Nigeria Abroad
Nigerian-American artiste DJ Tunez recently stirred online ruckus. “Nigerians in Nigeria don’t know what God has done for them,” said the Brooklyn-born act who has worked with Wande Coal, Omah Lay, Burna Boy, Wizkid, and others. “Millions of Nigerians overseas are depressed. I stay in New Jersey, and I have to get used to this boring and expensive life. You’ll get to save more in Nigeria compared to the US, you’ll always live a happy life in Nigeria.”
Expectedly, the flaks came for the youth formally known as Michael Babatunde Adeyinka. Some laughed off his comment as foolish, others insulted him while few said he had a point but shouldn’t generalize. But in general or specific terms, his point is valid and here are a few reasons to take it seriously.
Many home-based Nigerians are offended when diasporans say life abroad is hell. If it’s true, why not come back? they ask. Relocating is hard; returning is more complicated. It’s also a cycle though: many who moved abroad never believed stories about diaspora agony until their arrival. No one at home would believe them either, not when the home folk always see many abroad returnees controlling new money and refusing to stay back. The truth might lie beneath the surface.
DJ Tunez talked about expensive but boring overseas life. The home folk must have heard enough about cutthroat bills, but they probably think diasporans earn enough to foot them. A little explanation will help.
Average cost of rent in many US states, for instance, is $1000 a month—excluding phone and internet bills, water, gas, insurance, and tens of other obligations and necessary subscriptions. Added to grocery and other living costs, it takes around $2,000 a month to run a decent home. This varies with factors like number of dependents, location, etc. And here’s the riddle: average pay for many public and private sector jobs is between $1,800 a month to $2,500 – at $15 to $18 per hour and 40 hours a week. Few people in regular fields are lucky to have that one big job that pays the whole bills. For new immigrants, it can be far less since they may start with even lower jobs; those of them without papers can take jobs that pay $1,200 a month. How do they cope with the bills?
Through crazy overtime shifts or shared apartments. Doing 16-hour shifts is second nature to many; some don’t even take a day off. I recall what my boss at my first job told me on day one. “The only way you can cope is to consider your office as part of your home, maybe your first home even.” I thought that was weird, but he was right. On top of that, you’ll most likely take up a second or third job, seeing as tax deductions plus bills won’t still leave you with a lump sum even after the crushing overtime shifts. If work doesn’t get you constantly depressed abroad, other things will.
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Take for instance settling down. Few skills from Nigeria are transferable down here. So, no matter who you are or your age, you’ll most likely start with “demeaning” jobs, and then start learning to be left-handed in old age. If you don’t have papers, that’s double whammy, meaning you’ll also be searching for how to regularize your stay. This explains why it takes years to settle in, abroad. Take a roll call of the people you know abroad who are doing quite well; chances are that they have been there for up to a decade.
Working unhealthy overtime shifts and keeping different jobs mean you don’t have time to acquire skills that can land you a meaningful job. This is partly why many Westerners can stay in the same job for decades. It’s also why Nigerians who break the jinx deserve praise.
Some of them are in the health sector and, more recently, in tech. They invest years and effort in getting into careers where they can live decently working 40 hours a week, except that they also get sucked into the rat race. They have mortgages to pay, so they end up working long hours, like those earlier mentioned. Some have student loans to clear. Others work longer hours so they can lay something aside for retirement, because you must have a strong cash flow when you’re retired, else you can’t pay the bills.
If you own your own house, you must service it or risk losing it. Recall that not long ago, a Canadian-born Nigerian artiste returned to his village in Delta, citing exactly what DJ Tunez said. No one would accuse him of not returning home at least. In Nigeria, rent is affordable and is paid yearly. If you lose your job, you at least have a roof over your head. Overseas where rent is monthly, you’re just one or two paychecks away from homelessness.
All that is depressing stuff. For those in the US, healthcare is simply beyond reach except you have insurance—and those without papers have none. Even those with Green Cards ought to have lived for up to 3 or 5 years depending on the state, to qualify for insurance. So, it takes just one health crisis to plunge you into unconscionable debt. I know a Nigerian family facing nearly $300,000 in medical debt. It’s not for nothing that drug abuse is rife in the US, for instance. People need something to help them get through each day—alcohol, smoking, substances, or plain indifference. That is, living each day as it comes, without savings and without a care in the world. Immigrants can hardly afford that lifestyle.
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Indeed, the subject is complex and there are many ways in which the Western system compensates for the hard life. But many Nigerians abroad would readily accept home if they could earn decent incomes, live in secure environments, and have basic amenities. Recall how they enjoy life to the fullest whenever they visit Nigeria. Someone once said the richest Nigerians are at home, not in the diaspora.
Don’t get me wrong, Nigeria has its depressing moments and, overseas, life can be a delight. But there are days you want to just get the heck out of this place and find happiness closer home. Sometimes you need to be deprived of something to really value it.
This story first appeared in Nigeria Abroad
