QuinModah:
Last Friday, I hugged one of my most impressive colleagues goodbye. He turned away, sobbing. I turned away with voice quaking, realizing what a big loss he would be.

Later that evening, I had another get-together with a second friend who relocates this week. While discussing his massive expense, he suddenly slouched in his chair, stressfully squeezed the empty ragolis bottle in his hands and concluded:

"Oremi, this relocation has cost me almost everything"
"You don’t want to know!" He further sighed "You don’t."

Today, with the help and data from three (3) relocating friends, I compile the rough cost (below) for prospective relocating families (focus on UK) and a poem for my friend and Nigeria:

Cost of Japa from Nigeria for a family of 4= 180k
Renewal of Passport
Official rate 22k
Accelerated rate 45k
Some pay as high as 75k

Transcript 75k
Usually, one parent is a student
30-45k for school runs
25-30k to send

Estimated Tuition fee deposit
11,000-18,000-pound sterling
4.5m most schools want 50% deposit

Proof of fund (In deposit)
Family of 4 need 25m in deposited in an accoun 2-3 months

UK Visa 1.4m
Family of 4 pay 475-pound sterling

NHF
Family of 4 pay 875-pound sterling

Flight ticket 2.8m
Depending on booking
700k person x4
Some have booked as high as 1.2m

Arrival Accommodation 4.4m
1st Month shortlet 200-pound sterling per week
refundable deposit of 250 pound
First 6 months at 750 pounds

Total Cost 19m for family of four to UK not Canada or US. It can be cheaper or more

Oremi, I hope we meet again,
as you japa to find fresh grain,
to return if Nigeria again reigns?
God, will any leader ever end this drain?
But prayers will be in vain,
if in 2023, unwisely we vote again.

God bless everyone who has relocated. God bless everyone staying behind. God bless #Nigeria.

Your colleague went to school dazall. After study if he finds a job and an employer willing to sponsor his work permit he can continue his career. We should be aware that prior to 2012 when the post-study visa was suspended, not everyone was able to remain in the UK after their academic program. Some spent 2 years after their program and had to leave the country. Seeking study leave from employer was a more common practice. In addition, I only met one Nigerian student with dependents. Most others I knew had their families back in Nigeria while they studied in UK for up to four years (undergraduate and doctorate students) Today Nigeria is worse off. UK is also worse than it was 10 years ago but people are giving a lot to UK. In my opinion, Canada has a direct pathway to permanent residency without having to be a student and should be a better option for Japa people. I pray everyone's japa strategy and plans work out.

IbeOkehie:


This your comment, I love it so much. I wanted to show you something.

These are two neighborhoods in different SMALL TOWNS in North Carolina. Remember, small towns. I've visited homes there a lot. These neighborhoods are upper middle class. These towns are like Auchi or Ikot-Ekpene in Nigerian terms.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ferncreek+Dr,+Fayetteville,+NC+28314/@35.052596,-78.9465994,14.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89ab14b77654d60f:0x3ccf73b41ad96672!8m2!3d35.0493981!4d-78.9486589

https://raleighrealtyhomes.com/durham/woodcroft/

Literally DOZENS of Nigerian medical doctors live in these neighborhoods including SEVERAL double physician couples. One of the areas is even known among Nigerians as Doctor's Quarters. You can pull up the real estate county records and see.

One thing you notice in those places are a good racial mix....Whites, Blacks, Asians. I know a few from each group.

Virtually all the Nigerians that live in these places are medical doctors.

Some of the Asians that live there are medical doctors, but the majority - especially the Chinese - are small business owners - hair and nail salons, restaurants, carpet/floor businesses, grocery stores and the like. Remember, virtually all these Chinese didn't grow up speaking English and probably speak the language very inadequately.

This is an illustration of the characteristics of Nigerian wealth in the USA. Compared to the Asians, we are weak, non-competitive and very risk averse. Not criticism, just fact.

Have a good week.

Thank you. Weak both home and abroad.

Ugosample:

You have spoken very well

What you explained here is the reason why I said bye bye to Nigeria and didn't look back

I can NEVER be happy living in Nigeria as it is configured; no matter how much I have

Yes sir. Many will not understand but It is what it is.

IbeOkehie:


Wow....this is similar to my own experience, in the sense of being uncomfortable or feeling out of place when I moved back to Nigeria! I keep saying it, Nigerians have been severely damaged by their country. It's unbelievable.

Let me tell you, when my brother moved here to the USA, when he started driving, after a week or so he out of the blue just asked me..."why are people so polite here?" Then he narrated how he went on some errands to shop for food, transact at a bank and everyone was so polite, especially at the bank where he didn't have much money in his account.

Seriously, you should see how SHOCKED he was. In Nigeria people are so uncouth, rude and overbearing, they exude this "do you know who I am....and who are you" condescending attitude. It's a product of being constantly threatened by poverty and having to struggle for everything in the midst of constant scarcity.

