Everyone wants to Japa from Nigeria and most have been successful so far but none is saying anything about getting to their locations and the shock and suffering that hits them...Many are depressed but not saying anything....
Lets discuss about Japa and the realities of starting again in another Country.....
Can we share Japa stories and how to cope when one Japas? most are leaving with visas and become stuck when their visas expires...
Most hope on people and get there to become disappointed, you know how Nigerians are with these kinds of promises...
Share your japa experience.....
Not my kinda thing
ReplyDeleteLol
I am here to ready them juicy and sour det@ils though
Read**
DeleteMy dears, no shock and disappointment hit me. No shock and disappointment hit my husband when he first left. I have friends abroad and they live okay. The key is japaing legally and living within ur means. Let me even leave myself, my sister and her husband bought a beautiful house about 3 years after leaving Nigeria. My friend in Portugal recently concluded the purchase of their house. Another friend did same.
ReplyDeleteDon’t let anyone discourage you if u have the means to travel legally. Look around you, does Nigeria look like a country that has hope. Does Nigeria look like a country that can give ur born and unborn kids peace?
Is the sound of generator and car horns not giving u headache? Can u comfortably walk outside when it’s raining or will potopoto stain u? Are u not tired of being afraid of falling from bikes when you are passing through the numerous bad roads in Nigeria?
Don’t u want free education that actually has quality for ur kids? Are u not tired of Omo onile drama?
Make I stop here. It’s evident that country is a terrible terrible place.
I don't like saying this but it seems I'm forced to always do so. Nigeria doesn't seems like what is going to ever work again.
DeleteI have always say this here earlier and some people here will fault me. Today, these persons are the ones now corresponding what I have said earlier.
In Nigeria, dreams dies. It's so painful seeing a Master degree holder selling moimoi. All my friends who left Nigeria early 2000's are faulting me for staying back. They didn't know money was the reason I didn't join them.
I hate it right here but I can't do anything. I'm just stuck. If I have the resources and connection, I will leave today, not for me but the innocent children God will give me.
Let no one deceive you anymore, Nigeria is gone. It can never be redeemed seeing how the last election played out and the criminality of the judiciary.
Please let people know they bought those properties with mortgage. Nothing wrong with using mortgage to buy a house but try and give full details.
DeleteIf Nigeria was a terrible place for you, it isn't for everyone. If you want to leave,leave but stop abusing the country.
DeleteAnon, anyone with common sense knows practically all houses abroad are bought with mortgage. Pls leave me alone, una dey vex me already
Delete@Anon 13:54, let me educate you a lil, buying a house with a mortgage does not mean you don't raise the deposit, which is a daring fit on its own or that the house isn't yours in a sense, the worst that can happen is to sell the house if you fall on hard times and still get your money back plus profit. Even rich westerners do not buy houses outright except for drug lords and your corrupt politicians who want to 'hide' their money.Buying a house outright in the West does not make financial sense to most shrewd investors. Owning a house in the West is an applaudable fit, whether through mortgage or not!
DeleteThank you, no matter what life out there is better than here
Delete13:57, ur country is a horribly terrible place. Deal with it!
DeleteMe I'm tired o.
DeleteIf I see legal way to Japan,I'll go o without looking back.
You'll suffer go to school and after graduating,no job. Abeg I tire fa.
Madam Joy Eka. You don’t have to to insult everybody in Nigeria. Not everyone takes bikes to places. Some have chauffeur driven cars, nice houses on the island overlooking nice beaches and they didn’t steal a dime from nobody.
DeleteNot everyone relocated from Ikorodu and insults the country that gave them almost free to nothing college education.
Relocate in peace but stop condemning and insulting the Country. Some of us like 👍 here.
It is terrible to those that left from Ikorodu but a good Country to those that live in Ikoyi.
DeleteDeal with it.
If u are not taking bikes on bad roads, then my comment was not for u. Why’s it paining u? Because u are rich doesn’t mean Nigeria is not a terrible place. If u like continue arguing with urself.
