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  • 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. 

    Ella (21) left the loneliness in Germany to reconnect with friends and family in Nigeria. Two years after that decision, she regrets ever leaving Germany. In this episode of Abroad Life, she talks about relocating from Ukraine to Hungary, then Germany, and finally returning to Nigeria within three years.  

    Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

    I lived in Germany, but I moved back to Nigeria in December 2023. I spent two years in Berlin, but before that, I was a student in Ukraine.

    Why did you decide to move back to Nigeria?

    At that point, I didn’t like a few things about Germany. One of them was that they had no sense of urgency.  I also didn’t see the potential of having a good life there because of racism. I thought the colour of my skin would make it harder for me to have a good life and settle down in the country. Looking back at it, that wasn’t the case. I think I just had a more negative mindset at the time, so I decided to move back to Nigeria and try to relocate to North America from there.

    You said you had a tough time getting things done. Can you explain what that means?

    It was the most basic thing I struggled with. For instance, it took over a year to get a credit card to process online payments. Because of that experience, I concluded that the country was too backwards for me. If you want to register for your address or get your insurance card, you must either write a letter or go to a physical office. There are no online provisions for most of the processes there, and they take forever. 

    You also mentioned that racism was one of the reasons you moved. Could you tell me more about that?

    The interesting thing is I don’t have a personal experience of racism in Germany, but a Nigerian friend of mine did. There was a day when he was trying to get into his apartment.  Typically, you open the door with a key or ask someone to buzz you in, but at the time, two German ladies were already at the door. He thought he was going to go in right after they entered, but the German ladies cursed him in their language and slammed the door in his face after they noticed him.  The apartment itself was full of racist people. He eventually had to move out before his rent was due, and the landlord refused to give him his deposit. 

    That’s insane. What did your life in Germany look like at the initial stage, and why did you leave Ukraine?

    It wasn’t my decision to leave Ukraine. There was a war going on, and I had to leave for my safety. I was 18 at the time, and I had only spent 2 months there. When I left Ukraine, I moved to Hungary, where I stayed for a month. I had to leave because I couldn’t get a job there or afford their schools. So I decided to move to Germany to continue my education because if you can learn the German language, you can study for free in Germany.  When I moved there, I got a job. I love to cook, so I decided to work in a professional kitchen. I was making decent money and could afford everything I wanted to afford. But it was lonely. 

    What made it lonely?

    I don’t think I put any effort into making friends. There’s a difference between wanting to make friends and actually putting yourself out there.  I didn’t put myself out there enough, so I didn’t make friends. I had a handful of acquaintances, a roommate and two friends I made in Ukraine. But it was lonely because, at the end of the day, I didn’t have anyone close enough to me to share my struggles and my problems with. I felt alone. 

    Is that one of the reasons you left?

    Yes, I think so. If I had more friends around me, I could have gotten better advice because I don’t think moving to Nigeria was the best decision I could have taken at that point. The people around me at the time didn’t make me feel like I had other options. At that point, moving back felt like my only option.

    Did you ever discuss that decision with your family before you moved?

    Well, I told them about it, and they said it was fine. They believed that I was old enough to make that decision. 

    What has life looked like since you moved to Nigeria?

    I got to the airport, and I realised what I had done. I still remember feeling anxious at the time  but I’ve started adjusting to life in Nigeria.  I found my community here and  I’m also doing a lot of self reflection and discovery. I don’t have a job at the moment but I’m earning a little from  forex trading. Having free time on my hands makes it easier to reflect on where I’m at in life and where I want to be.

    I’m glad you’re figuring it out

    Oh yes. I’ve been going to the gym and reconnecting with a few of my  classmates from secondary school. We meet from time to time. My social life is much better now compared to when I was in Germany. I now have people I can talk to when I have issues. I have friends with whom I can go hiking. It’s not a bad life at all.

    Is there anything that took you by surprise after you moved to Nigeria? 

    I mentioned that I was 18 when I left. I’m 21 now, and I can’t believe how much the prices of things have skyrocketed. It’s insane, and that’s been a big issue for me. I feel like I was able to afford things more easily in Germany. Over there, it was easier to experiment with recipes because things were affordable, but now, I find it difficult to cook as much as I used to. I always find it crazy when  I calculate how much I  spend on ingredients alone.  