Sometimes a six month stint out of Nigeria is all that we need to see how dysfunctional the society is. From the presidency down to the workplace. I don't even think there will be any major positive change in Nigeria over the next few years

IbeOkehie:


Yes Nigerians in the USA can afford a house in the Potomac area. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her husband had a home in the Potomac BEFORE she worked in Nigerian government or became Finance Minister. That one is PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, you can go look up the county real estate records.

Besides her I know of at least one Nigerian living and working in the USA who owns a home in the Potomac area, in fact very close to where Atiku has his own.

Having said that, Nigerian prosperity is nowhere near that of Asians or even Black Americans in the USA, yes I said it.



That's one important factor. Let me tell you, when you read some generally accepted & admired academic studies about the characteristics of prosperous nations, you will find that Nigeria has exactly the OPPOSITE of most factors enumerated. I kid you not. I had a very sad encounter with a fairly highly placed Nigerian in real life about this. We used to be friends I guess. After a discussion cum argument about this very issue of national cohesion he basically told me never to talk to him again because I "insulted him". This is someone from a fairly highly placed Nigerian family with ties to the military.

Nigerians are a severely damaged people, from Aso Rock to the vulcanizer or hawker on the next street. I understand them and their issues well so I'm quite confident nothing good will come out of that country for a very loooong time.

Thank you sir/madam. Okonjo Iweala was MD at World bank not surprised. My argument was about how more successful the asians were in comparison to Nigerians in USA. Obviously there will always be high-achievers among any group of people like Dr. Iweala

BigIyanga:

Can a Naija Supreme Cour judge afford a home in Potomac based on his/her honest income? NOPE
Can a Naija governor afford a home in Potomac, MD based on his/her honest income? NOPE.
Those houses were bought with stolen wealth.

My point is that Nigerians in USA equally cannot afford a house there.

IbeOkehie:




This is an excellent insight into outcome. The REASONS for this are the INNATE QUALITY of the Nigerians who migrate to the USA, not because the Chinese or Indians are favoured, if I may use that word. Asian Americans have higher average & median INCOME than White Americans, again because of certain innate qualities and cultural habits. I think I will leave it at that.



Then why aren't Nigerians generally much richer? China and India are developing countries and were much poorer than Nigeria in say the 1970's. I remember Indians used to migrate to Nigeria for a better life and live in remote villages, a couple of them taught in the village where I grew up. So why are India & China much more developed than Nigeria today? And yes there may be very few Nigerian millionaires in the USA/UK, but there's even fewer Nigerians millionaires in Nigeria, measured per capita. That's FACT.

Bottom line - if what you say about Nigeria is true then MANY MORE INVESTORS or enterpreneurs would be doing it, taking advantage of the OPPORTUNITIES in Nigeria. For some reasons, very few are taking on the RISK in order to get the FAVORABLE RETURNS that you're positing. That's the current situation right now and that outcome is the evidence. Period.

I could go on and on, but I'll tell you the underlying controlling factor - Nigeria is NOT a free market. The government controls just about all aspects of economic activity, including PRICE and without free pricing, it's almost impossible to invest. It's hard to get Nigerians to understand this. Right now the APC Presidential Candidate Bola Tinubu is proposing he will resurrect Agric Commodity Boards to implement minimum pricing for agricultural produce in Nigeria. It's amazing that knowledgeable people aren't screaming from the rooftops about it.

Then there's also the APC obsession with the Water Resources Bill. Those interested should go peruse the proposals in that legislation. I think it might become law if the APC wins the coming elections. The Nigerian economy is bad now, such policies will make it infinitely worse. I can't exaggerate the level of dislocation that will be inflicted in the long term.

I lived in the USA for over 15 years then moved back to live in Nigeria and run a business. I know what I went through, I learned a lot. Nigerians are generally IGNORANT about the laws and political-economy of their own country...I used to be that ignorant too, I'm not criticizing. My family understand what is going on but it took us two generations of back and forth to really internalize the structural reality.

The bottom line, Nigeria is an almost COMMUNIST economy. That's the reason it will NEVER become prosperous and like any Communist/Socialist nation, only those with the right connections or relationships can make it to the top of the pyramid. The GOVERNMENT decides who gets rich, not the MARKET, so yes you're correct, it's EASIER to become a dollar millionaire in Nigeria, but again, it's easier in the West. I know, sounds contradictory but that's that.

Going back to my first paragraph, this CULTURAL predisposition to climbing the pyramid through government patronage is THE REASON Nigerians don't make it to the top in the West as business founders and top CEO's. That's not merely my assertion, I have good EVIDENCE.

Oh look someone else responding to you knows exactly what I'm writing about, so....



What a nice summary of the facts. Have a good day.

