The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
The subject of today’s Abroad Life is a 21-year-old woman who left Nigeria for Canada in 2018. She talks about the extreme cold, struggling to fit in, her church making life hard for her and why she doesn’t feel at home in Canada.
When did you decide you wanted to leave Nigeria?
2018. I was in my final year of secondary school. My school allowed us to take the SAT, IGCSE and other exams that gave us the opportunity to study abroad. I knew about the exchange rates, so I wasn’t on my parents’ neck about wanting to go abroad. Luckily, they wanted me to travel too. We found a school in Winnipeg, Manitoba and I came here.
What did you expect Canada to be like?
I had been to the US a few times to visit family, so I didn’t expect a dramatic difference. I knew it would be cold, and I told myself “It’s going to be a boring version of the US.”
Why?
That’s what I’d heard.
Is that what it was?
The part about the cold was true. After a few days, I knew I wanted to leave. I didn’t think I would survive. In winter here, it gets really depressing because we’re all indoors and everything is gloomy. And you can’t complain too much because the people you’re complaining to live in the same condition. If you’re trying to go out without a car in winter and you miss your bus, you have to wait in the cold till another one comes. It’s crazy!
The place in Winnipeg where I stayed was pretty nice, but the population was mostly old people, so things were quiet and slow. I’m used to it now, but I didn’t like it at first. I didn’t want to spend my prime years in a boring area.
What was happening in school?
I was finding it hard to settle in. I resumed two weeks late because of some visa wahala and people already had friend groups. It was surprising to me because I thought things like that only happened in secondary schools. First of all, I’m a reserved person, and now people were already in groups? It wasn’t easy.
Even with the lecturers, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. When I resumed, I met one of my professors to tell him about why I missed classes, my visa wahala and all that. I sat down and told him the full story with details, and his response was “Check the portal”. It pained me. I know that in Nigeria, you can whine lecturers and have some nice conversations with them. This one was just too official. It was one of the times I felt like I would rather be in Nigeria.
Damn. How did you survive?
I made a friend and they helped me settle in better.
What other communities did you find useful for integration?
I had church, but soon realised that that wasn’t going to work out.
How?
You know how they say you can’t dress the way you like in Nigerian churches, but if you go to the same church’s branch abroad, they’ll let you dress how you like? It was the opposite for me. In Nigeria, my church wasn’t big on dressing, calling people out and all that. When I started attending its Winnipeg branch, it was a whole different story. That was almost the only thing they spoke about— calling out people with dreads, piercings and all that. They said if we were in Nigeria, we wouldn’t be able to do all that, so we also couldn’t do it in Canada.
Is everyone in your church Nigerian?
Every single person. On some days it felt good because the older people had Nigerian parent vibes and it’s stuff like that you see and miss your parents, but on most days, you didn’t feel accepted. I had to leave. The church I attend now has younger people and they’re more liberal in the way they approach things.
Nice. I’m curious about your relationship with the friends you left in Nigeria.
It’s not as good as it used to be. We can’t communicate as often as we used to, so it’s just there. I’m much better now than when I first moved here though. My sister is here too and we live together with my cousin.
The thing people say about Canada being Nigeria 2.0. Is it true?
I don’t know about the entire Canada, but here in Winnipeg, you can’t step out and not see a Nigerian. We’re everywhere. It’s helpful because when you’re new here, you don’t feel so alienated. One time when I got lost, I didn’t ask anyone for directions until I met a Nigerian woman who went the extra mile to follow me along the way I was going just to be sure I was right.
But with all the Nigerians here, I still don’t feel so at home.
Why?
Food. I miss Nigerian food.
Haha. What are your plans for after school?
I want to become a permanent resident here. I’ll probably stay here in Winnipeg, move to a better area, get a car, and be able to travel and move around during winter. I like the fact that I can be here in my quiet city and be surprised when I explore more interesting places.
Hey there! My name is Sheriff and I’m the writer of Abroad Life. If you’re a Nigerian and you live or have lived abroad, I would love to talk to you about what that experience feels like and feature you on Abroad Life. All you need to do is fill out this short form, and I’ll be in contact.
The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
The subject of today’s #AbroadLife is a 22-year-old man who left Nigeria immediately after secondary school. He talks about being lonely in Canada and why he wants to come back home but can’t just yet.
When did you decide that you wanted to leave Nigeria?
I didn’t make the decision. My parents made the decision for me right after I left secondary school. I didn’t want to leave, but when your parents make that type of decision for you at 17, there’s really nothing else you can do.
Why didn’t you want to leave?
I liked it in Nigeria. All my life, I’d heard people complain about Nigeria. They’d say, seriously and jokingly, they wanted to leave. Most of those jokes had Canada as the dream destination for Nigerians, I liked it at home.
In retrospect, I realise that I just hadn’t seen enough of life. I was shielded. My parents are super comfortable, so there was no need for me to complain. Everything I needed, I got.
You felt safe.
