Hi Nairalanders,

What do you think?
Is life really better abroad?

America might have more educational opportunies than Nigeria but overall, I dont think that life is better here. Although it's nice to have electricity 24 hours a day, but I really didnt mind sleeping without in the dark.

People go through the same problems that some Nigerians complain about; Crime and corruption. The American government is also filled with corruption just like Nigeria. Except education, what other reasons do people have for leaving Nigeria?

If it was up to me, I would return to Nigeria in a blink of an eye because I miss everything about it.

Okay hunnie, lets not get things twisted here. Come on now sweetie, are kidding me? Okay yes yes, we all miss Nigeria, aww i just wanna go back there and let molue tear my skin, and let thieves comes to the house at night, and waste money on generator because there's no light, and oh my gosh, i just want to carry my papers around the street looking for a job. I just want to carry a big basin on my head to go fetch water, and push wheel-barrow because the only place their water in my area is like 35 mins walk away.

Yes yes, we all miss Nigeria, i mean come on who doesn't? Even if it's for the little kunu and fura de nono that i miss. I miss Nigeria, But when you go saying "is abroad really better than Nigeria". The advantages sure does outweighs the disadvantages. Even a dead man living abroad knows that.

Okay there goes somebody trying to preach to me about "because you're living abroad, blah blah". Well i agree that shit happens everywhere, but shit doesn't happen abroad as often as it does in Nigeria.

I'm sure anything u do in life is up to you, you can as well go back to Nigeria. Work here for your money, and visit home. Sweet home will always be sweet home.

Then again, i wont blame you for saying this if your dad works at central bank of Nigeria and you live in VGC, , You have a driver and you go to private schools and universities and you are like a "socialite". Or if you are like depending on your dad who does "import and export", or you are offered a job at "standard trust bank", If you ain't all or close to what I've listed, Trust me, life is better abroad than in Nigeria.

Don't go saying don't people struggle in America? Well people struggle (hustle), but daing, I'd rather hustle here than back home. If i hustle here and make the money, u know if i go back home it's gone be like triple right? I mean 100 dollars is like over 10,000 naira. You get paid 7 dollars per hour working at six flags. Who in Nigeria would pay you over 700 naira to work for just an hour?

Abroad isn't a bed full of roses, but daing, you can still make it a bed full of sunflower. Ya dig?

BellaROuge: Please don't decieve yourself. Nigeria is only good for those who are willing to generate their own power, dig up and refine their own water, maintain their own private police force, et cetera. Life in Nigeria is only tolerable to those who are used to it, not those who have spent a lot of time abroad!

Yes, I understand what you both mean but, I dont think that Nigerians who havent been abroad realize that it's not what it "cracked up" to be.

I'm sure there are some good opportunities in Nigeria for honest and un-corrupted people. I really dont think that Nigeria is that bad of a place.

I have a question;
Is crime rate (especially armed robbery) decreasing or increasing in Nigeria? My family got robbed once at gun point. That's really one of the reason my dad moved us here. So, if crime rate is decreasing, then why are people still moving out of Nigeria?

Although, you might get paid a lot for working at six flags but, the government takes half your money for taxes. That's rough. Do Nigerians even pay taxes to the gov't?

I understand what you mean when you say NIgerians in NIgeria don't get that "america isn't all that". Yes they actually don't. It's better of course, but it isn't like "va-va-va-voom". Especially when they want to make you An ATM for themselves. It's like "shebi he's abraod, he has everything he wants now".

BellaRouge:

I'm sure there are some good opportunities in Nigeria for honest and un-corrupted people. I really don't think that Nigeria is that bad of a place.

Yeah there are good opportunities for honest and un-cpurrupted people, but the Corrupted people who are handling the job, as in giving the jobs out, don't want honest people working with them, because when you are honest, you wont bond with them in making money the wrong way.

For an honest man to be employed, he has to go through someone. That someone in the higher level is the corrupted person (in most cases).

They don't pay tax in Nigeria. We pay tax here, but u can do the tax thing they do every year. The hell do they call it? Tax refund.

America is not the same for every Nigerian. Just the same way that it's not the same for every American.

There are people in America more downtrodden than a poor person in Nigeria. At the same time, there are successful people, living the American dream.

So, I think it's wrong to lump every Nigerian abroad together in a class. Also, the life of a Nigerian with American citizenship differs from someone living illegally, or whose status is questionable in some way.