Thank you for your feedback which is full of facts and not guided by emotions. Its obvious you have lived in both continents and I understand you clearly. Kindly note I never mentioned that the system favored the Asians better rather I was pointing out that the Asians tend to do better. The first time I moved to Toronto after securing a software job, I had issues renting an apartment. I had no Canadian credit history/report. Friends I had in Toronto did not even believe me when I mentioned that I got a job and will be moving to Toronto to resume hence they were all being evasive. I must point out that I have lived in USA prior to my stint in Nigeria and I know how difficult the support system is for Immigrant Nigerians compared to what is obtainable from Family/Friends in Nigeria hence the Air BnB app was what I relied on before even arriving in Toronto. I booked a two month stay via Air Bnb. Spent the first few days with an old friend sleeping on his sofa before moving to the Air bnb home. Home was located in Markham, a region dominated by South east Asians. The owner of the house was a 25 year old lady from Hong Kong. It was a spacious house and out of curiosity I looked up the last sale price of the house and it was about $1.2 million . I wasn't surprised based on the high rating that host /home had on Air BnB app rom previous guests. The lady had another home where she stayed but was using this duplex for Air Bnb to generate money to pay up the mortgage. It was like a guest house but tastefully furnished with everything a typical traveler will need. She visited the building every morning to ensure me and the other guest were alright. After some weeks she got a bit comfortable with me and was only visiting once a week. After my two month stay I extended my stay by another 60 days. When we got talking she told me how her mum gave her the money for the down payment of the house when she graduated from York university at the age of 22. By age 25 she bought an apartment from money she saved after working for two years plus. The duplex mortgage payments is being sustained by revenue from Air BnB while the value of the property is appreciating. She is 25 years old and I can guess that most Nigerians in Canada her age (including some from wealthy families) do not have what she has. Our culture is more inclined to showing off the little money earned while the Asians seem more inclined towards building generational wealth. I can go on and on but I learnt a lot from my 4 month stay in a Cantonese dominated community. She told me how grand parents and parents tend to save money for their children and grand children. Her mum and dad are pressuring her to get married because they are already saving for their unborn grand children. She said she is also expected to save money for her children to have a good start to life when they are born. The man she will eventually marry is also expected to do same. She complained about how canadians dine too frequently and go on vacations at every opportunity. I believe the Asians have over time positioned themselves better and hence tend to do better as they also have a much stronger support system

BigIyanga:

Your comparison is out of place.
Compare CMD of Ikoyi Hospital vs Dr Maduka CMD of Vegas Pain Clinic.
Too many Doctors as business owners and employees cant be compared with their Naija counterparts .
Apt comparison is US employee vs Naija employee in the same field and qualification.
If you compare Naija entrepreneurs vs US Naija entrepreneurs, in the US get funded easily if you have right product/service while in Naija, if you dont have connect and $$.. good luck.

Vegas Pain hospital is a very small primary care centre and not comparable to evercare or lagoon in terms of size, number of services offered, number of physicians employed and number of patients treated. If it was so good at Vegas Pain and life in USA was all why has maduka tried to involve himself in anambra politics so much ? Why has he been investing in Nigeria rather than expanding his medical practice across Nevada and the who of USA ? Most of us are more comfortable in north america but deep down I will rather be successful in Africa than here. South Africa was even my first choice place to work .

We may never agree on this issue but there are levels to these things and even among Africans the americans rate Ethiopians higher than Nigerians. All that talk about Nigerians being the most educated blacks in USA is because of the population of Nigerians not because Nigerians are high up there. In Greater Toronto Area the cities of Richmond Hill and Markham are expensive neighborhoods occupied mostly by immigrants from Hong Kong. The average price of a house is over $1 milllion. In Vancouver the laws were modified to reduce the inflow of investments from asian millionaires in the property market. Brampton is dominated by wealthy indians. There is no neighborhood in USA or Canada known to house wealthy Nigerian-immigrants because Nigerian immigrants have not yet been able to acquire the level of wealth and influence there counterparts from asia posses. The kind of wealth that will make them dominate a district

When I lived in Maryland I once visited a nigerian in Potomac (an expensive neighborhood). The man was a retired judge at the supreme court of Nigeria. He showed me mansions belonging to Nigerians but they were all ex-governors (Uzor kalu, former gov of kogi state, atiku and a nigerian business man). You have pockets of upper middle class nigerians here and there in USA but nothing compared to the wealthy businessmen in Nigeria like cosmos maduka, chukwuma innosson, ABC Orjiakor, mike adenuga, akintola williams and many more.

BigIyanga:

Keep deceiving yourself. Too many Nigerians are upper class and middle class.
Compare a Nigerian medical doctor with a Naija-US medical doctor.
Compare a nurse in Naija vs a Nurse US.
Compare an accountant in Naija vs an Accountant in US.
How many of Naija professionals in Naija rise to be upperclass without stealing or getting into politics??