    I know. Was Ukraine any better?

    I was only there for two months, so I don’t have much to say about the country. Being a teenager in Ukraine was scary. I was so naive, and I made many mistakes.  But I  don’t like to dwell on those memories because they made me stronger.

    One thing I can say about Ukraine is that the Nigerian community there is much better than Germany’s. I was able to find a Nigerian community in the church and in my hostel. I got to form some nice bonds within the space of two months. Another thing is the weather—I  wasn’t prepared for how cold it was there and was still trying to adjust to it when the war started.

    What was the war like for you?

    I was in denial at first and decided to stay back despite my parent’s pleas. I stayed put till things got bad, and I decided to leave for Hungary. I stayed in a shelter when I got to Hungary. The Hungarian government helped and fed us for a bit, but they put out a notice saying they wouldn’t be giving people permits to stay in their country.  In the absence of a permit, some Nigerians in the shelter decided to seek asylum, but I didn’t want to do that. That’s when I moved to Germany, hoping to learn their language and study for free.

    So, did you ever learn to speak German perfectly?

    Not really. I only know enough German to get through the most basic conversations. 

    If you could go back in time, would you still move back to Nigeria?

    Probably not. I regret it, but I’m not going to sit with that regret. I can admit that it wasn’t the best decision, but I have moved past it. Now, I advise Nigerians who are considering moving back because of the lack of community to find a church or a gathering with people who practice whatever religion they belong to. You’ll find good people there, and It will help you on those bad days. In Germany, I had only one person around me, and that one person said things that drove me back to Nigeria. Something that wouldn’t have happened if I was surrounded by more good people.

    Do you have any plans to relocate in the future?

     I’m actually planning to leave the country this year. I want to go back to Europe to get my education. I’m content with my life here, but I don’t see myself raising children here.

    I’m rooting for you! On a scale of one to 10. How happy would you say you are right now?

    I’ll say 8.5. I just need one tiny miracle, and my happiness will be a perfect ten.

    Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me here. For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT). 

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  • Someone you know has left or is planning to leave. 1,000 Ways To Japa will speak to real people and explore the infinite number of reasons and paths they use to get to Japa

    Temi didn’t just cross seven seas to find a degree and the love of her life, she left the life she had in Ukraine to start afresh in Nigeria too. In this edition of 1000 Ways To Japa, she talks about regretting her decision to move back to Nigeria, battling with depression, dealing with a fraudulent travel agent and japa’ing for the second time to London where she met her husband.

    When did you leave Nigeria, and where do you currently live?

    I left Nigeria in  2022. I currently live in London, United Kingdom. 

    Why did you want to japa?

    There’s a whole story behind that. I had already japa’d before to Ukraine but moved back to Nigeria when things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to. 

    My plan was to briefly stay in Nigeria then go back to Ukraine , but that didn’t happen because the war started shortly after I left.

    I found it hard to adjust to my life in Nigeria. I was just depressed most of the time. I made a big life shift. I went from having my own place to living under my parent’s roof. It also didn’t help that I was going through a heartbreak as well. I just needed a fresh start. So when my mom’s friend brought the idea of the UK, it was a no-brainer. I decided that I was going to do a master’s there.

    It’s a good thing you got your fresh start. How did you start the travel process?

     My mum’s friend introduced me to an agent who was supposed to help out with the entire process, but that didn’t go well because he wasn’t a real agent; he was a middleman.

    There were many red flags I didn’t pick up on at first. There were certain times that he insisted on me coming to his office alone. My mom noticed, and she made sure I never went alone. He also used to raise his fees consistently– there was always something we needed to pay for that he forgot to add. I didn’t notice all of this until much later, and it ended up delaying my immigration process. I was supposed to leave in April, but I ended up leaving in September. The problems with the agent got so bad that we had to inform my dad. 

    How come he didn’t know?

    My dad didn’t want me to leave Nigeria; he wanted me to practice medicine there, so we didn’t inform him that I was processing my move to the UK. It was the same thing when I was moving to Ukraine to study medicine. 