America is great in a lot of ways. No malaria. No hunger. No rioting in schools. No religious mumbo jumbo. There are jobs. 911 brings the cops to your door. Opportunities abound. Things are organized.

Nigeria beats America in camaraderie among people. Most Americans don't know their next door neighbor. Also, life is more relaxed in Nigeria compared to America where life is constantly about making good better. That can be stressful sometimes.

In general, talk in cheap. I haven't seen anybody who lives well in America, and wants to return to Nigeria after a couple of years.

dunno which is better but me thinks "home is where the heart is".

I await the arrival of my new daughter-in-law from Nigeria and my new grandson.  I worry about how she will adjust here, leaving her friends and family behind.   She told my son that she thinks America will be more dangerous than Nigeria.  I think that comes from watching too much Law and Order and CSI on television.  We don't even lock our doors where I live.   But from what I've seen in my limited excursions into big cities like New York, Nigerians are the most successful immigrants and the most industrious.  Maybe tied with Koreans.  West Africans are very popular in the US.  They are far and above the most gregarious people I've met.   Please don't change when you come to America and run into all the dull, unfriendly people here.  Keep your cheerful ways.   I think American blacks sort of resent Africans because they don't act like victims, crying and moaning about how unfair everything is.  These are just the opinions of an old lady who is up too late because she can't sleep.

Enjoymant is better in Nigeria but making money is better abroad, i think

you can make money in Nigeria too but you need CONNECTION

blacknbold:

Enjoymant is better in Nigeria but making money is better abroad, i think

you can make money in Nigeria too but you need CONNECTION

Nuff said!!!

America, l came saw and l conquered.

Well, if l were to put it this way,  life is really better abroad than in naija . Once you are in a foreign land, you have to forget where you came from and see what you can acheive in this land cos so many people back home are looking for the same opportunity to land this foreign land. First of all, don't forget how 1000 sleep at the embassy for visas. l understand once in a while , we all tend to miss home but come on, if we put on leg here and one leg there, we can never accomplish what we have in mind, knowing that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Sometimes, people abroad tend to think is it really worth it but come one, don't forget in naija , times are so hard, no jobs for graduates, strikes in skool, poor road, electricity it no de, dirty environment for the population except ya rich, how many people are rich in naija not even half the population can boast of living a decent life.


I will never forget when l used to leave in naija, our mechanic will come to repair my daddy's car and will come back with more problem all in the name of corruption.

Nepa will come take the transformer for months , no pity.

I mean , l know in yankee, they have their own issue like racism and all that but even in naija sef, people are so tribalistic, an igbo man have issues with yorubas, and so much more.

Life is what u make of it, if you are in a foreign land, make the best of it, cos nothing good comes easy, u might have to work ur ass to reach ur destiny, it might take 3 years to 6 years but don't give up cos success is just a distance away.

@BellaRouge

They will never understand.

If time permit, i will author few post on the subjects with link to such stories.

Living in Abroad is more of disadvantage than advantage.[b][/b]

@BellaRouge hmm this thread sounds familiar you must be a member of several naija sites abi? The feedback here should be very interesting.

Home is Home, Home sweet Home!

Well u can say so cos life there is advanced than here.

But what I think is that some are just trying to hustle there way out of the country with no ambition at hand.And at the end of the day they deport them back to where they came from.

What I will say is instead of looking for a way out of this country,it is better to help the country, by contributing your effort on our to make the country a better place.

whats this crap people keep saying about contributing to better 9jia
The poor man who has got none shd contribute his blood ??

Anywayz, if you guys will make me first lady [not to OBJ o ], I will come back.

Well, i have lived in the US for a year now and i can say that it hasnt been easy. i mean, i work 24/7 every week, go to school full time and have to get good grades. its not easy. But it is worthwhile. i'm not saying its not the same back home its just that, at home u know that u go to school but theres no assurance of a good job, but here there is a job for every one. and u get paid well. i get paid every week. i mean its cool even though i have to work my butt off, but its good. Also, here u know that u dont have to bother about light and water and stuff like that as long as u pay ur bills.
But 1 thing i know and will neer forget is that, there is no place like home. home sweet home.

America is good but they are too individually oriented, i mean they dont really know each other, unlike home, everyone knows everyone. u know ur next door neighbour every onein ur area sef u know but here, its everyman for himself.

But i must say that the way i see it, life is good in both places.