Oga I live in canada (Toronto) and have lived in USA(Bethesda) . I have also worked in Nigeria(Lagos). Nigerians are no where near upper class in USA or Canada. I am not comparing a doctor in Nigeria vs a doctor in USA. I am comparing a doctor in USA with the founder/CMD of Lagoon hospital Ikoyi or a Nigerian pediatric physician in Mayoclinic with the Founder/CEO of Evercare hospital in Lekki. I am not comparing employees in north america with their counterparts in Nigeria rather I am comparing employees in North america with businessmen in Nigeria. Some people get tired of being in the middle class and want to move up thus decide to move back to africa where it is more attainable

When I worked in Lagos as a software engineer my take home was just a little over 600k naira monthly at age 25. When I moved to canada my first income as a software engineer was $8,300 (3840 bi-weekly) monthly hence I earned better and was in the middle class. But If I want to make a lot more money it is easier for me to raise capital and set up a fin-tech or software company in Nigeria. Those who did so successfully are making good cash in Nigeria far more than what we employees in north america make.

Show me a Nigerian that has become an executive VP at google or that has become CEO at yahoo inc or that have become a partner at KPMG HQ . Among the few immigrants that make it to the top you will mostly find people from asia before you find any Nigerian.

IbeOkehie:


This is not true and can be easily debunked. How many dollar millionaires per capita are there in each country? That would be a start. And the unemployment rate of 33% vs 3.5%, you gotta have a job first, right? Let's be serious please.

How many immigrant Nigerians became dollar millionaires in USA, Canada , UK or UAE ? How many even made it upper class ? Nigeria is an emerging economy and for almost anything you want to do in a developed economy there are multiple people that have been doing it for more than 20 years. Even shoemaking or tailoring you'll find family businesses that have been doing it for more than 100 years. Competition is less in Nigeria if you are innovative and get your funding right.

Regarding unemployment, an employee will likely be better off in the developed world than in nigeria but an enterpreneur aspiring to make it big like dangote or jim ovia or mike adenuga will have a better shot in Nigeria. An immigrant nigerian is not likely to be able to start a bank that will compete with JP Morgan or TD bank in north america. The indians and the chinese even have a better shot at becoming rich in US/Canada/UK than black africans

sukkot:
AHHH I JUST CORRECTED SOME TYPOS AND MISTAKES. HOpEfully YOU GOT THE MESSAGE ANYWAY DESPITE ALL THAT. and yes my point was not to focus on the quality of living different places have to offer, my point is that working no matter the job or how much you think you are making or saving cannot make you rich.

I get your point and always emphasize that if one wants to be rich the chances are more attainable in Nigeria than any western country. What matters most doing what makes one happy. Not everyone is interested in accumulating wealth. What most Nigerians are thriving for is actually middle class or upper middle class

sukkot:
alright lets o the math on that. so you are a tech guru in a booming tech job i canada where you save you say 2000 caadian a month. in a year thats 24k. your work lifespan as a techie lets say 25 years ? thats 24 times 25 is 600 thousand canadian which is 450 thousand canadian. now do you know an apartment in banana island is like 2 million usd ? the point here is all na rat race

Making money is tough everywhere be it Nigeria, Canada, USA. But all depends on the individual. If I have $2 million to retire you wont see me near banana island. I'll retire in cape town where I can buy a house around camps bay for $500k . Banana island is nothing to right home about infrastructure wise. The charm/satisfaction most people with money in Nigeria have is the fact that they can afford what most people they grew up with cannot afford. That's about it. That is why Femi Otedola spends most of his time in europe while atiku spends most of his time in dubai. Nigeria cannot give them the kind of 5 star lifestyle their money can give them in other places

BennyDGreat:


It was peculiar to that specific organisation you worked sha. There are Nigeria coys that don't do all these things but very few

Yea I worked at two places and they were both similar ( a bank and a consulting coy). I just felt instead of waiting for an opportunity to break into the few good ones let me work at a US Coy in Toronto while I strategize my next move to Nigeria better

Vadese1:
You leave in Canada and in space of 3 years, your saving is close to 20k dollars. Yet you see nothing good in Canada. I doubt if you truly reside in Canada. Something tell me that you are probably among the government recruited internet agent trying to discourage people from migrating abroad. If not how can someone who have save 20k in space of three years will be complaining of such country. Now village people dey follow you . Come back home. You don't need our permission or opinion to come back to Nigeria

Been here 7 months now saving at least CAD2000 monthly with triple payment expected in December and some bonus early next year. I have a formula that works for me. I send CAD1,000 to Nigeria monthly (mostly for give away to family members), pay a rent of CAD2,100 monthly , live on CAD500 weekly and save CAD2,000 monthly in canada. I don't drive yet as I'm still in the process of getting a full driving license. When my girlfriend visited in the summer we had a fight over her constant inclination to ordering for Uber rides and food online. I had a formular that was working for me and wasn't ready to mess it all up. The subway, GoTrain and buses worked well for me.