Yes. I’ve always been the person that takes family as the most important thing there is, so because I was with my family, I was okay.
How did it feel moving away?
I knew that I was going somewhere better, but I wish I stayed. The quality of the education I came here to get is definitely better than what I would have gotten in Nigeria. One thing I knew I would always miss being a part of was watching my two little sisters grow. I’m the first born and the only guy. I mean, yes, it was 2016, there was video calling technology, but it’ll never be as good as being there with them.
I consoled myself with the thought that I’d probably be home from time to time, and they’d also visit me often.
How has that worked out?
It’s been five years and I’ve not seen them since I left. I’ve seen my parents, but my sisters have not been able to travel.
Damn.
All of that has added to the extreme loneliness I suffer over here. I miss home so much. It gets really bad sometimes. Soon, all those long video calls won’t cut it anymore.
How do you deal with loneliness?
COVID has changed the way people interact. For example, when I was lonely before, I’d go out with my friends or we’d play sports together. But since last year, I’ve just sat indoors, in front of my computer, doing whatever. It doesn’t help that when I have a new close friend, they have to leave Canada shortly, sometimes for work, and sometimes to move back home.
I have a job now though. It started as a school internship, but they decided to keep me. Now they’re paying me more, and I have a sense of security. I also went into photography full time last year, and I recently got my first bookings to shoot at two different events. Things are looking up financially.
That’s nice. How far gone are you with your education?
I’ll be done next year. I can’t wait.
Is that when you’re planning to come back home?
I think I’ll eventually have to wait until then. I try to go home every year, but every time, something happens. This was the year I already promised myself and my friends that I would come. I already had a prospective date in mind and we’d made plans to fuck shit up when I got back, but I don’t think I’ll be able to travel. I can’t even break the news to them yet. They’ll be heartbroken.
Why can’t you travel?
It’s a lot of reasons: first of all, I’ve not taken the COVID vaccine, and I don’t want a case where I’m not allowed back into the country for something as simple as that. Flights are expensive, I have some visa and passport issues, and all that. I thought I’d be able to sort all of that out before next month, but it looks like I’ll be spending my hot boy summer in Canada.
Omo.
Exactly. And honestly, Nigeria isn’t the best place to be at right now. I hear and see all the news about insecurity and it breaks my heart. My family is in Nigeria, so I care, but I’d also rather not be in a place where I’m not safe.
I remember being an active part of the EndSARS protests online. It was heartbreaking for me.
Do you think you’ll settle in Nigeria or Canada?
The best scenario for me right now would be to become a Canadian permanent resident so that I can visit Nigeria whenever.
Nice…
Scratch that. The best scenario would be for my family to join me here.
Hey there! My name is Sheriff and I’m the writer of Abroad Life. If you’re a Nigerian and you live or have lived abroad, I would love to talk to you about what that experience feels like and feature you on Abroad Life. All you need to do is fill out this short form, and I’ll be in contact.
Have you ever wondered if your guardian angel made a mistake when assigning your new-born self to a country?
Take this quiz and find out where you really belong:
If you’re like me, you probably have it in the goals you wrote at the beginning of they year that you want to move to Canada before 2020 runs out. If you’re still in Nigeria, don’t be too hard on yourself. It was a really tough year.
There’s still about 19 days left though, so you have the opportunity to end the year on a high note. Follow the instructions in this article and we’ll show you how to be in Canada before the year runs out.
1. Enter bus to Benin
Just get to Benin first and tell the first person you see that you want to get to Canada. They’ll know what to do from there.
2. Photoshop yourself in Canada
Look at this guy and tell me with your chest that he’s not in Canada.
3. Change your profile location to Canada
If you believe it enough, who’s stopping you. Those people that have Canada on their Twitter bios, who told you they are physically in Canada? My sister, jazz up.
4. Go with a ride-hailing service
Many people don’t know this, but if you plot Canada on your Uber app, you’ll actually see a fare estimate. The question is: do you have the money? You might also need some cash to bribe all the immigration people along the way.
5. There’s Ontario in Abuja
Don’t dull. The Ontario in Canada and the Ontario in Abuja, there’s no difference.
6. There’s another whole Canada in Abuja
No wonder Abuja people never want anybody to come to their city. So this is what they have. Ontario AND Canada. My brother, book your flight to Abuja now!!
7. Hide under a plane
This one is dangerous, but it’s high risk, high reward. The people in the airports, they don’t check all the parts of the plane before take-off. So try your luck. If they catch you, try again the next day (or when you come out of prison).
[donation]
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
Did you know that 16,925 sought asylum from Nigeria to Europe in 2019 alone, making Nigeria the country with the 8th most asylum seekers to Europe?
After news broke that DJ Switch, the disc jockey who filmed shootings at the #LekkiMassacre and shared live on Instagram, had been granted asylum to Canada, we decided to explain the right of asylum and the asylum process.
The right of asylum is an ancient judicial right in which a person that is persecuted by their own country may be protected by another authority, such as a church or a country. This right was recognised by Egyptians, Greeks and Hebrews before it was adopted into modern tradition.