DeleteI didn’t insult anyone for living in Nigeria but ofcourse, u must make up things in ur head to help u sleep better at night
Anon 15:09, please please! Are those people in the majority? They are not! And even at that, Nigeria still happens to them. Was it not a pregnant barrister who by all means seemed to be living okay that was shot to death by a police officer? Are the rich not being crushed to death by trailers loaded beyond their capacity? Is it selective crushing that happens? I hate it when we say Nigeria is bad and some of you think because you have billions in your account,you are immune to the happenings in Nigeria.
DeleteA young doctor who graduated from a private university (tells you her background)was crushed to death in a faulty elevator that was never supposed to be operating. Ask when the last maintenance was done on that elevator and hear the answer.
At the end, Nigeria happens to us all. Your money may not be enough to protect you.
Anon 15:09 I feel Eka Joy is someone who has empathy for others. Living in a posh area will not stop someone with a kind heart to be mad at the deplorable living conditions of the majority, the injustice in the system,insecurity, terrible roads, the terrible attitude of a lot of the citizens, poor customer service, imagine losing your life or your property just for coming out to vote in an election and the list goes on. The truth is no matter how we sugar coat the country it is going down and very fast too.
DeleteOfcourse, it’s good to those in Ikoyi because they don’t come out of those their mansions and still jam unimaginable traffic on the road 🙄
DeleteMmmmmh, when Nigeria begins to close the gap between the rich and the poor, then we can have this conversation of not insulting the country, but until then Nigeria is a ....ZOO! How can you comfortably live in a mansion, and just few meters away are starved , malnourished humans begging for their next meal...I bet it makes you feel good, huh? Tueeh!!!
DeleteFacilities may be bad here. But bad people are everywhere and bad things happen every where. The day the slum in one of Arab Emirate and Spain were shown, man weak.
Delete13.54 puh-lease!!!!!
DeleteStop all these talk about "they don't buy it with cash but mortgage!
If you are well informed you would know that in addition to the mortgage you still have to pay a down payment for the house. This is about 5 to 25/30% of the total cost of the property, depending on what part of the world you are in. Do you think it's easy to drop that amount of cash? C'mon!
Still, I encourage those abroad who can purchase a home to do so, as it is investment on the long run.
We paid 20% down payment for ours so as to reduce what we pay monthly, now our 2 bed basement is rented and our tenant pays off our mortgage.
Overall, I admire those who buy instead of renting and paying off someone elses' mortgage. We have encouraged most of our friends here to buy and they are thankful everytime. So, my dear, mortgage no be death sentence, instead you gain. Just try to bargain with good interest rates and review this every 3-4 years as the case may be. If possible, get fixed rates or 50% fixed and 50% variable, so that even when rates are sky rocketing it won't affect you financially.
Eka Joy a lot of them have helicopters and may not be caught up in traffic but it doesn't still stop the fact that the country isn't functioning well.
DeleteWhy are you people trying to downplay her testimony?? Why??? Eka has tasted both life and she says her own review so why attacking her?? If Nigeria is favouring you,thank God, if abroad favours her too thank God for her haha. As for me,any opportunity I see to japa, I go pack naija sand sef, before Una go see me here again e go tay
DeleteEka stop abusing the country that made. Not everybody is suffering in Naija. Some are actually living their life to the fullest here. To each his own.
DeleteThere is no perfect country anywhere. Every country has its own challenges.
DeleteStella. If you ask me, na who I go ask?
ReplyDeleteNobody will say o.
Others will say if you talk about the hard times you are trying to discourage them from reaching their destiny.
Advise is to look well, with clear eyes before you leap
Exactly!!! Me I drop all the facts(good and not so good) for the serious, unbiased ones and leave you to make your choice.
DeleteStella, get this right-not all Nigerians want to japa. Some of us prefer going on holidays overseas and returning to Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteSome people are just not interested, whether poor or rich, young or old.
You are absolutely spot on
DeleteGoing on holidays and returning back home is the real deal for me
I used to have that mentality of making money here and traveling out for holidays and stuff but not anymore.
DeleteGod bless you. I'm ok here.
DeleteLike one of my sister and brother in law, nothing those ones dey find for other countries other than travel and invest there.
DeleteThe are doing fantastic in naija, and won't have it any other way.
Japa is mostly for low and middle-low class Nigerians, not the rich and soft.