My close friend calls me to complain about his wife who doesn't work but is constantly buying one thing or the other. She's always taking pictures + posting on TikTok and snap chat (LoL) while he is working for two software companies (one in US and the other in Canada). I didn't take him seriously until the last time they visited me. They called me to say they were 10 minutes away and I told them I was at the IKEA store near the house. He told me they'll meet me there as the wife wanted to buy something at IKEA. When they came I was done and seated at the small food court. I sat with my friend while his wife went into the store to buy some kitchen utensils. She later called him on the phone that she was done and he went to meet her at the cash point to make payment. To my surprise he came back enraged as she had bought items worth $962 which he had to pay. He was very angry telling me he will never go out with her again LOL. I didn't think it was nice to talk about his wife the way he did but as with everything in life it has it's good side and its down side. While they were in Nigeria he did all the spending and it is expected that he continues here. They are probably better off in Nigeria where he was able to take care of her needs (iphone, dinners, clothing here & there) as opposed to Toronto where there are big malls and shopping centers all over the place with more things to do

Studymore123:


I can relate to what you wrote. I lost my job while trying to protect others. In fact I was blackmailed . My MD then knew I was of a different stock and he related everything to me. The Nigerian workplace has a lot of challenges which I don't fit into because I MUST express myself if I want and I dislike oppression. However I hope things would be better someday.

Yes and to make matters worse the money wasn't that great. Opted to move out again and strategize better. I like to express myself freely and will probably do better in an environment where everyone is himself/herself.

Richy4:
OP, what about Nigerian association? If u are lonely, find out the day Nigerians are meeting, and join the meeting... They usually have October first party... That is if you are interested..

In your work place, don't some of your colleagues invite you for a night out? Or are you not interested?

If you are a Christian, please join one of the church program... They usually have youth activities outside church program.. like watching the whale, boat riding etc...

Not the same. Most of us made our friends before age 22. Its not easy to make friends as adults especially when you don't share a lot in common. Women who move abroad single are even bigger victims of loneliness

MufasaLion:
Yes, it might be lonely but however, you seem not to know what you want.

If you're in Nigeria, there are only few businesses you can do that will generate steady and good revenue for you but what about the quality of life and other basic things?

And as you're in Canada, there are things you definitely will benefit that those living in Banana Island can never benefit with their billions.

Everything in life has sacrifice and focus. Know what you want! This loneliness bla bla bla is stale. It's no more news. Stop the comparison and focus on positive things.

Regarding money I always maintain that anyone that wants to be rich and wealthy will have a better chance in Nigeria than Canada. But for a comfortable, stress-free life Canada wins. I will not leave Toronto to Lagos to go work as an officer again. When I lived in Edinburgh I was so anxious to move to Nigeria that people thought I was rich or had a rich family. I moved back as a youth corper in 2015 and I began to see that a lot of things we took for granted in Scotland were actually big in Nigeria. After NYSC I worked at a bank (so called top 5) as a mobile application developer but the bosses were very reluctant to give me a laptop to work with. They kept saying I just finished NYSC and want to be given a macbook. I used a macbook as a student in Scotland and I didnt see anything special about it. I was supporting the Ghana operations of the bank on a project and when the Ghana team needed me physically present I was told some people had spent 10 years working in the bank and hadn't been opportune to travel outside Nigeria on official duty and hence wont be fair for a young employee like me to go on such trip. As students in Scotland we use to take weekend trips to netherlands, france, spain, iceland, portugal , Gran Canary and as far as miami on one occasion. I couldn't relate. We were not expected to express ourselves at meetings. Everyone was working in fear trying not to offend the GM or ED. I saw the reality of life in the Nigerian workplace. Everyone engaged in one eyeservice or the other to get things that I didn't see as anything. I left Nigeria after a short stint and I was made to understand that workplace hostility and bullying was common practice in many organizations in Nigeria. The fact that I owned a car and lived 10 mins from the office in VI also made my bosses complain about me from time to time LoL.
I was meant to hide my car or pretend to be poor/in need. I believe I prefer my life in Toronto. When I garner the necessary experience and get my business plan/funding right I'll move back to Nigeria for business but not to take up an officer position at a Nigerian company.

Aareona:
Earlier this year, I went back in time to few years back when I was doing so well in Nigeria. The noises from friends and all nurtured the decision to move abroad inside of me. I became so restless till I finally leave. The first day in Canada was the day I knew this place isn't where I can be forever. Most of us would have come back before the time we had in mind except for the fact that I don't still have enough. If I want to travel to naija for vacation now, I will need up to $4k. If I take that away from my savings, I don't know how I can recover.

