Everybody wants to japa, but not everyone makes it. Almost Abroad shares the near-misses and big wins of Nigerians chasing greener pastures against all odds in 2025.
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When did you start considering relocating to another country?
I didn’t consider relocating until January of this year, and it was unplanned. I had just completed my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and had been job hunting since October 2024 without results. One day, while I was on a call with my sister, she suggested that I come to the UK for my master’s. It was random, but I took the conversation seriously and did my research; in three days, I had gotten a conditional offer. I applied for the June intake, and everything literally started happening so quickly. In under one week, my parents had paid my tuition fees.
How did you pull that off in this economy?
My parents are financially comfortable, and I have two siblings in the UK. My tuition fee was about 拢16,500, and I got a 拢3000 discount for graduating with a second-class upper degree. My parents footed the bill, but having siblings in the UK made the process easier.
How so?
I didn’t need to deal with the stress and extra charges that come with making international payments from Nigeria. The last time I tried to do international transactions from Nigeria, my money got stuck for 37 days, and I had to get account officers involved. Aside from this, some other parts of the immigration process were difficult for my parents.
Like what?
The exchange rate was the biggest one. For example, I was told that the money I needed to present as my proof of funds must remain in my account for about 28 days. At that time, the money I needed in my account was 鈧�34.6 million, but my parents asked me to round it up to 鈧�37 million
Looking back now, I鈥檓 thankful my parents had foresight because by the end of the 28 days, the exchange rate had increased the original amount for the proof of funds to 鈧�36.4 million. If it had risen beyond the 鈧�37 million my parents gave me, I would have needed to start the process again just because of the exchange rate.
We also had the same issue with my school fees and every other fee we had to pay in pounds. At some point, we just decided to start paying in full immediately the expenses come up, because waiting could mean subjecting my parents to spending more money because of the instability of the exchange rate.
What level of financial strain did this process put on your parents?
My parents dislike complaining, but I could tell the expenses shook them. The inflation also made things a lot worse than they should have been, but I’m so grateful they made that decision for me. I’ve gone from being jobless in Nigeria to hopeful about a brighter future in a new country.
Tell me more about your life in Nigeria
I studied Philosophy at the university, which made it a bit harder to get a job afterwards. During my NYSC, I worked with a brand manager in an insurance company. The job involved a lot of conversations with clients, trying to convince them to buy insurance policies to get insured. It was a lot of work, but I found it fascinating. That was when I started thinking, 鈥淢aybe marketing isn鈥檛 such a bad idea after all.鈥�
While I found marketing interesting, I wasn鈥檛 keen on doing it the traditional way,. I was more drawn to digital marketing. I鈥檝e always been active on social media as a user but not as a content creator. Still, I believed I could be good at it. I just wasn鈥檛 sure how to navigate that path yet.
I got my sister’s offer to study in the UK, so it made more sense to apply to the digital marketing program. I read up on the modules, did some research, and everything just felt right. I wrote my statement with so much passion, and clearly, they saw something they liked because I got my conditional offer in just three days.
Wait! You get your conditional offer in three days?
Yes! It was shocking. I recently joined a WhatsApp group chat with other Nigerian students applying to study in the same school, and they all heard back from the school after four weeks. I still don鈥檛 know how mine took three days. Funny enough, my best friends were already in the UK, so that made the relocation decision easier.
Are you ever going to come back to Nigeria?
Absolutely.
Interesting
Yeah, as shocking as that might sound, I plan to return to Nigeria. To be honest, location has never really been a big factor for me. I鈥檝e never sat down and thought, 鈥淥h, I need to pack my bags and japa to the UK, Canada, or the US.鈥�
My hesitation towards relocation was mainly due to the fact that I live a comfortable life in Nigeria. Not in the flashy Instagram soft life way, but I am genuinely okay. I have a small side business 鈥� a clothing brand 鈥� that is doing pretty well. I am not balling, but I am comfortable. With the support of my parents, I have a car, an apartment, and a good social life. I have my friends, freedom, and the ability to move around easily. Life in Lagos is really sweet.
I can take road trips, have lunch in one spot and dinner in another. Lagos has its chaos, but it鈥檚 a fun city to live in if you have money. So I鈥檝e never been the 鈥渓et me run away and go suffer in another man鈥檚 country just to make money鈥� type of person.
That鈥檚 refreshing to hear.
Yes, Nigeria has its problems. The country needs a lot of work, but at the end of the day, Nigeria is still home. My parents and most of my loved ones are here.
I originally planned to do my master鈥檚 at the University of Ibadan. I even started the application during my NYSC. I had it all figured out鈥� I鈥檇 do a master’s, find a job in Ibadan, and build my life there. I already had a place to stay, my car, friends, and a solid support system. But then my sister told me about studying in the UK, and I was like, 鈥淢aybe this Nigerian dream isn鈥檛 Nigerianing the way it should,鈥� so I went for the opportunity.聽
Long-term, I might not even settle in the UK, especially with the way things are going and how they鈥檙e treating international students and immigrants. Maybe I鈥檒l end up in Canada or the US. Thank God I still have youth on my side, so I can hustle, save, and build.
I鈥檒l eventually go back home because that鈥檚 where my heart is. I love Nigeria; I love the lifestyle, the culture, and the partying. I know what that comfort feels like, and I鈥檇 love to return to it someday.
For now, I鈥檒l focus on getting my degree, getting the bag, and see how things go. Plans can change, but my heart is still in Nigeria.
Love that for you. Have a safe flight to the UK!
Thank you!
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