If a person in Nigeria is being harrassed, violated or persecuted because of their race, nationality, sexual orientation, political opinion or tribe, they can seek asylum to another country.
How Do Modern Political Asylums Work?
Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”.
The United Nations 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1961 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees guides national legislation concerning political asylum.
Under these agreements, a refugee is a person who is outside that person’s own country because of fear of persecution on “protected grounds”.
Since the 1990s, victims of sexual persecution on the basis of their domestic sexual violence or their sexual orientation have been protected in other countries, if the person can prove that their country does not protect them.
Asylum Laws In Different Countries:
Different countries in the world have laws regulating asylums.
1. France
In France, the right of asylum is guaranteed under the 1958 constitution. This constitution draws from France’s 1946 and 1783 constitution which guaranteed the right of asylum to “anyone persecuted because of his action for freedom”, and who is unable to seek protection in his own country.
France also follows international agreements on the right of asylum such as the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
2. United States
The United States recognises the right of asylum of individuals as specified by international and federal law.
Since 1980, over 2 million refugees have arrived in the United States.
3. European Union
The European Union welcomes asylum seekers, known as asylees.
However, the Dublin convention of 1990, the Eurodac regulation and the Dublin regulation of 2003 regulate how member countries of the European Union can take in asylum seekers.
Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires that every person seeking to enter Canada must appear for an examination at a port of entry to determine whether the person has a right to enter Canada or may become authorised to enter and remain in Canada.
A port of entry is a place where a person can lawfully enter a country. It can be an airport, a seaport or a land border.
Individuals can make an asylum claim in Canada at a port of entry or at an office of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) or at the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) office. CBSA or IRCC officials will determine if an individual is eligible to make a claim.
Factors determining an individual’s eligibility to make a refugee claim include whether the claimant has committed a serious crime made a previous claim in Canada or received protection in another country.
All eligible refugee claimants receive a fair hearing at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an independent tribunal. Each case is decided on its merits, based on the evidence and arguments presented.
In making its decisions, the IRB considers whether the claimant meets the United Nations (UN) definition of a convention refugee, which has been adopted into Canadian law or is a person in need of protection.
The UN defines Convention refugees as people who have a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group.
Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a person in need of protection is a person in Canada who would be subjected personally to a danger of torture, a risk to their life or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment if they were returned to their home country.
A lot of Nigerians seek asylum yearly, and this is worrying, as it shows that a high level of injustice is being done to many Nigerians on the basis of their religion, tribe, political opinion or sexual orientation.
Nigeria must work harder at becoming a safer country for everyone.
We hope you’ve learned a thing or two about how to unfuck yourself when the Nigerian government moves mad. Check back every weekday for more Zikoko Citizen explainers.
Things are looking dire in the country. People are already dusting their jaapa documents. As much as we need to stay back and fix the country, sometimes you just feel so choked and need to get out.
When you finally land in Canada a.k.a Nigeria Annex, there are certain things you need to do.
1. Breathe fresh air
When you first land in the airport, first fill your lungs to maximum capacity with air that does not smell of oppression and fundamental human rights breaches.
2. Throw away your powerbank
Power bank? For what? Please fling it once your plane lands in Canada. None of that life anymore.
3. Take a road trip
You might aslo want to travel around from the Cabot Trail to the Okanagan Valley without fear of being kidnapped, attacked by bandits, robbed or dying in a road crash.
4. Take a walk in the midnight
Ever taken a walk in the middle of the night? Here’s your chance. Because the areas are generally safer, you don’t have to worry about getting mugged or murdered for walking late.
5. Protest
Since Nigeria has told us that we’re not guaranteed our constitutional rights to protest, you can do it in Canada. You can protest anywhere, anytime. Pro tip: I suggest you protest at the Nigerian embassy.
The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
On Abroad Life today, Deyo tells us how his curiosity and passion for solving the electricity problem in Nigeria took him from the hydroelectric station in Kwara State to Canada and why he plans to return to Nigeria to implement all he’s learning.
How long have you been in Canada? AKA Abroad Nigeria
January made it five years, so five and a half years.
Wow! That’s a long time
When I first came here and met people that had been here for five years, I had the same reaction but five years later it still feels like I’m new.
What part of it feels new to you?
It’s mostly because I still meet people that have been here for decades, who moved here from Nigeria, and all over the world.
People say that everywhere you go in Canada, you’ll see Nigerians. How true is that?
It’s hard to survey. I’m in Ottawa and there’s a sizable number of Nigerians here, but if you compare it to Toronto, that number is nothing. You’ll find more Nigerians in Toronto than in any other place in Canada. I’m four and a half hours away from Toronto by road. That’s where some of my Nigerian friends are, so if I want to see them I’ll just drive there.
Ottawa and Toronto are in the same province which is Ontario, so in this province I’d say there are many Nigerians.
Do you know why Nigerians decide to stay in Toronto?