No one tells about the downside of this place. I feel lonely, depressed and empty most times. Because no one to talk to, just everyone in my workplace goin about their business. If I make attempt to talk to them, they just waive it with a smile. It's been 3years here and the people I still talk to on video call are friends from Nigeria. It's been 3years and my savings is still Short of $20k despite how much my friends in Nigeria do tell me how easy it is for me to make money abroad but I never tell them my situation. I can't wait to make enough and leave Canada for good. I know a lot will come at me with the usuall "come back to Nigeria na", please this is not an attempt to denigrate your abroad heaven, just for me to rant out and be fine

Living outside Nigeria is not for everyone. Some people have an outgoing personality. For me I'm an indoor person and coped well living outside Nigeria. Even when I lived in Lagos I hardly ever socialized with co-workers. My reason being that the more I keep to myself the less exposed I become to problems and issues. But I understand that some people are not like that. My friend recently move to Pickering, Ontario from Lagos and he use to call me to ask things like "where is happening" and all. I say to him that I don't go out that often. I have a lot of friends here whom I was close to back in USA but they moved to Toronto after their studies in USA. I miss many invitations to meet up with them. Tomorrow is thanksgiving and I reluctantly bought a ticket to Chicago to spend the weekend with some friends. This is my nature and I have never found Toronto boring.

Please do what works for you best as I believe you had a reason for moving to Canada. I moved to Toronto because the tech sector in Nigeria was still pretty much in its infantry stage and I wanted to work in a developed economy to update my skills and work on some real projects. So far so good software engineering is booming in Canada. I'm able to save between CAD2k and CAD3k monthly after all expenses. A lot of black women in Canada are also bored and ready throw themselves at a guy that talks to them. So I get your point that boredom is a real issue especially for newcomers who know very few people here.

drered:


6 month is a really long time. A friend of mine's partner got hers in less than 3 weeks but she applied from UK where she was a student. They were not even married at that point, she just had a brother in canada. Nigeria would always be different eh.

Dear Sir, I will like to suggest that you read through these things and make a decision based on what will work best for you and not time (how long or how short or based on another person's outcome).

ArcFresky:


What percentage of her earnings go to Bills, Tax, Rent and feeding.

You need to give people the full gist.

In toronto my monthly take home pay as a software engineer is about 7300cad while my rent in a 1+1 apartment is 2000 monthly with utility bills ranging between 100 and 150cad monthly . Internet is free, gym is free, swimming pool is free. I send 200k monthly to my mum and after working 5 months I have 16,000+ in my savings account and a credit card with $5000 limit. I spend 500CAD weekly for upkeep (most times I dont spend up to that as I work from home). In 7 months time I will get my first line of credit and may be a higher credit card limit. Retirement savings account is growing as. People who are married usually have more savings due to some shared expenses. When I become fully licensed and decide to buy a car I'll buy a new car easily and my expenses will reduce slightly after I get married. There is no attraction to work in a Gtbank or access bank or zenith or UBA. The only attraction to working in Nigeria for me is as a businessman or a senior position in a structured multinational organization. When I lived in UK 10 years ago as a student I was exempted from council tax and my monthly utility bills never exceeded GBP60 to GBP80 while my rent was GBP700 monthly. Most people struggle due to debts not bills. Stay out of debts and you'll be alright. I wont discourage anyone trying to move abroad as I have lived/worked in nigeria and outside nigeria. People should just plan properly and relocate legitimately and they can strive for middle class or upper middle class. If you want to make money work in Nigeria for yourself but please don't waste your time working for a nigerian employer (especially banks and the many one-man businesses) hoping to grown from the bottom up.

Gerrard59:


Majority of the people who japa will return eventually, so I don't know what you are blabbering about. The witchcraft is when you actively dissuade them from travelling/relocating when you did the same during your prime.



No wonder Agbaje is pained. No more hands to enslave, and seeing the same people he placed in servitude excelling in bigger banks/financial institutions - hundred times bigger than GTCO - really pains him.

Yes. I worked in two organizations in Lagos as a software engineer after moving to Nigeria for the NYSC program between 2015 and 2018. Employee harassment and workplace bullying was a common practice which gradually began to erode my confidence. I was one of the most confident persons anyone could know prior to that. As a youth corper it was assumed I knew nothing and was instantly bullied for making any contribution at meetings or asking a question in an organization that prides itself as one of the top tech coys in Nigeria. I later moved to one of the biggest banks in Lagos and also saw a similar culture. If you weren't a manager or senior it was assumed you knew nothing and should not make an comment at meetings that had senior colleagues in attendance. We were invited to attend project meetings as dummies but not allowed to speak irrespective of whether the decisions made would impact the project or not. There was no structure at all with the bank introducing new grade levels every now and hence no realistic pathway to mid/senior level positions as a junior employee. I saw smart Nigerians with 10 years of work experience reduced to nothing. They could not afford things that I could afford as a student in UK/USA. I was living 15 mins to the office in VI but people who had worked 10 years in the organization were still commuting from 4;30am daily in bad roads, traffic and flood. I took advantage of an opportunity that came up to go work at south african tech company and life in johannesburg was just very comfortable compared to Lagos. From J'burg I moved to toronto where I feel much more accomplished as a person. I will still move back to Nigeria but not as a junior employee anywhere. I'll rather go their as a businessman. Life in LAgos as a young worker is cruel. Many people who even make it under those conditions end up being very cruel due to their experiences.