    Anyway,  when things got bad with this agent, we had to inform him. We figured out stuff from there, but the resumption date had gotten so close, and there were still many things to iron out because of the initial delay. I remember getting emails from school back to back saying, “If  you don’t arrive by this time, you’re not going to be able to get the two-year postgraduate visa that people usually get.” It was such a scary moment, because I kept asking myself what would be the point of going at all if I didn’t get that two-year post-graduate visa?

    After a while, I finally got my visa, and it was just hectic because it was coming from Abuja. I had to leave Nigeria two days after I got the visa. I couldn’t say goodbye to so many people because it was so unexpected.

    How did your friends react?

    Most of them knew I was going to travel, but they just didn’t know when.  The moment the visa arrived, we immediately started hurrying to buy a ticket and figure out how to get everything else I needed; there wasn’t time to squeeze any goodbyes in.

    The school had resumed in August, and I was leaving in September, so we were really worried that I would not even be allowed in. Explaining to people wasn’t so easy; some people would assume that you didn’t say goodbye because you thought they were witches. There was a friend of mine who was my coursemate in Ukraine. Unfortunately, he didn’t pass his final exam, so he did not graduate as a doctor. He had to return to Nigeria but was working towards returning to Ukraine.  I think I had casually told him about my plans to move to the UK. I couldn’t tell him when I was leaving, so when I got to the UK, I sent him a text. He was upset because of that, and it caused a bit of a rift between us.

    Sorry about that. I’m curious, though, why did you hire an agent?

    Before the war in Ukraine started, I had gotten my invitation letter to move back to the country, but after the war halted plans, I needed a backup plan as quickly as possible. I looked up a few schools on my own, but I never applied because using an agent was supposed to be easier and faster. 

    What are the red flags you’ll ask people to look out for when using an agent?

    One of the red flags I’d always ask people to look out for is hidden charges. If the agent keeps coming up with new bills for you to pay, they are most likely trying to scam you.

    Something else you want to do is carry out your own background check and try to find out how many people they’ve successfully helped. To make things easier, just rely on referrals. Learn from people’s mistakes and replicate their successes. I’d never, for instance, refer the first agent I used to anyone, and there’s a high chance others won’t recommend the horrible agents they used.

    Lastly, pray and ask as many questions as possible. You can’t really know the heart of a human being, so just keep praying and stay in the know as much as possible by asking the right questions.

    What did the transition process of moving from Ukraine to Nigeria look like?

    It really wasn’t easy. But there was a part of me that was just happy to be going back to my family. As difficult as the transition was, I needed the change of scenery because I was struggling with my mental health.

    Did moving to Nigeria help?

    It helped a bit, but Nigeria will always have problems. There were times that I asked myself why I had never left Ukraine in the first place. At some point, I felt like my life didn’t have any sense of direction, but things picked up later. I got to rekindle old friendships and enjoy time with my family.

    How different is London from Ukraine and Nigeria?

    My life is different here in London. My first few months here were a struggle but I’ve settled in now and I’m the most fulfilled I’ve ever been in my life. If I were to compare, I’d say Ukraine is cheaper.  The only issue was the language barrier; here in London, I see billboards and signs that I can actually read but in Ukraine, I had to do a lot of translation in my head.

    Living in London has also been more beautiful because I met my husband here.

    Congratulations. I’m assuming you’re done with your masters now.

    Oh yes. It was challenging, but it went well.  I met my husband in school, too. At the time,  I had told myself that I was just going to focus on books, work hard, get my distinction, and figure out life from there. When we met, I told him about my plans to focus on my academic goals, but he was quite persistent, and we ended up dating. We moved in together a few months later, and now we are one month and a couple of days married,

    So, how’s life as a newlywed going?

    Honestly, I would say life since meeting him has just been fulfilling.  I’m so content with my life. Things could be going wrong, but having him around makes me feel sane and safe.  I’m glad I stopped playing hard to get because this is the most beautiful part of life so far. 

    I think I know the answer to this, but on a scale of one to 10, how happy would you say you are with your life in the UK?

    100 times infinity. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been

     Want to to share your japa story? Please reach out to me here. 

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  • 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.