Honestly! Some people even came back home.
DeleteWords of Marble.
Dainty T you sha don't want people to travel out.. na only you fit obodo Oyibo.. stop discouraging people
DeleteTrue. I don't even imagine japaing cos I really think staying so far away from my family will make me depressed. I just want to be comfortable in naija and travel around the world for vacations.
DeleteBut to each his own.
Danity T you say???Japa is mostly for low and middle-low class Nigerians, not the rich and soft this your comment t just no follow
DeleteMy friend sold a family building 40m and left Nigeria with it around 2010. I faulted him for traveling having such huge amount of money.
ReplyDeleteYears later, I understand he saw reality ahead of us and in good time too.
Today, he's very glad he did take that step and moved out at the right time.
The truth is that, traveling is no longer easy and surviving in Nigeria is worse. We're in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Teejay, I know of someone that did just as your friend, now he has taking other of his siblings out too one after the other, young and old. He has built his own house here and his siblings he pulled out too has built theirs within how many years? Like Eka Joy said, when you japa just live within your means, shikena.
DeleteAll I can say is that japa is not easy, but it pays on the long run.
ReplyDeleteMostly if you are not a politician, your spouse or close family member is not a politician in Nigeria, You don't have a VERY GOOD PAYING JOB HERE IN NAIJA, You don't have a business that is fully established and doing well in Nigeria, or You fear for the kinda future your kids will have in naija as job no dey anywhere.
These are not personal stories but from two of my friends.
ReplyDeleteThe first is a male, who works in a major soda drink company. He narrated to me how his first cousin that told him he lives in London was putting pressure on him to emigrate to London to join him and live "the good life" so to speak, instead of him wasting away in Nigeria. When the pressure from this cousin became to much, he decided to pay this cousin an unscheduled visit during his annual leave to guage things first before finally deciding to japa or not.
He got to UK, surprise number one, his cousin who told him he lives in London doesn't live in London, but lives in Manchester. Ok, No problem. He traveled to Manchester where he got surprise number two, the cousin was living in single room apartment with his wife and three sons, infact that night he was given a hammock as his bed to sleep.
In the morning he decided he had enough and moved into a hotel. When his cousin came to visit him in the hotel he asked him, 'Is this the condition you are living in and you were putting pressure on me to relocate, so was it for this deplorable condition you are living in that he would have left a well paying job he had in Nigeria for? The cousin began to plead, claiming he didn't believe my friend will take him seriously. After a week of staying in UK, and catering for his needs personally, he called his cousin that he will be returning to Nigeria the next day. That day, the cousin came to see him off and expected him my friend to dash him money, which my friend did. So he was like, I shouldn't believe all this "the grass is greener out there" some compatriots tell. Some are in a sorry state abroad, but to ashamed or embarrassed to move back, moreso if their peers in Nigeria have moved way above them in life.
Most people that japa around me are doing pretty well, although they went legally.Infact, two left in September,these are high school graduates oo and they got a job in October.Next year they will start school and still work.
ReplyDeleteI also want to Japa but the fund is not available.
There’s no one I know that left Nigeria that isn’t doing better than they were before when they were in Nigeria, way better sef.
DeleteEka, you lie! I know the number of close friends (M/SM/AGM cadre) that resigned from their good bank jobs, relocated to Canada and UK (through the education route), finished their postgrad studies and the commensurate good jobs are not available - they are currently underemployed (doing min of 2 low paying jobs each, that can barely enable them meet their rents, food and utilities). Codedly, I can feel the regrets leaving their bank jobs to japa - not proud to say it but I'm supporting two of them, periodically. I know some are already making moves for one of the spouses (husbands) to return to their former banking jobs in Nigeria; and later the family will return if they get back their bank jobs. It is equally tough out there - don't be deceived. You live a better quality of life in Nigeria if you have a good paying job. It is absolutely foolishness to leave your good job and relocate out of Nigeria to wherever, except you are taking up a job at almost same status level as you were in Nigeria. it will take you btw 5- 10 yrs to settle in and start living relatively well. If you are in your middle 40s - 50s, pls don't bother to japa. You will regret it. Japa is for persons in the mid 20s to early 40s. Wisdom is profitable to direct! I don talk my own o!
