Again, almost all indigenes of other european countries are here in the UK, working and planning to acquire british stay.
Make of that, whatever you will.

mmsen:
She means professional nyash cleaner.

They went from cleaning nyash to telling others to clean nyash.

This here is the worst form of ignorance.

Not knowing and not knowing that you dont know

fykes:
First, i have lived here in the last 4 years.
The most basic thing about living here is the respect for human live, the adherence to basic principles of decency and the fact that you can actually make plans, follow it through and without much external and or environmental influences achiebe your plans.

Is it perfect, far from it, is it best fit for everyone, far from it. But its orderly and coming from the sort of chaos naija is, you can gather yourself.

Again, almost all indigenes of other european countries are here in the UK, working and planning to acquire british stay.
Make of that, whatever you will.

Can 30m take me and my wife there [UK]

opera1:
Can 30m take me and my wife there [UK]

Previously it could. I didnt have a quarter of that when i relocated. Dont really know about now.

Do some research.

Tickles001:
Take this from me. Travel alone first and allow your wife and kids remain in Nigeria. You can bring her over after seven years or so, or if possible encourage her to stay back in Nigeria while you visit.

Why would you say this?

Do you know that both of them being together and working could be a huge advantage?

RaptorX:
UK that have been overrun by immigrants, that in most of their cities now the native Brits are now the minority. They have had enough of endless mass migration, you people should pity them now.

Did you bother to verify what you said before chorusing talking points of racists?

Within the western anglosphere, UK would have about the least migrants. Their percentage of foreign born nationals can't be compared to Canada, U.S. or Australia

MatrixCircle:
I live in the UK 🇬🇧, I also japa in 2022. While in Nigeria I was earning N150k monthly in Lagos which can barely feed my family for a month.

I relocated. Now I do care job and has rose in the ladder. My Children later joined me and are in good schools with free education in UK 🇬🇧.

I save N2 million naira (£1080) monthly transferred to my Nigerian Bank account. I also have my own house in Uk under morgage, I have a land in Lagos and Abuja. I can boast of having N25, million in my Nigerian bank account.
I have visited many sheghen countries from UK 🇬🇧 because it's as simple as ABC to get sheghen visa as a UK 🇬🇧 residence, even if you like to visit Canada 🇨🇦 or Australia 🇦🇺 from UK 🇬🇧, na ABC.

But when I was struggling in Nigeria for many years, I was unable to save upto N500k ever while in Nigeria, struggling.

Let no one deceive you, if you have opportunity. JAPA !!!!

Congrats.
Why are you converting the chunk of your savings to naira? Using investment or pension accounts in the UK may be more beneficial longterm.

Lol.

So its a branded name!

I appreciate.

mmsen:
She means professional nyash cleaner.

They went from cleaning nyash to telling others to clean nyash.

Kaybaba5:
And what is going to happen to him over there without his wife,to die of loneliness ,guy is not easy

If a man is still solely dependent on his wife for warmth and companionship, just like a baby depends on the mother for suckle. Then he's not yet a man and is doomed to burnt by a woman's ruthlessness.

A grown man should be fine and unbothered when separated from his wife.

amazonguru001:
What kind of advice is this for pete sake.
What then is the beauty and enjoyment of that marriage when they are thousands of miles apart.
All in the name of living in the abroad, making money and living the foreign dream, yet you can't enjoy the company of your partner, you can't enjoy each other's warmth and comfort when the chips are down.

When life happens and you need someone to watch out for you, care for you, lend a helping hand, abeg is it the wife in Nigeria or the husband in YOUKAY that will help you in such situation?

Kaiiiiiii

Not everything be money oh
Material possession does not also replace the real JOY that comes from genuine partnership and companionship.

All the best sha.

It's not about money. It's about saving himself of the heart ache. There's nothing special to enjoy in your partner that you can't enjoy with someone else. The marriage would even survive better that way.

armadeo:
7 years is too long. After a year or 2 he should be able to if he means it. Particularly if they haven't got kids yet. If he is going to school then she can work or vice versa.

Somebody would have to work because school would kill the finance.

2yrs is too soon. 7yrs will allow the gap to settle and narrow the rebel window.
Abroad equips women with the capability to be as cruel as they have always wished to, and they never skip that opportunity.

jedisco:
Why would you say this?

Do you know that both of them being together and working could be a huge advantage?