Toronto is a really big city. It’s like the Lagos of Canada. It’s a very metropolitan city, and it’s very busy so there are a lot of opportunities. It also has industrial activities so people go there to find opportunities.
When did you decide that you wanted to leave Nigeria?
I worked at Jebba Hydroelectric Power Station in Jebba which is a border town between Niger and Kwara state. The hydroelectric facility there uses water from a flowing river to generate electricity. At that point, I was looking to further my career and my experience there exposed me to renewable energy. The Nigerian power sector had too many problems for me to feel comfortable to develop professionally. I felt like going abroad would help me get some exposure and experience. The plan was to come back because I am mind blown at the amount of resources we have in Nigeria. I was exposed to how electricity was generated and all I could think about was how to scale it so that the entire population gets electricity, because we’re a huge population and the demand for electricity is high, but the supply is low.
Canada is very big in renewable energy so I chose to go to Canada.
Wait, so this isn’t a japa story?
Nope. I came to get some exposure, and then fix some problems.
It’s nice to see a different mindset. After five and a half years, would you say you have that same outlook?
Even though it’s taking a while, the answer is yes. People say things are bad in Nigeria and it’s silly to return and try to make it better but the fact is that things are bad all over the world.
So from Jebba to Ottawa, how has the self-development journey been?
I came out here as a student to do my masters. The opportunity to get into Canada was more on the studying part. That was the most feasible way for me, because if it was just getting a job, I wouldn’t be able to compete with other people. So coming to study was the approach. I came as a student, and I finished my masters in 2016.
The course — Systems Science — was very complex; the description is “a course about solving complex problems” and based on my exposure in the Nigerian power sector, I can say the problem in Nigeria is complex. I have been in the system and I know what’s going on there so I said to myself, “okay, Systems Science is good”. It was also a good segue from my Systems Engineering background in UNILAG, even though I didn’t finish that one with a first class or a 2.1.
So, a systems engineering background, masters from the university in Ottawa, and background in electricity generation in the power sector. You must have been hot cake.
I thought I’d be hot cake as well but soon I realised that these streets are tough. All around the world, an economy is an economy. Nobody just gets handed anything. I have seen many Nigerians come here and expect to ‘blow’ immediately. In trying to leave Nigeria, they burn bridges and then face reality when they get here. It doesn’t always end well.
So while still looking for a job, with my Canadian university masters, I started working at a warehouse, picking orders.
A Warehouse. How did that make you feel?
To me, it was unfair. It felt unfair because I felt that someone with a masters degree program in my discipline was not supposed to be doing such jobs. This was so far from my evaluation of what things would be. I had even engaged my fiancée before coming so that when I got my masters, I would bring her over, marry her, and then focus on the rest of my self development. Everything looked nice on paper. In retrospect however, that was one of my best learning experiences. I still work at that same company, but I rose through the ranks to where I am today.
She joined me later though and even though we had some paperwork problems that meant she had to go back to Nigeria for about two years with our son, she’s back and we’re all here together with our permanent residence, and with our son as a full citizen.
How did it feel raising a child away from home?
One word: Adventurous. At the point of fatherhood, I had already been through and survived enough life’s circumstances for me to realize that having an optimistic attitude would help me through my greatest challenges as I venture through life. So I just took it one day at a time.
I’m going back to the top now. How easy was it getting a student visa?
There’s nothing easy in this life but I don’t want to discourage anyone. They’ll give you a list of documents you need. Make sure you have all of them and follow due process. If you get rejected, which I did, take it as feedback and work towards not getting rejected again.
When you first got to Canada, what was the first difference you noticed?
The weather in Canada is as bad as people say it is. I came in winter with just a fleece jacket and when I got off the plane I thought there was some disaster going on. It was so bad, I had to run back into the plane to ask a guard if he knew what was happening outside. I usually like to keep an open mind, so a lot of the other stuff was just normal to me.
Like Racism?
Yeah any kind of discrimination, I don’t like using that word (racism). I don’t see it a lot, or if it happens to me I don’t engage in it. I try to navigate it and think maybe the person is having a bad day and acting like this but not that they’re being racist.
With this pandemic and everyone being at home, how has that affected you as a father, worker and husband?
I’m in charge of Quality Assurance for Information Systems where I work — the enemy of a software developer. To carry out that role there’s no need to be in the office so I’ve been working from home. The challenge with working from home is my son doesn’t want to hear any stories; he doesn’t understand what work is and why it is necessary, so he wants to play when he wants to play and I find that challenging because at first I tried to explain to him but now the challenge is being able to balance my work with his play time; I can’t really argue with whenever he wants to play. I never win, it’s just having to balance my time and work, that’s the challenge for me right now. My wife is very supportive.
Children…
So, where would you rather be, Canada or Nigeria?