    Our subject of this week’s Abroad Life is a 23-year-old medical student who fled Ukraine six days after the war started. She talks about leaving Nigeria due to the poor condition of our universities, travelling to Ukraine for medical school, and eventually, fleeing the country to escape the war. She’s back in Nigeria, but she won’t stay for very long.

    First of all, where are you right now?

    I’m in Nigeria. I’ve been here for about six months now. Before then, I spent six years in medical school in Ukraine. I was going to graduate in June (2022), but then, the war broke out. It turned everything upside down, and I had to come back to Nigeria in a hurry.

    Tell me about how you left Ukraine

    When the war broke out, everyone was trying to leave the country, so the borders got crowded really fast. I lived in Lviv, a city only two hours away from Poland. Lviv was in the extreme west of Ukraine so it was relatively safe compared to the east where the war was actually happening. This didn’t mean we weren’t still terrified of what might come, because we knew it was only a matter of time before other cities were attacked.

    My plan was to leave Lviv and cross the border into Poland for safety. I left with my friends very early in the morning on the second day of the war, but the two-hour journey was prolonged by the crazy traffic. Everyone was trying to leave. At some point, the cab driver suddenly said he wasn’t going anymore. There was no hope we would even get there that day, so I understood. We got down and started walking in the cold.

    We walked for about six hours till we got to the border. By that time, my hands were numb and I could barely feel my legs. When we got there, we realised the wildest thing — they were only letting white people across the border.

    Ah…

    Well, not exactly, but if you were from a first-world country, the Ukrainian immigration would let you across. This meant people from Africa were basically an afterthought. We knew Nigeria’s case would be even worse, but we were hoping for the best.

    We waited for about four hours hoping to be let across. But when I saw there was nothing coming of our stay at the border, I decided to head back to Lviv because I absolutely couldn’t sleep out there in the cold. I thought I’d die. Some of my friends stayed, but I couldn’t. I have no fighting spirit in me, please.

    It was only about 4 p.m., so I thought I could still make it back to the city in time. I started walking back towards the city, flagging down passing vehicles. Luckily, someone was kind enough to drive me home. The ride home wasn’t long at all because there weren’t many people who were going back to the city. I got home around 7 p.m. and went straight to sleep.

    For the next three days, I was calling my friends who were at the border to ask for updates on what was happening. I was also constantly checking the news for any new developments with the war. If I was going to die, at least I should know beforehand.

    What happened next?

    I found out from my friends that some African embassies had started reaching out to border control to let their citizens across. This raised everyone’s hopes, so I decided to head back to the border. By this time, the traffic had reduced but there were still a lot of people at the border. I got there and discovered even though some African embassies had made arrangements for their citizens, Nigeria wasn’t one of them. 

    Wahala…

    Big one. We started begging them to let us across, and the whole thing became really scary because it felt like they were never going to do that. Eventually, they resorted to allowing women, children and old people (50+) across the border into Poland. This meant young boys or middle-aged men couldn’t cross.

    I remember these two cousins, a boy and a girl. The girl was in her 20s while the boy had just turned 18. They were going to let her across, but the boy had to stay back. She was begging with tears in her eyes that he be allowed to go with her. They didn’t agree. They gave her two options: she could either go and leave the boy behind or stay back with him. There was no circumstance under which they’d have let him go with her. 

    I still cry whenever I remember just how destitute we were at the time. I and my friends didn’t have enough food, so we had to share. We were sleeping and waking up with our bags everyday, with our parents worried sick halfway across the world. Worst part was the fact that the Nigerian government was dragging its feet over the issue, and we were being treated like we didn’t even matter.

    I was eventually let into Poland two days later based on the women and children clause. Immediately I got in, I took a bus to the evacuation centre in Warsaw, after which I was put on a flight home. Some of my Nigerian friends are still in European countries like Poland and the Netherlands because they’d rather not come back home. Honestly, I don’t even blame them because what would they be coming back to?

    Really glad you made it out. But why did you choose Ukraine in the first place?

    I honestly never had plans to study in Ukraine to start with. I grew up in Enugu with four siblings, and even though my parents were well-off, we never travelled outside Nigeria. So it never occured to me to study abroad when the time came. 