In Life whether you are rich or poor we've all got ups and downs. Where ever you might be living Nigeria, UK, America, Asia etc has got its own advantages and disadvantages all you have to do is to be wise and know how to deal with it.

In Nigeria there is high Crime rate, the UK has got Crime rates as well but it might not be high as the Nigeria Crime Rate.
If you've got a good Degree and you are determined to get a job you will get one no matter what country it is. Who says it is not a bit difficult to get a job of your dream in the UK. The fact that you can use the internet or any other form to get a job in the UK makes it classier and a bit easier on how to locate the jobs but in Nigeria most jobs are not advertised on the internet which makes it more difficult to search for jobs. Most Nigerians have “bastardised” the IDEA to get jobs through Uncles, Dad’s Mate etc.

To be honest abroad is a bit difficult to live in because you are open to a wide range of things. e.g. Drugs, Alcohol est. Do not get me wrong I am not saying that there is no Drug (Weed, Cocaine ETC ) in Nigeria, there is but not as high as the UK, America etc. How many of you can vouch and tell me that your parents can allow you to take weed or drink alcohol and be an alcoholic in Nigeria without they saying anything to you.

As for the Tax, we get taxed a lot in the UK. You can claim it back at the end of the year but there is a certain amount you can claim back. At the end of the day you still pay high tax compared to Nigeria where the pay low tax or none at all.

In Abroad you can get free education, free allowances but you can not get all this in Nigeria. Life anywhere has got its own Pros and Cons. We do not have to like everything around us.

The person that started this thread must be joking

The fact that some people say they miss home should not even bring up this kind of joke.

LIFE IS ONE THOUSAND TIMES BETTER, INFACT U CANT COMPARE. THIS IS EMPHATIC. NO HOME SENTIMENTS CAN MAKE ONE DENY THAT FACT.

WHEN PEOPLE COME OVER HERE, THEY START TAKING CERTAIN THINGS 4 GRANTED LIKE 24HRS ELECTRICTY YEAR AFTER YEAR
24 HRS RUNING WATER HOT AND COLD TO ALL PARTS OF UR HOUSE WITHOUT THE PROBLEM OF TYPHOID EVER
DRIVING 4 HRS UN END WITHOUT EVER HAVING THE PROBLEM OF HIGHWAY ROBBERS OR ANY SINGLE POTHOLE OR SPOILT CAR LEFT ON THE ROAD
STANDARD SECURITY. U DIALL 911, U GET IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.
PEOPLE, EVEN THE POOR OF POOR EAT DELICACIES LIKE CHICKEN EVERY DAY.i gotta leave now, il continue later.

The topic of this post should change to 'is life really better in the US?'.
I took a poll in my office and most people would rather live in Nigeria, but then most of them have not travelled beyond our borders, they may yet change their minds.
If you poll Nigerians living outside the country, most would probably complain about taxes, ill-treatment and so on, but very few would admit to life being better in Nigeria. So where does this leave us?
I believe it all depends on what we want from life.

Contrary to what Blacknbold says, Money is not more available abroad than it is at home. There are Nigerians who earn 7thousand naira a month, spend 10 on transportation and still manage to eat, house and clothe themselves and their families (don't look at me like that, you know people who live like I just described).

Perhaps it's the conveniences electricity, water, but before these were available, we didn't miss them did we? We managed to do incredible stuff like build pyramids out of groundnuts, villagers drinking from streams outlive us town folk by decades, so are we better off with our light and water?

Safety?  when we're attacked in Lagos, we move abroad, and get splattered all over the highway courtesy of the suicide bomber who was sharing our seat on the bus.

I agree that Nigeria is one great big study in contradictions. Nothing works, yet everything functions. Poor as dirt, incredibly wealthy. But, that's the beauty of us. We make the most of what we've got. Take it from someone who has lived outside of Nigeria and has chosen to come home: Life is not better anywhere, It's what you make of it right there where you are.

@ Bella Rouge
By the time the choice is up to you, come and visit. You might like it enough to stay, or be cured of your home sickness  

twinkledew:

As for the Tax, we get taxed a lot in the UK. You can claim it back at the end of the year but there is a certain amount you can claim back. At the end of the day you still pay high tax compared to Nigeria where the pay low tax or none at all.

In Abroad you can get free education, free allowances but you can not get all this in Nigeria. Life anywhere has got its own Pros and Cons. We do not have to like everything around us.