DeleteAnon, my statement was personalized. Do we know the same set of people?
DeleteDear Eka,
DeleteI like the fact that you are referring to the people "you" know. Maybe that explains your position.
Enough said.
If I see means, I'm out.
ReplyDeleteI'm hard working and hardly keep visiting friends here. I will survive.
The second is my girlfriend who won the DV Lottery. Before this win, there was this Aunt of her's who was like the star of the family as a result of her being in the abroad. So when she won the visa, she called up the Aunt to ask her if she would house her when she moves over to the USA and she acquiesd. Only for to get to the US and her Aunt give her all the maltreatments In the world which would have pushed her back to Nigeria, but the only thing that kept her going was the thoughts of how disappointed her aged parents and her siblings who had high hopes of her changing the family's fortune with her US green card will be. Fortunately, three months after relocation she got a job as a sales girl, not minding she came to the states as a Bsc holder, but the job was a respite from her aunt's Ill treatment. Not quite long in the course of her job as a salesgirl, she met a Nigerian who they eventually got married have lovely kids, and today she has successfully been able to relocate all her siblings to the states and they are all doing well.
ReplyDeleteBasically, japa is good, but do your research well, get the proper documentation, have enough money to last you at least for six months of into your relocation. Put the Nigerian base in order so that in a worse case scenario, you can always japada without any shame
Good.
DeleteMy heart bleed when I remember just few days ago my experience with naija general hospital.I relocated to Ikorodu with my son as a single mom, just last week ,oh God! my son was electrocuted he was just looking at me but couldn’t move, if u see the speed I took rushed him to general hospital Ikorodu, the nurses on duty said I should bribe for them to declare emergency or I should wait. I paid for card and was waiting to see doctor. These people kept me there for good 6HOURS!..I was seeing my treasure leaving me slowly but nurses were there gisting and telling me I was making noise,when I couldn’t wait any longer I rushed to a private hospital where they attended to him.although I spent a lot but my son is ok now but couldn’t go out till now because my mental state is a mess. God knows children that will be dying there daily. I will leave if I had the funds. Gosh!
ReplyDeleteMerryment
I was scared while reading your comment.
DeleteThank God your son is fine now🤗
Pls report them
DeleteThe next story may not end well
Oh my God!!
DeleteThank God your son is fine now.
Thank God he's okay.
DeleteReport them to the CMD of that hospital! They are MAD!!!!!
DeletePlease which Ikorodu general hospital please? Is it the one close to the secretariat or Ijede? Because I use these two general hospitals and they don't play with anything emergency at all. I can sight so many personal cases because I also have little children.
DeleteThank God for your son's life, I dislike general hospitals with all the bad stories I hear about them, I can never use general hospitals for anything, God forbid!!
DeleteThank God for the life of your son
DeleteWhat is this! Haa
DeleteThis is the type of story that you record and make a case with. You can first bring it to social media, let internet children expand it for you let it touch the minister of health
DeleteMy dear it's always not rosy on the other side. Right now the NHS in the UK is in a big mess and pple are also seeing shege here in regards to seeing a doctor. My daughter complained of ear pain on Monday night. My ill wife and I took her to one of the children hospitals in the West Midlands and we stayed from 22:30 till 6:30am the next day and we never saw a doctor. I had to leave out of frustration. They only assessed her twice, but even as I speak, a doctor is yet to see her. I just thank God that she feels better now..
DeleteWell said Eka joy and The lifted.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any of all the things 'The lifted' stated above but japa isn't my interest, the only thing I'm interested in when I'm rich is to be traveling around the world for vacation, maybe later in the future, I might be interested, but since when I was a kid till now, no.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that can make me japa is because of marriage.
I used to have this mentality of praying to be rich in Nigeria and travel abroad for vacation. The very first time I landed in Portugal, every bit of that mentality dropped.
DeleteEka Joy, abeg pray for me, let God bless me with enough money to japa next year. Let those who want to stay,stay after all we can't all leave.