    I graduated from secondary school in July 2015, and wrote JAMB like most people. I had a really high score, about 272, and I had good grades in WAEC. So I applied to study medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. When the admissions list came out, I was offered Medical Laboratory Science instead. 

    LMAO. How did you take it?

    I wasn’t going to accept it, but my dad told me he would find a way to help me have my course changed to medicine. So in the meantime, I resumed school at UNN as a medical laboratory science student in late 2015.

    How did you go from there to Ukraine?

    I won’t lie, my reason for leaving was actually very petty, but I don’t regret it. The educational system in Nigeria is honestly rubbish. In school, the halls were so full, you couldn’t find a seat. One day, while we were struggling to enter a lecture hall for a class, someone hit my head against the wall. That was the last I was going to have of it.

    Like I said, I have no fighting spirit. I went to my hostel, packed all my things and went home. I told my parents I wasn’t going back to school, and my mum supported me.

    Ah. A Nigerian mum? Why?

    She had seen how much stress I was going through there and knew I wasn’t used to it at all. She was already talking about sending me to school abroad before then. Coming back home simply put everything in motion.

    What happened next?

    We were initially thinking about the UK, but around that period (early 2016), the exchange rate went higher. A relative, whose child was studying in Ukraine at the time, ended up suggesting it to my parents, and they bought into the idea. It fit everything they wanted. A good medical education they could afford.

    How did you start applying to Ukraine?

    I honestly didn’t do anything. We found an educational consultancy in Abuja that handled everything. They simply asked me for some personal and academic documents, which I provided. In mid 2016, I got admitted into the the Lviv National Medical University in Ukraine. By september, I was on a flight to Lviv. 

    Expectations vs reality: Ukraine Edition

    I went there with an open mind so I didn’t really have a lot of expectations. I’d never been outside the country in my life, but at least, I thought it would be beautiful. Omo, I was disappointed. I couldn’t even hide my disappointment because it was so obvious, the agent who came to pick me up from the airport had to explain that it was an ancient city.

    The buildings were really old. But when I entered some of them, I realised they were beautiful on the inside. I later found out that Ukrainians simply have a culture of preserving things, and so, instead of demolishing buildings to rebuild, they’d just renovate. 

    Another thing was how much people smoked there. You could literally see a couple pushing a baby in a stroller, and they’d both be smoking. That shocked me. Also, there were instances of passive racial bias. For example, I could be on the bus with other African schoolmates, and when officials stop the bus to ask for our passes, they’d just come straight to us first. Other times, the security at a mall would put more focus on me and my friends as if we came to steal something. I never really cared about all that sha, as long as they’re not beating me or made suggestive remarks towards me. I’ve suffered worse in Nigeria.

    You mentioned friends. What was it like settling into school?

    It was pretty easy because there was already a close-knit community of Africans in my school. They were very accommodating and helped me settle into life in school. I’d never experienced so much kindness in my life before then. I felt very suspicious and thought they just wanted to steal my money or something. 

    I was coming from Nigeria where, if someone was being extra nice to you, it was a red flag. But these people were genuinely good to me, and it didn’t even matter which African country you came from. They helped me find permanent accommodation and even gave me a lot of gifts that helped me settle in properly.

    I spent the next six years in this tight-knit community, and it was some of the best moments of my life. We used to study in groups, and this really helped my grades. There were times when lecturers had to be extra-prepared when they knew they had Nigerians in their class.

    What didn’t you like about Ukraine?

    The cold. It can get really brutal. It’s not even the kind of cold where wearing a jacket would do. Your hands would get numb really fast if you ever forget to wear gloves.

    Also, the place made me conscious of being a black person. I never experienced anything explicit, but there were occasions in which I was treated differently from people of other races. One time, I sat beside a white woman on a bus, who had a little kid. The moment the child saw me, she started crying.

    What’s your favourite thing about Ukraine?

    I think it’s the friends I made in school, to be honest. I wasn’t much of an outgoing person, and even the times I went out, it was with my friends.

    How’s your relationship with them right now?