Did i believe you?

No.

Upon what condition did you claim your tax back in UK?

Free education for where? Even British citizen are not entitled to free education. Jesus Christ!

The cheapest education you can get in the whole world is in Nigeria. Few years ago,though not from rich home, i used to pay for my Lagos friend's fees before they come to school, yet i am not from rich home.

ego:

Life is not better anywhere, It's what you make of it right there where you are.

Thank you.

Lioness abi,u said

lioness:

whats this crap people keep saying about contributing to better 9jia
The poor man who has got none should contribute his blood ??

Anywayz, if you guys will make me first lady [not to OBJ o ], I will come back.

Well as they say a poor man is a lazy man. If u don't work u won't be paid.

U might want to talk of where the will get the job,but let me tell u, u start 4rm the craps.
For example,the brazilian president was once a showmaker. He started 4rm some where b4 God lifted him up. So don't say that I am crap or those that said the same thing I said.

THEY ARE TELLING U FACT.

The topic should be changed to "Is Life Really Better For <insert name of individual> abroad?"

As long as our circumstances, experiences and inclinations are different, it would be unwise to apply the same criteria in assessing whether it's better to live in Nigeria or abroad.

The answer to your question is very simple without getting into sentiments. Standard of living. This is an objective standard that has nothing to do with our attachment to our roots. Where will the average man enjoy a better life? Abroad of course.

Akolawole:


Did i believe you?

No.

Upon what condition did you claim your tax back in UK?

Free education for where? Even British citizen are not entitled to free education. Jesus Christ!

The cheapest education you can get in the whole world is in Nigeria. Few years ago,though not from rich home, i used to pay for my Lagos friend's fees before they come to school, yet i am not from rich home.

Thank you.

I think cheap education should be distinguished from quality education.

This is what i found out though: Those that pass through the Nigerian school system tends to do good if not better than their class mates in say, UK or America. Not that they know anything better than their colleagues, but the zeal to succeed with the knowledge that you can't 'settle' the lecturer/prof. So they start working hard from day one.

In Nigeria more often than not, you live to work while abroad you work to live. Or is it the other way round.

I think i have to agree with sage. In every aspect of life, Healthcare,Life expectancy, wages and income, security, checks and balances,justice ETC. The US has it all, and i think this is generally a bad comparison, other than the sentimental value, i think if people were had a choice of where to be born in today, most people would choose many countries other than Nigeria.

@Akolawale

In the US you get some of the taxes you paid back, depending on your income,family size and other reasons. I was in the UK very recently and got my VAT back on my way back to the US since i was visiting. Not much, but i was able to claim back the Taxes i paid.

wow! wow! wow!! , come on folks, you people born and bred in america don't understand a thing at all, nigeria is wack wack wack for all man. when we bring those dollars and euros back home i swear to god that we spend all the money in some weeks and that is not good for home coming hehehehehehehe. who is talking about staying in naija?? let the boys come out (girls no) for some reasons hahaha, let's just leave this issue only in visiting home and nothing more because i'll start considering coming home for good ( leaving green pastures for dried ones)

maybe you watch a lot of nigerian movies and ur like home hungry( they are fake)

Akolawole:


Did i believe you?

No.

Upon what condition did you claim your tax back in UK?

Free education for where? Even British citizen are not entitled to free education. Jesus Christ!

The cheapest education you can get in the whole world is in Nigeria. Few years ago,though not from rich home, i used to pay for my Lagos friend's fees before they come to school, yet i am not from rich home.

Thank you.

I don't know about the UK. But kids in Elementary school and high schools here don't even pay "school fees".

Anyways, About the topic, no matter how long we go on this topic, we all know life's better abroad than it is in NIgeria. About 70% of the people living in Nigeria would jump at an offer just to come live abraod. The remain 30% are the people who have a job of their own, control their companies and also those that are satisfied with their incomes. Let's not forget those that don't want to leave because of their family blah blah example : Being the igwe of their town.

Travel back to Nigeria for a while and see for your self

I don't know about the UK. But kids in Elementary school and high schools here don't even pay "school fees".

Also, California residents pay next to nothing to attend community colleges, and university.

Furthermore, you could work in America as a student.
There are a lot of scholarships available.

Really i better relocate there, what the shell am i doing in New York

Really i better relocate there, what the shell am i doing in New York

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough.  I meant cali residents.