DeleteEka Joy, abeg say a prayer for me. I mean it
15:53, I pray this for u from the bottom of my heart, May u come back with your desired testimony in Jesus name
Delete15.53, I join Eka Joy's prayer....God will settle you soonest!
DeleteMe,I want to Japa oo,if i have the fund and it's the legal route not just because of myself but because of my child.
ReplyDeleteEveryone that Japa around me are balling.
E go be sha✌️
Japa has been good to two of my older siblings in Norway. I've visited one before and they live in a beautiful comfort home. The environmental and working system was top-notch.The challenge they have is language barrier and it's damn cold there.
ReplyDeleteMy third older sibling is struggling in Italy.
While I'm here in Nigeria enjoying their dividends, lol. I'm not going anywhere for now. We will do vacation and take care of Abuja for you people.
hahaha@your last paragraph
DeletePeople do share bad japa stories oh
ReplyDeleteJust do what’s right for you
Life abroad is good. There’s a degree of certainly that favours the mind. My friend doesn’t like it for that. She says everything is too predictable so it can get boring lol. Me I can get excitement from other things in life
Nothing wrong in japaing as long as it is done legally. From time immemorial, people have been migrating from point A to point B all in search of greener pastures.
ReplyDeleteIn the eighties when Nigeria was still "alive, we had immigrants living and earning their living in Nigeria. Ghanaians, lndians, Pakistanis, Philipinos etc as skilled and unskilled workers as the three case may be.
Then Nigeria happened and the rest is history. There is no place like home but rather than facing untold hardship as a result of unemployment and failed infrastructure, people had to take the Japa route.
Come to think of it, the Japa as we use it is mainly for the not so privileged among us. The children of the rich and the politicians who raped the country to comatose have their future well mapped out for them
So, instead of lazing around during cultism or yahoo, any youth ready to work hard to earn clean money should Japa if he has the opportunity. And like l said earlier, do it the right way and don't do drugs. There's dignity in labour that puts bread on your table.
There's a caste system in Nigeria now. The politicians, the stupendously rich, the struggling rich, the poor and the wretched. Know the group you belong to and act accordingly.
God please do this one thing for me. Give me the opportunity to japa legally. Let me go and see things for myself. Chukwu biko🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
ReplyDeleteExactly 👌 💯
DeleteMy 2 cent is that wherever you decide to japa to, pleaseeee go in with a legit visa, and if possible, process your documents yourself, don't leave it in the hands of visa agents, make you no play with your money and destiny.
ReplyDeleteAnd secondly, do tons of research!!! Talk to people who preferably migrated from Nigeria to that country you intend going to (via legit means too), tell them to give you the lowdown of the good, bad, and ugly so you aren't blindsided. You can make better informed and realistic choices/decisions that way.
Living in a different country may not be for everyone. If not for some reasons, I honestly prefer Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteI have lived in places asides home and after a while the novelty wears off and it gets pretty boring, especially during winter, besides I hate winter and summer and a few other things.
I believe we all have and know people both home and abroad. Some who relocated and some who came back home for good reasons too.
In all, People should do what is best for them.
Words on Marble.
All those I know that left are all doing well. So I wonder why sob stories abound. I left last year for school, I work 15hrs per week,don't want to stress much. Now I got myself iPhone 15 with just 2weeks emergency nanny work o, if I was in Nigeria I won't be able to afford this phone even as I was working as a top banker. I am even dating a Norwegian. If you have means, please fly out.
ReplyDeleteI really wish to Japa oo in a legal way may God do am for me 🙏
ReplyDeleteIf i see the means to japa legally,i will gladly do.I have seen enough in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteJapa is good biko since I was born we have been praying for this country to be better who e dey favour only the rich,as a woman you can't afford things for yourself,see our young guys all in shady business ladies guys now is their ATM ,a woman cannot buy thing for herself without depending or looking for a man that will buy it for her it breaks my heart if you have the funds and have legit route travel
ReplyDeleteThe comments are giving me hope! I pray God hears me and grants my heart's desire to leave this country next year to a place of upliftment. May God do it for us seeking to relocate! I want better for my kids and Nigeria is not it right now.
ReplyDeleteWho see way and get the means should go ooooo....