It depends on a lot. Right now there’s a very interesting conversation going on globally around energy, energy access, energy efficiency, and energy security. With the way the world is, with the pandemic and all, being in Nigeria might be frustrating because everyone is meant to be staying indoors and how can you stay indoors without stable electricity. So I would love to be in Nigeria, but I wouldn’t want to be stuck in Nigeria because I’m not where I want to be in my self development journey. I still keep close contacts with a lot of people in the power sector in Nigeria and we talk about how to move things forward from bottom up but it’s not so straightforward.
I’m putting in the work though. I hope it works out.
What do you miss about Nigeria?
Family, friends and Owambe food.
I hope we see you soon.
Want more Abroad Life? Check in every Friday at 9 A.M. (WAT) for a new episode. Until then, read every story of the series here.
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
This week’s subject is Akinola Oluwafemi. He talks about his desire to study in Canada because of his discontent with the Nigerian education system and how he tried to leave twice but couldn’t because the universe happened.
When did you get into school?
2015. I chose UNILAG, because, for some reason, my parents thought federal universities were better than private universities. Also, most of my friends from secondary schools were filling in UNILAG in their application forms. There was this whole hype around the school — about its fun and freedom — and for someone who was coming from a restrictive secondary school, that was a big deal. However, I went to UNILAG because there was no choice. I couldn’t care less about any university in Nigeria, I wanted something more.
What did you want?
A university outside of Nigeria. I didn’t want to study here.
Lmao. All of us.
Yeah, but that wasn’t going to happen at the time. So, I opted for UNILAG and applied to study Electrical Engineering. Apart from my love for innovation, I’ve always wanted to have the “Engineer” tag. It sounded cool. My parents didn’t oppose my decision, and I suspect that they even loved the idea of it. Luckily, I got in. That was a silver lining.
What happened when you got in?
Man, I still believed that the Nigerian education system didn’t have a lot to offer me. I was here but I was hell-bent on studying abroad and I continued to put pressure on my parents to let me go. I used to say I was in UNILAG for tutorials, to prepare me for the Canadian experience. In my first year, I was just in school physically. I was going to classes only for attendance. My sights were set on the remaining five months I had left to spend before I japa.
What happened?
Life oh! 2016 was weird. The second semester of 100 level came and it was time to leave. I’d written the TOEFL exam and everything was ready. I applied to University of Manitoba to study Electrical Engineering and I got accepted. All I needed to do was pay the acceptance fee.
But that didn’t happen?
I got another offer from my aunt in the UK. Her children weren’t living with her, so she wanted me and my brother to come to the UK and attend one of the universities there. She’d been in the UK for a long time and claimed that she had some international student privileges that were going to be useful for me and my brother. Well, that complicated things.
You needed to make a decision
Pretty much. And my parents left me to decide. They could afford University of Manitoba, but it was still a lot of money. Also, my aunt really wanted me to come to the UK, so I was like “Okay, I’m going to forfeit the University of Manitoba admission, and I did.”
Two weeks after the payment deadline had passed, she called that there was a new development. She found out that we weren’t qualified for the aid. She would still have to pay a whole lot to get us in.
Ah. That sucks.
Now, the UK university was more expensive than University of Manitoba. She said she could take one person. We agreed that my brother should go. After a week, she called again to inform us that she couldn’t take any of us due to a lot of factors.
Whoa!
It wasn’t her fault, though. She got the wrong information. I reached out to University of Manitoba to see if I could still continue the process there. That didn’t happen. There was no extension and they had already registered the students that were coming in that year. That was the last straw. My parents were already pissed and were off the case. They were like I should continue at UNILAG, and that was it.
It be like that sometimes.
I wasn’t going to let that be the end of it. I continued to coax my parents. My dad had moved on, so there wasn’t a way there. But I got through to my mum. She enrolled me for SAT classes and the plans were set in motion that I would try a US university this time. I paid for the classes and exams.
But something else happened, didn’t it?
You bet that it did. The SAT exam day clashed with an exam I needed to write at school. It would have been easier if it was a test, but it was a whole ass exam for a compulsory course and a prerequisite for another course. I needed to pass it before I could register for the next one. Also, the professor was the most-dreaded lecturer in the faculty. Now, I needed to make another decision. If I didn’t write the exam, I would have an automatic extra year. And I wasn’t sure if I was willing to take that risk for something I wasn’t sure would come through.
I’m guessing you chose to write the UNILAG exam
Yes. My parents were pretty adamant that I wrote the UNILAG exam. They promised that I could always write the next SAT. That made sense, so I sat for the school exam. When the time came to write the next SAT, they’d already moved on and I couldn’t convince them this time. They were like maybe that was how God wanted it — you know how Nigerian parents are. So yeah, it turned out that I was going to spend all five years at UNILAG.
Oof. You were looking forward to leaving Nigerian and studying abroad and you tried twice, but it didn’t happen. What did you do to move on from that?