The disadvantage far outweighs the advantage, and there's a 90% chance he wouldn't get to enjoy any such advantages, before the woman turns everything upside down.

Tickles001:
The disadvantage far outweighs the advantage, and there's a 90% chance he wouldn't get to enjoy any such advantages, before the woman turns everything upside down.

Hehe.. Nairaland and ignorance

About every successful Nigeria man I know who migrated from Nigeria is married to and lives with their Nigerian wife.

I equally know loads of Nigerian women upholding their family. Some were the main sponsors, some got sponsored when their husband lost his visa e.t.c.

Yes, some families struggle (as is the case in every nation) but fact remains most successful Nigerians in the west are married to Nigerians.

Most successful Nigerians are still in Nigeria

SamuraiXXX:
What did you see that you have no seen before all the while you were living here?

Go ask your grandfather.

jedisco:
Hehe.. Nairaland and ignorance

About every successful Nigeria man I know who migrated from Nigeria is married to and lives with their Nigerian wife.

I equally know loads of Nigerian women upholding their family. Some were the main sponsors, some got sponsored when their husband lost his visa e.t.c.

Yes, some families struggle (as is the case in every nation) but fact remains most successful Nigerians in the west are married to Nigerians.

Because of a few samples of cases you've seen makes you believe nairalanders are ignorant. Says a lot about you and your level of claimed knowledge.
Take it from me that if we're to arrange nairalanders according to how knowledgeable, me and you may not be found in the top half. Don't be too carried with the little you know.

I don't know how many cases you've actually witnessed, but I've witnessed a lot of cases too. Most of my childhood friends are in the UK and they usually confide in me about their ordeals over there. 80% of them had it hot with the woman they married and brought over there and they was no benefits worth it for them.

I'm not even talking about the stories that fly around the media because I believe some are just content. I'm quoting the ones I was involved in and other stories they told me about other happenings.

Tickles001:
Because of a few samples of cases you've seen makes you believe nairalanders are ignorant. Says a lot about you and your level of claimed knowledge.
Take it from me that if we're to arrange nairalanders according to how knowledgeable, me and you may not be found in the top half. Don't be too carried with the little you know.

I don't know how many cases you've actually witnessed, but I've witnessed a lot of cases too. Most of my childhood friends are in the UK and they usually confide in me about their ordeals over there. 80% of them had it hot with the woman they married and brought over there and they was no benefits worth it for them.

I'm not even talking about the stories that fly around the media because I believe some are just content. I'm quoting the ones I was involved in and other stories they told me about other happenings.

Marriage in the west is a powder keg no matter where your wife is from. Most of the issues stem from financial instability, it's the primary cause for divorce.

Tickles001:
If a man is still solely dependent on his wife for warmth and companionship, just like a baby depends on the mother for suckle. Then he's not yet a man and is doomed to burnt by a woman's ruthlessness.

A grown man should be fine and unbothered when separated from his wife.

It sounds like you're saying a man should not marry.

If there is no mutual benefit, if the man gains nothing when then would he marry?

mmsen:
It sounds like you're saying a man should not marry.

If there is no mutual benefit, if the man gains nothing when then would he marry?

No. I'm not against marriage, but a man being so dependent and attached to the wife like a suckling is a recipe for bad treatment. And that's what I discourage.

A man should marry to bear kids in a complete home and have a woman who will take care of the home and the children at infancy. Not to gum body with the woman and build your whole life enjoyment around her.

He should be able to live and enjoy life regardless if his wife is with him or not. A wife is just a dedicated accessory to your life, nothing more.

mmsen:
Marriage in the west is a powder keg no matter where your wife is from. Most of the issues stem from financial instability, it's the primary cause for divorce.

No. Most of the problem stem from exposure and power imbalance. The West hands women unlimited power and women are not good when equipped to do whatever they want.
Whatever they will want to do with that power will be mostly driven by cruelty.

Whenever there's power imbalance and women get on top, they treat every lower person badly. Especially their husband.

No matter where she's from or lives, the same outcome is observed once she's handed power that allows her to misbehave with minimal or no consequences.

justwise:
Lol..are you sure about that? I think you are trying to be funny here, if i asked you to list those things wonderful about Nigeria now your reply will be full of ...if not because of insecurity...if not because of corruption..if not because poor educational system...if not because of ack of constant power supply..etc. Compare Nigeria to Ghana, Kenya and other African countries and not the UK.

You will never know much about a place until you've lived in it.