ReplyDeleteMy friend that japa always thank his Star for making that decision, well if you see him abroad you'll be shouting he's suffering,cos guy is living in a room apartment no TV,but o boy this guy has a car lot in naija, has a mansion and also 2 others for rent,now he's talking about building an hostel of 40 self contains for students once he comes home for Christmas, oya tell me if abroad no favour am, and someone like your friend will see him abroad and conclude he's suffering cos of how he's living over there
ReplyDeletePlease tell him to invest in real estate,land specifically not buildings
DeleteIf you dey japa, please do your research properly. Most families are facing lots of challenges as a result of this factor.
ReplyDeleteCulture shock is real!!! Study the country you intend relocating to.
As a man, no go dey do Ogbuefi or chieftancy titled man for there. DO HOUSE CHORES!!!! This one no be the one wey you go say "I am the man".
Don't come with this mentality, or better still, stay back in naija.
Don't over-work yourself, spend time with your family, focus on your nuclear home, don't fund lazy peoples' lifestyle back home going to parties about. Invest where you are, leave building of mansions in your villages for now. Look to buying wherever you are, it makes more sense financially. A house in the village will not yield you anything much, neither will 10 apartment building! If you own a property here, the monthly rent is almost equivalent to what you'd make back home in one year.
Furthermore, as a woman, no dey do say na I no go contribute for bills!!! You lie! Abeg no let financial stress kill your husband, contribute as well. Learn a thing or two about cars, how to fix things at home, change car oil etc.
Train your kids to do chores at home, you'll be helping yourself. Sometimes let them sweep, do dishes with their hands...all these will save electricity to some extent.
No dey beat pikin ooooo, they'll talk at school. Start learning how to discipline your kids with your eyes, I do it as well, not easy, but possible. Correct with love, not frustration and anger. Spend time with your kids, if possible give them the best, they grow up quickly, and you don't get a second chance to go back to their childhood.
Lastly, the marriages that have loopholes will not stand the test of time abroad....that's why you see couples saying our marriage collapsed when we moved abroad. Na lie! There was no marriage in the first place.
Even if you are "rich" in naija, can your wealth fix the decaying government....the roads....electricity issues....security issues....medical emergencies, especially in the dead of the night?
Wooo...too many things to type, no strength.
Build your home together!
JAPA IF YOU CAN....You'll be thankful.
13 years here and I am thankful every single day!
To everyone praying for this, God will do it for you!
You’ve said it all. For some it may not be easy at first but with a legal status and a good drive, you will eventually come to appreciate japaing
DeleteAmin oo 🙏, thank you so much ♥️
DeleteQuite apt! Well captured piece in a nutshell!
DeleteI remember when I told my husband he should pls help me and d kids on relocation out of Nigeria....d first thing he asked me was" who told u that u can only be successful by travelling out...I told him that dats not my thought but just wish to travel out...Man told me straight up that I should forget it..dat even if he can afford it...he would rather set up a business for me here than wasting it on leaving d country
ReplyDeleteI haven't lost hope Sha... if I see d opportunity to leave dis country....I won't waste time at all
If you are young and energetic before you think of relocating learn some very practical skills such as cooking, baking, painting decorating, sewing, brick laying, plumbing, car repair etc Not eveything requires several degrees. You will thank me later.
ReplyDeleteBraiding
DeleteThank God I can sew well. If I japa, I will get something doing. Oluwa help your daughter
DeleteRelocation journey has been good to me and my family. Relocated this year through study route, got a well paying job as a student 1 month later,n working part time. Three months down the line, I recived a pay increase twice and a promotion. Now I've been offered a full time postion, all these in 6 months. God has been indeed so good to me and my family. I cannot complain! Honestly!!! With my husband, it's been the same. We owe it all to God. Most important is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN and hand it over to the way maker for perfection!!!
ReplyDeleteJapa is not for people doing well in Nigeria. If you are a graduate, unemployed or underemployed, then you can move. There are people living hand to mouth that are building mansions in Nigeria that they will never live in just to impress. Their day to day lives still suck abroad. I have been in Uas for 20+ years, lived the good life but still find Nigeria as a place I enjoy (caveat: not more than 3 months at a time). Abroad favours women more
ReplyDelete