It took me a while to accept it. There was a process to coming to the realisation that it wasn’t just meant to be. I blamed myself for how I handled the University of Manitoba thing. For the longest time, I beat myself up for it. At first, it affected the frequency with which I went to class. For a while, I wasn’t sure what the point was. It wasn’t what I wanted. But when I realised that UNILAG was the only thing I got, man, I had to stand up and go on about my business as usual. I couldn’t lose in two places if you know what I mean.
I’m curious, do you think your privilege had something to do with it?
Yes, I guess it did. But also, University of Manitoba was just the right fit because I could get an international student loan. Everything was set, so it definitely felt like I screwed it up.
Did you ever settle into UNILAG?
Yeah, but it was a slow, agonising process. I spent my first two years trying to get out. By the time I realised that I wasn’t going anywhere, I’d missed out on so much. I hadn’t made friends or anything, so it was basically just me trying to find my place two years later than I should have. It wasn’t until 300 level that I started to blend in, became a normal UNILAG student, and started to enjoy the school.
Did this affect your grades in any way?
It did, actually. They were just there when they could have been so much better. I couldn’t complain, to be honest. If I had been invested from the start, chances are that they would be mad. The whole reason I wanted to leave this country and its education system was built around this idea I had that I couldn’t get much from the system. And I was running with that until I went for IT and had an epiphany. My IT changed my life.
Tell me about that.
I got an opportunity to run the 6-month IT at Total. And man, it was tough to get a spot there, More than 1000 students across Nigeria applied for it. There were a series of tests we had to write at each of the four stages. The toughest part was the waiting period. I didn’t even wait for them — I had started my IT at a radio station. When they eventually notified me that I had gotten it, I couldn’t believe it. For the first time in some time, I was truly happy.
I know what you mean.
I started there and everything just felt like a dream. They didn’t pay a lot of money to student interns, but there were a couple of benefits. I stumbled on the payment logbook and I saw these outrageous numbers. People were actually earning so much in a country I was desperate to leave. This did a lot to change the way I saw this country.
Lmao
I was somewhat cool with my supervisor and I told him my japa story. He’d been abroad and he was like living there is overrated. He advised that I learn how to play my cards right and I would see that there’s a lot to do and experience here.
Facts. How was the Total experience?
I was in the Information System and Technology department and everything I had to worry about was making sure the communication systems worked perfectly. It was surreal, to be honest. I was seeing and using all these stuff I had read about in the textbooks. I’ll admit that I geeked out. I thought I was having all the fun I could until it was time to go offshore.
Was that fun?
The best! I was in the Gulf of Guinea for about 6 weeks, surrounded by the ocean, working for one of the biggest oil companies in the world. What could beat that?
You didn’t want it to end, did you?
Nah, but it had to. I tried to extend my internship and they were okay with it. But UNILAG had to sign off on it and it was going to be a long process. So, I had to let it go and go back to school. I left with all this energy and motivation. In fact, I’m looking to go back there.
So how’s your final year going?
Not bad. The major thing to do now is to write my project and leave. However, ASUU strike and the Coronavirus have put everything on a pause, so I’m still here. It will end soon, though. I’m sure of that.
I know you said your outlook about the country has changed since your IT, but are you still looking to move out?
Yes, I wouldn’t rule it out. I still need to experience something new in another country. The difference now is if I leave, I’m sure that I’m coming back. There’s a lot to do here.
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In a land of dust, and time of ashy skin, the fate of your social clout rests on the type of presents you get your friends…the name: thoughtfulness. Here are five thoughtful gifts to make your friends go: “who send you message?”
Cold Medicine
With all the dust in the air, everyone is either sneezing or coughing. For friends experiencing allergies, you can offer to refill their prescriptions. In addition, you could also get Vitamin C tablets as they are very helpful during this period. They help to boost immunity and prevent breakdowns that are common during this season.
Lotion
If you are a good friend like me, you certainly do not want your friend setting off any bushfire from all that ashy skin. You can go the whole mile; from lip balm, to hand lotion, to body lotion. The goal is to let my people moisturize!
The difference your gift makes.
Water Bottle
I do not say this lightly, this the period to drink loads of water…and also mind your business. A whole lot. All that dry weather results in dehydration and you obviously do not want your friends to gas out on you. If you want them to be alive to witness you get married, give birth to little unemployed rascals, then buy them water bottles so they can drink water to their heart content and live long.
Not this size but you get the idea.
Canada-style Clothing
Seriously, what is the difference between Harmattan and Winter? See this as preparing your friends for greatness. This is the chance to gift them something multi-purpose – useful in their interim country (here) and also in their real country(abroad). Thick clothes are vital for surviving the intense cold during this season.
Money
Let us be serious for a minute, money can keep you warm, moisturize you, hydrate you, and even revitalize you. This is the gift to end all gifts. The best part? They won’t see it coming because they have been blindsided by all the Detty December they had to do. No need to thank us, we are here to serve you.
Did we miss any gift? let us know in the comment section.
Every week, Zikoko seeks to understand how people move the Naira in and out of their lives. Some stories will be struggle-ish, others will be bougie. All the time, it’ll be revealing.