    We all still talk fairly often, although I’m more in contact with some people than others. I miss them a lot because we spent so much time together, only for our lives to get upended like that. If not for the war, we’d have graduated in June [2022].

    How did things go when you came back home?

    Initially, we weren’t sure if we’d be transferred to another school to repeat sixth year. But we continued our classes online, finished our programme on time and had our certificates sent to us.

    But because we spent two months studying online, Nigeria’s MDCN (Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria) said they wouldn’t recognise our certificates. 

    Ah… So does that mean for your career?

    I don’t even care about those ones. I had plans to work in Nigeria for about four to five years before moving to another country. But right now, I want to move to the US to practice, so I’m currently studying for the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination).

    Good luck with that

    Thank you.

    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.

    Hi! 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.

    Our subject on Abroad Life today is a 22-year old who made it out of Ukraine before his city was attacked. He talks about why he moved to Ukraine, how he knew trouble was coming, and his future plans now that he’s not going back. 

    When did you first decide to leave Nigeria?

    Early in life, I had the opportunity to travel and see many places. Because of my exposure, I knew other places were better than Nigeria, and that after secondary school, I would further my studies elsewhere. It even made extra sense because I wanted to study medicine, and I’d heard stories of medical students in Nigeria having it difficult. 

    I finished secondary school in 2017, did A-Levels in 2018, had a gap year where I researched on schools in different countries I could go to in 2019 and finally moved to Ukraine in 2020.

    Why Ukraine?

    My first option was Norway. I’d heard it was a peaceful, beautiful place with a high quality of life, but the school I applied to didn’t get back to me. My next option was Germany, but I heard I had to know German, and after trying German classes for three months,  I chalked Germany off the list. 

    Ukraine eventually happened because I wanted to study medicine. Ukraine is one of the top destinations in the world to study medicine, and because of this, foreigners who study medicine in Ukraine have an advantage when it comes to securing employment in other European countries. That’s why many people go to Ukraine to study medicine — so they can practice all over Europe. To add to all of this, the fees are cheaper than in many other countries.

    I used an agency, and the application and visa process took me about three months from when I decided to leave. I didn’t need any language tests because courses are taught in English.

    Expectations vs reality: Ukraine edition. 

    Because I’d travelled a lot growing up, I didn’t have any expectations other than that it was going to be a cold place with a sprinkle of Eastern European racism. I was right about the cold, but I never experienced racism — though that’s probably because I never learnt the language so I didn’t know what anyone was saying to me. What I didn’t expect was the number of Africans I saw there. I lived in Sumy, a city in north-eastern Ukraine, and omo, Africans were everywhere. 

    So settling was easy?

    Yep. I had people who I could relate to, who told me where to get Nigerian food and helped me feel at home. I didn’t stay in the school hostel for long because it wasn’t in great conditions — they used pit latrines, for example — but that didn’t mean I struggled to settle in school. One thing that helped with school was getting assigned to a study group immediately I resumed, and that’s the group I was meant to study with till I graduated. That was really important for me because it meant I could share whatever educational struggles I had with them.

    Sounds like you were having a great time.

    Okay time, yes. Great time, not so really. It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t great. Ukraine has better electricity, roads and social amenities than Nigeria, but that’s it. It’s not like it’s a fun or extremely advanced place. I was just going through school and waiting to finish in three years until I had to leave in a hurry last month. 

    Russia?

    Yes. Before Russia attacked Ukraine, when it was all still media speculations, newer students like me who had never experienced the geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine were terrified. We didn’t know whether to run or whether to stay, but the older students reassured us that everything was going to be okay. Apparently, tiny conflicts happen from time to time between Russia and Ukraine, but these conflicts never result in anything, so everybody was calm. But not me.

    Since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed reading about history and politics. So I went online to read about Russia’s war history and saw that they invaded Georgia in 2008. Now, that wasn’t important to me until February 15, 2022, when it was speculated that there were cyber-attacks on Ukrainian banks and ministries by Russia. That night, I tried to transfer money to someone and it didn’t work, tried to withdraw and couldn’t, tried an ATM and it wasn’t dispensing. Russia denied it, but I was concerned.