Pierocash:
.People like you are the reasons young Nigerians don't think they can make it in Nigeria.

What Agbaje pointed out is nothing but the truth. How will a bank executive resign her position and relocated to become a health care assistant and all you could do is to justify it by saying she earns a decent pay. What kind of life is she living there and how much does she earns? You are talking of fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram, those people running away from Nigeria are not even in there region of bandits and Boko Haram,these are Southerners using Boko Haram as the excuse to japa only to end up with lower standard of living,while those who are directly affected are not even considering japa as an option.

People tend to use exchange rate to measure wealth,but you are wrong. Exchange rate is not and indices to measure standard of living. You measure standard of living using what is called PPP(Purchasing price/power parity). That is what is used to determine standard of living not exchange rate. There are people in Nigeria here who have never touched dollar or pounds in their life ,but have higher standard of living that so many of their counter parts abroad.

Quit this your japa mentality and build yourself here,there is honey and gold in Nigeria here. You can't convince someone like me to japa,I will rather go there to invest and return home just to spread my business nothing more.

I stand with Agbaje.

I disagree with some of your quotes. My take is that if you want to make money in Nigeria do business and see how you can succeed in it. But I will never listen to a Segun Agbaje because Nigeria is under a form of state capture and Segun Agbaje is one of the active players in this state capture act. When he was young the govt of Nigeria at that time liberalized the banking sector allowing young entrepreneurs to move in and become players. As the third employee of GTBank segun agbaje benefited from this policy and rose to become a director in his 30s. Today he has completed his term as CEO for 10 years. Aware of the 10 year tenure limit he changed the GTBank structure to a holding company structure and became the CEO of the holding company while appointing a stooge as CEO of GTBank among other mushroom companies to create the impression that they are truly a holding company. Pursuing a career in GTBank as a nigerian youth is tantamount to being a slave of Segun Agbaje as you will never grow to even become a mid level staff in 15 years. Thus you are better of working in a bank of america or JP morgan as a nigerian than in a GTBank.t
In the business access to credit is very difficult in Nigeria. What kind of business do you start with interest rates hovering around 24% ? The Nigeria of 1990 is different from the Nigeria of today and I will not pick the successes of a few like Segun Agbaje to reflect the possible outcome of young hardworking Nigerians in Nigeria.

Phraences:


How many years does the post study visa last and how may years for the job+work visa?

Post study lasts for two years and the work visa lasts for 5 years. However, there are certain conditions/dots that must be met to be eligible for both as well as ILR which qualifies its holder to remain in the UK indefinitely.

InvertedHammer:
/
If you must leave Nigeria, cut every ties with it.

But since nobody wants to fight to fix Nigeria, if they like let them run to Jupiter, Nigeria will hunt them down and happen to them. I bet they were nonchalant with events in Nigeria because they had the resources to japa. As long as Nigeria remains the shithole it is, it will continue to destroy lives directly and indirectly.


/

Student visa is not equal to japa. I keep telling anyone who cares to listen. If a person wants to japa they need to make a solid plan and follow through their plan. For the UK if one is unable to meet the academic and financial obligation, they can get withdrawn with their visa curtailed hence mandating them to leave the country. Again if they complete their studies but do not receive clearance from the university, they will not be able to apply for the post study visa. In addition if they are unable to secure a job+workvisa sponsor after the post study visa they'll need to study again or leave the country. While working, they'll need to maintain some work status for 5 years to qualify for permanent resident visa. There are many IFs in this journey and always a good idea to keep as many options open.

higgs:
Every Nigerian wants to go to UK to study. The British are reaping huge profits from our insatiable appetite for their university degrees. CBN should stop subsidising foreign education. Anyone who wants to study abroad should source for the fx himself.

Lol if you carry out a survey you'll find that most are not interested in the UK degrees as such. Its a migration strategy (tier 4 student visa -> post study visa ->wotk visa -> permant residence). There are some that believe it is easier to migrate to Canada from UK than to migrate to Canada from Nigeria. This is why people are taking loans, quitting jobs and selling their belongings.