She’s 28, currently living in Canada with the love of her life but this wasn’t always the plan. This is a story about how it unfolded.
Let’s start from the moment you knew it was time for Canada.
That would be 2017, precisely. I’d applied to yet another Masters’ program and gotten accepted. The tuition became an issue as I couldn’t afford it at the time.
My brother suggested I take the immigration route, saying it was cheaper than paying so much for school and then getting a job later. I wasn’t really interested because I felt immigration was going to be tedious. But I’d been on the Masters’ waka for five years at the time, and I just wanted to reach my goal.
Then one day –
Ah, the one day.
One day, I heard people shout “UP NEPA” after being without light for almost a week.
I just lost it.
Hahaha. It just had to be NEPA.
I realised I’d known this phrase since I was a kid and was wondering if I’d like my kids to see it as a norm.
Then I logged on to Twitter and all the frustrating things about Naija just rushed at me. I messaged my brother and we started researching how I could move. Right now, my entire family is on the track to moving out hahaha. I have a sibling in the U.K. also looking at a permanent move to Canada too.
Ha. Japa Clan.
Hahaha. Just my siblings actually.
Tell me about the first money Canada collected from you.
IELTS, in 2018. ₦65,000. The first time I wrote it, I didn’t get the score I wanted. By the time I was ready to write it the second time, it was already ₦75,000.
Wait, what do you mean you didn’t get the score you wanted?
IELTS is made up of four parts: speaking, reading, writing, listening.
Each part carries a total score of nine. They’ll also have a cumulative grade for you. Since the express entry was a point-based system, it works very well for you to score at least 8-7-7-7 (8 in speaking, 7 in the rest). These scores carry weight when you’re trying to see what cumulative score you might get on the Canadian immigration ranking tool. The ranking tool is to calculate points ranging from education to work experience to marital status, to age, to English language proficiency.
So whatever your cumulative points sum up to here determines if you’re qualified to enter the pool of people that will be eligible to apply for the Canadian express entry.
I scored 6.5 in writing, which messed up my entire result.
You were working while writing these exams, right?
Yeah, at an advertising agency as a client services executive. ₦80k a month. So I saved some of my income for a couple of months, while my brother sent me the balance.
Okay, what else did you pay for on this highway to Canada?
I had to pay ₦15,000 to have my transcripts sent to an evaluating body in Canada. That took a while, because of ASUU strike.
Oh, look at Nigeria fighting back to keep you.
Hahahaha. If I hear.
Anyway, I paid for that, got a reference number, and that reference number is what I used to create a profile. The evaluation money cost ₦88k when you change it to naira. It was actually paid for by my brother because the money was too much for me at the time. Also, you get a police certificate to confirm that you have no criminal record in Nigeria. That one cost me ₦3,500.
Ah, clean slates only.
Yep. Also, my husband and I were already dating at this point, and our plans aligned perfectly.
Hmm. Holy Canada. Holy Matrimony. Hearing husband for the first time in this conversation.
Hahaha. Remember that second IELTS that I wrote? I got 6.5 again. So my husband suggested that we merge our applications together and be on the journey as a unit.
Wait, did you just say unit, like a Voltron? Please explain how this works.
Hahaha. Yes, they let you do this. Apart from individuals applying, you can actually apply as a unit. Whether with child or not. For unit applications, there has to be a primary and secondary applicant. So if I’m applying with my husband who has better qualifications and IELTS scores, he’ll be the primary applicant, while I’ll be the dependant.
There are a few benefits to being the primary applicant. Like, the application profile, and correspondence. If you get permanent residency too, the secondary applicant can’t go without the primary applicant. So if the primary applicant dies, everything done burst.
Two seconds.
If you’re married, it increases your score. If you have a Masters’ Degree, it increases your score, if you have a PhD, even higher score. Then there’s the proof of funds part. For a single person, you need to have $12,000 CAD. Basically, they want you to be able to fend for yourself for at least 6 months, in case you don’t get a job immediately. As a couple, we had to keep $15,772 CAD. Applications for right of permanent residency cost us $550 CAD per head.
More payments.
My husband had money saved for years from work; God bless him. He was pretty frugal even though he earned a lot, so he covered most of the expenses.
There’s the medicals part. Basically, you need paperwork to show that you’re medically fit and you won’t be showing up in Canada with diseases that will require quarantine and stuff. That cost ₦28,000 per head.
The thing about the process is, the money can be overwhelming. But as each one came, we knocked it off. I had help from family, and of course from my husband.
Then one day, you just get a response and everything changes.
Slow down. How long did it take you to finally get a response?
The entire processing time took five months and eight days. The entire journey from that UP NEPA, took one year and 4 months.
On the 8th day after the five months, we got a request asking us to submit our passport. Then we had to wait two weeks for the passport to be returned to us.
The waiting.
Ah, it was hell. Anxiety. Anticipation. Prayer. Everything. Doubt, because what if we didn’t submit all the documents? Constantly calling to check the status of our application. And the theoriesss.