    I remembered what I read about the Georgia invasion — it started with cyber-attacks.  Omo, immediately I did the maths in my head. I called my study group and told them everyone needed to find a way to leave. They didn’t take me seriously because the people that had been in Ukraine longer said nothing was going to happen. 

    Once I delivered my message, I went online and booked a flight to London for the next day. I have relatives there. 

    Another reason people didn’t consider leaving was my school. They don’t like it when people leave. When conversations about the war started in the media, they sent emails to the students that pretty much said if we left, there’d be terrible repercussions for missed classes. I still get emails from school telling us to do some school work. 

    The day I was travelling presented another warning sign — for some reason, the airport in my city wasn’t working. I had to take a five-hour bus to another city to use their airport. I expected to see the airport crowded with people trying to leave, but it was just like a normal day. 

    Four days after I got to London, the attacks started.

    Damn. 

    I didn’t even have the time to feel good for myself. Sumy is one of the cities that was attacked, so my friends were displaced immediately. None of them has been injured, but they’re afraid. They can’t even try to escape because there’s shooting on the streets, threats of airstrikes and the weather is cold. Where would they go? Thankfully, there are some bomb shelters. Every time I have the opportunity to speak with them, I hear fear and anger in their voices, and it breaks my heart. 

    On the first day of the attacks, my phone was blowing up because of the number of people reaching me to find out if I was okay. I was, but I couldn’t stop thinking about families with kids still stuck in Ukraine, and who can’t say, “Yes, my child is safe.”

    Do you think you’ll go back?

    I’m surely not returning to Ukraine. I can’t bring myself to return to a place where something like that has happened. It’ll be too traumatic. I packed everything important to me before I left, except my original WAEC result, but I’m sure when I get back to Nigeria, I’ll get an affidavit.

    My plan right now is to transfer to a school in the Caribbean. Studying medicine is cheap there too, and it’ll be easy to transition into America or Canada once I’m done. 

    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.

    Fill the form

  • Linda* left Nigeria for Ukraine in 2021 to pursue a medical degree at Sumy State University. Until February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Sumy was a peaceful place for her and hundreds of other Nigerian students studying there.

    “The standard of living was comfortable. Everything was affordable and great for students,” she says.

    Sumy, a city in north-eastern Ukraine, was one of the first to be attacked after Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ordered an invasion that had been feared for weeks. A confrontation between the invading force and Ukrainian defenders on February 24 led to the burning down of a church. Some of the fighting took place near Sumy State University where a Ukrainian military brigade is stationed. Russian forces were at some point reported to have taken control of half the city, but Ukrainians took it back on February 25.

    Three days after the invasion started, Nigerians in Ukraine like Linda and her friend, Blessing*, are stuck in the middle of the chaos in Sumy.

    They’re currently staying in an apartment they rented in the city, unable to get on the road to escape to neighbouring countries like others have done. We spoke with Linda about her situation on February 25, a few minutes after she left a bomb shelter she was hiding in for safety.

    Stranded

    “Presently, our city is in danger. We’ve heard some bombing this night. People are running helter-skelter now and they’re very scared. Students are scared. There’s no way to escape or travel. We’ve received lots of messages from people telling us to go to Poland but the roads are not safe to travel. Russian soldiers are around and they’ve started fighting already. 

    “Students are scattered everywhere. There are four of us in my apartment. There are more students in the hostel and we even heard about gunshots and smoke around there this night. All of them are underground in the bomb shelters now. We messaged them, but won’t know what’s happening until later.”

    Blessing added:

    “The situation here does not look so good because there’s no way to get out of the city. Most people don’t even have what to eat. Everyone is stuck here.”

    “We eat once a day”

    The Russian invasion has disrupted socio-economic activities, including banks that are now shut down, and ATMs that no longer function for people that need to withdraw money needed for survival. Linda’s saving grace is that she was saving some money for a new phone. She wasn’t able to buy it last week, and the money is what she now depends on to survive.

    She explained:

    “We didn’t know this was going to happen. That’s the money I’m using to buy stuff to survive. I’m sure most students don’t have money on them. Shops are running out of food. They’ve closed down. You can’t even withdraw. Banks are closed. 