For me a job does more than paying a salary. A job can be used as a stepping stone to a greater opportunity. A few years ago someone reached out to me about a UN interview she had while looking for a job in UK. She had just graduated from a masters program. A month later I followed up and asked her how the job hunt was going. She mentioned that after going through the whole interview they told her they were expecting some funding from their HQ but she could join as a volunteer pending when funding issues are resolved. She lost interest saying the job is even in Ethiopia and she cant leave London to move to Ethiopia. I encouraged her to take the job. She insisted that her uncles and father's friends can get her better jobs in naija bla bla bla. Bottom line she took the job and worked for free for 7 months. When an opening came up she was advised to apply again and she got the job. She's currently a P2 employee within the UN system with lots of travel allowances and a tax-free income. 2 of her siblings who moved to naija with the confidence of having big uncles and friends are still jobless 4 years after uni. They have refused to take up lower paying jobs or gain any employable experience because they believe any job offering them below a certain threshold is not worth their time. For me a starting job/position does not define anyone.
On my part I'll also like to share how my uncle facilitated the employment of my sister into an upstream organization about 7 years ago. When I completed a computer science degree (bachelors + masters) I was asked to reach out to same uncle. In addition members of my family told me to forget about the whole tech thing and take advantage of having an uncle in a position to get a high paying job. I worked judiciously in the software engineering field from a tech company in lagos to a bank in lagos to a tech company in johannesburg to another tech company toronto. The same people that thought I did not know what I was doing are now calling me up and down to do one thing or the other for them. The big uncle they wanted me to serve 7 years ago is also on my neck to help coach his son for his interviews. All I can say is I'm grateful to God.
If that 50k job is in your field dont hesitate to take it and ride the uber on the side. Build from there and be rest assured you'll only look back a few years from now and smile

temmitats:
Hi do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the people that got finance roles before landing Canada?
I want to know if they disclosed their location during the interview or just acted like they were in Canada.

Some did disclose their location. Initially I did disclose that I was in Nigeria but later I changed my story to "I hold a permanent residency visa but currently in Nigeria and will be back to toronto in three weeks time". One of the recruiters told me to contact him when I get to toronto as he wasn't comfortable interviewing me while I was outside canada but then who cares. There were already two offers before I left Lagos. Didnt bother contacting him

m

Righthussle:
Na who no ready to win elections for Rivers go put Atiku face for him campaign banner. Buhari wey dey leave the office na northerner, so Atiku na "no no" for south. South go rather vote a Southern boy of primary 5 to take over from Buhari than vote Atiku.

In my small immediate family, Uncle (father's younger brother) was a lawmaker for 12 years with cousins and even elderly uncles/aunts falling & backbiting themselves to gain favour from him. He lost in 2011 with no single person gaining what I term success through him. He made tons of cash and acquired a lot of assets. The 500k today or 1M tomorrow gift was what made my people fall over each other. As he left office the hunger came back lol. Truth is the hunger was always there but he became a temporary provider for 12 years. Two years after he left office my other uncle who had been a civil servant at a parastatal became DG. My family members switched camp dumping the ex-lawmaker and were now falling over themselves for the new bride lol. As a civil servant the DG knew they were scavengers and used his two year tenure to acquire so many properties in abuja and moved his wife/children to USA. When buhari came in 2015 he appointed a new DG and again family members began to complain about their inability to get contracts or jobs while he was in office. The free 400k today and 100k tomorrow ended. Hunger returned. The few of us that stayed away and tried to build ourselves are still surviving and growing.

The point of this post is that me I don't believe in zoning agitation of a thing. These two men I know very well were enriching themselves while the people from their villages, families, LGAs were busy shouting "its our time". Wike lost out in an election and even as governor his priority is to satisfy his greed for money + power. Anybody that thinks wike is fighting the course of the rivers man or ikwerre man is deceiving thyself

Hello, please what is the situation with SA visa now ? In November 2021 I applied for a multiple entry visa which was issued in 2 weeks. Travelled there in january before its expiration. I now live in toronto and want to apply to visit in January after christmas in Nigeria. What's the current timeline with the e-visa thing ?

articulate3145:

I dropped it with DHL on Friday. I got a notification that it is out for delivery this morning, i.e. DHL will send it to Lekki this morning. Lekki will send to Accra and then Accra to Canada.

I'm guessing I'll get an update from VFS when they start the process of sending it to Accra and then Canada

I think one should just take it to Lekki if they have the time

Good and I'll like to add that you should please not rush this thing. Consider using this time to look for a job while VFS and the embassy complete their work. There may be excitement to pack and leave but with better planning you'll get to Canada better prepared and wont have to spend a lot of money before you start earning

Whoever sold the uK dream did a very good job. Don't get me wrong I am not against japa but anything you do , do it well. As of today australia and canada seem to be more immigrant friendly in comparison to other countries. It takes a long long time to get settled in UK if you go there as a student. tier 4 (1 year), graduate visa (2 years), tier 2 (5 years). During this time you'll hope that you never run out of status or lose a job or get out of school. This entire phase is unsettling and age is not on everyone's side. Imagine going through this at the age of 40. When will you get settled ?