Theories?
Yes. We started formulating theories based on how long it’d take to get a response time, based on everyone else we’ve heard about. Some people waited three months, some three weeks. Others, a month. Some people even waited for a year. We heard people were refused for the tiniest reasons. When you’re not in control of a situation, it makes you over-analyse. You put in so much thoroughness into this process, and you just want a positive response.
Must have been crazy.
When the email finally came, it was at 5 am telling us to go and submit our passports. My husband worked out of Lagos and had to travel back to Lagos. We tracked that passport every day because people could still get rejected after sending their passport.
When we went to pick up the passports, it was there, stamped. Our visas to Canada. I cried, ah, that moment.
Ahhhhh.
We hid it in weird places. I first hid mine inside Garri then –
You what?
Yes now, hahaha. Then I started panicking that the Garri might erase the visa. Then I hid it in one tiny part of my box.
Tell me about the first day at work after collecting that passport.
Hahahaha. I didn’t even feel like working. Our salary was actually late, and my boss was cranky. I wanted to tell them ‘bye bitches’ but I had to calm down and resign properly, so I don’t burn bridges. At this time, I was earning ₦150,000.
Did you get a raise?
Nah. New job. Here, I was working comms proper.
At this point, how many jobs had you worked in Nigeria?
Chai. Four.
I’m wondering how you must have felt at your first job, and how you felt when you knew it was time to leave.
I got my first job two months after NYSC, I was so excited. I saw myself breaking boundaries. But you see, by the time I resumed at my last job in January, I was already done with working in Nigeria. I was already imagining carving a wonderful career for myself outside Nigeria.
In fact, I resumed at my new job with the singular goal of saving as much as I could for the japa goal.
What will you say was your true final act here?
A wedding.
Married in Nigeria, happily ever after in Canada. I’m assuming that this wedding money didn’t come out of the $15k CAD.
Nah. Family chipped in. Friends too – they covered most of the costs in a sense. But we made sure everything was on a low budget. It ended up costing a total of about ₦2.5 million.
I’m adding this wedding costs as part of your road-to-Canada money. Filed under send-forth party. What were the other last-mile costs on this road to Canada?
First of all, the money we spent between the wedding and when we travelled, came from what people sprayed us mostly. They sprayed about ₦370k. Mostly just running costs for living, going to see friends, buying stuff, etc.
Exactly one month after the wedding, we travelled.
And your flight tickets?
₦996k.
Muritala Muhammad Airport scenes must have been lit.
The usual – overweight bags. The final bye-byes. The tears.
Bye-bye, bye-bye to mummy. Bye-bye, bye-bye to daddy.
We got on our flight. 10-hour layover at Frankfurt. Another 12 hours to Canada.
Is there like a housing block when you enter Canada, where they’re like, “Ah welcome o. While you’re trying to get your life together, take this bunk space and pillow.”
Hahaha. We booked an Airbnb before we left. $30 CAD per night for two weeks. That money came from that $15,772 CAD that Canada wanted us to have.
Also, people stay with relatives while they try to get a place. Others find kind Nigerians that offer to house them till they get a place. Some even get their accommodation before leaving Nigeria.
There are Whatsapp Groups for this thing yo.
Mad o. How long does it take to burn through $15k CAD in a new, strange country?
Depends on who’s spending. We haven’t burned through ours.
It’s incredible, all of it, and now I’m wondering; what does this future look like?
My husband is taking a licencing exam so he’ll be able practice in Canada – he works in healthcare. I’m currently enrolled in an IT program that will expose me to amazing employers. It’ll also let me get a prestigious certificate for free. Something that would have cost $600 CAD. You know, I used to be scared of life in IT. But look at me. I’ve mostly found it fascinating.
What about healthcare, covered?
All the privileges of a Canadian citizen, except voting and joining the army.
Amazing. Wait, one more thing, I did the math about how much this journey cost.
Okay.
This is including your wedding cost because that was your send forth party as far as I’m concerned. And including the proof of funds, which is still getting to you.
Yeah.
All of this, the money that made this possible was about 8.8 million.
Ehn? Hahahahaha. Wait.
I just told my husband, but he doesn’t believe. I think he’s in denial. He said his brain isn’t calculating it properly.
Remember, you still get to keep almost half of it – the proof of funds. Have you ever thought about how much all of it cost?
Nope. We made sure not to. Because it’ll drive us crazy.
Oopsy, sorry to ruin it for you.
Hahaha, it’s okay.
In truth, it looks like the actual fees and processing costs a little less than 2 million when you take out your proof of funds.
Yes. That’s true. Not bad at all. You calm down better when you take everything step by step and keep your eye on the price. You never know where help could spring up from.
This is a formality, but on a scale of 1-10, what’s your happiness –
– 12. I can basically dream without fear of my dreams not coming to fruition because the system/environment is against me.
I can literally change my career and there’s already help in place to help me take the new leap. No fear. No hassles.