    “We can’t be eating anyhow. I eat once a day. I have to manage what I have. Other students, I don’t know if they have food but we’ve been trying our best to help others to share food. There’s nowhere to get money.”

    Travelling is dangerous

    Following an initial slow reaction to the crisis, the Nigerian government’s messaging is mostly now focused on telling Nigerians in Ukraine to run towards the borders.

    https://twitter.com/abikedabiri/status/1497562605342367755?s=20&t=zPBUzRLba-2KN2RCIv-chA

    Poland has been one of the most preferred destinations for Nigerians in Ukraine that are trying to escape the war. The two countries share a 332-mile long border. Travelling from Sumy to Rava-Ruska, a recommended border crossing into Poland, takes at least 12 hours under normal conditions. 

    Travelling there right now means passing through areas that are already under Russian attacks. This journey could now take an entire day, and possibly more if people are forced to walk. There have also been reports that Africans are not being prioritised for entry into Poland and even turned back into Ukraine.

    Travelling is too unsafe for Linda to consider as an option:

    “We just made up our minds that we’re not going anywhere because we don’t want the war that didn’t kill us while staying indoors to kill us on the way to a safe place. You just have to be careful. The Russian troops have harmed civilians and burnt houses.

    “The Nigerian government should find a means to get us out of here. I saw the news that they told Russia to not touch their citizens. Please, does a bomb know the difference between citizens of whatever country?”

    Worried parents

    “We’re not trying to exaggerate. This is what we’re facing. We can’t just tell our parents because they’ll be so scared. My daddy messaged me that he heard the news and he had to get admitted. When he told me that, I stopped telling him things that are happening. I don’t want to hear anything bad from my parents. We’re praying to God to just stop everything.”

    A desperate appeal

    Not much of what the Nigerian government has said directly addresses people in Linda’s situation, especially other Nigerian students, like Blessing, that are with her. She wants that to change:

    “We’re begging the Nigerian government to take necessary action. They should not keep quiet about it. They should help us because we’re actually stranded and stuck here in Sumy. How can we get to Poland when the roads are not safe? We can’t even sleep. We’re so scared.

    “The Nigerian government should stop saying things they can’t do. They told us to form a group. We formed a Telegram group. We’ve been in many groups, no action. They told us to fill a form three weeks ago. We filled that form, but we don’t know where they put it. I’m so disappointed I’m from that country.”

    Stay put

    The most definite position of the Nigerian government on those trapped in Ukraine is to stay put for things to calm down. 

    For Nigerians in Ukraine like Linda and Blessing, they will have to do that under constant threats to their lives.

  • Everyone already knows what’s happening — Russia has invaded Ukraine over its proposed alignment with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and we’re all scared it’s going to blow up in our faces and cause World War III. More than 130 civilians and soldiers have been killed, and over 300 wounded.

    As scared as the rest of the world is, we can’t imagine how frightening it must be for people who live, study or work in Ukraine, especially the affected parts. More specifically, we’re worried about the  Nigerians there. 

    What’s happening to them? Are they among the casualties? How are they evacuating affected places? Who are the Nigerians helping other Nigerians?

    Friends trapped in Ukraine

    First, we spoke with Bela, a Nigerian in Nigeria. She lived in Ternopil, a city in Western Ukraine from 2015 to 2020 and still has friends there. Here’s what she had to say: 

    “It’s scary. All my friends are pretty shaken. We didn’t expect it to escalate this much. They’re all still pretty safe because the attacks have been in Eastern Ukraine, but who knows if it’ll get bigger? I’m hearing stories of other people trying to escape into Poland, but the border is pretty crowded now, both with cars and people trying to escape on their feet. There have even been talks of racism at the borders, but I hope it’s not true. It’s just a mess.”

    Fled to London before Russian invasion

    Then we spoke with a Nigerian who left Ukraine a few days ago because he suspected this would happen. 

    “I’ve been in university in Sumy for almost three years now. Because I read about history and politics a lot, I’ve been very alert in this period. On the 15th of February, there were cyberattacks on Ukraine from Russia. The department of defence, some national banks and some ministries were affected. I remember trying to transfer money to someone and it wasn’t working, then I tried to withdraw and I couldn’t. ATMs weren’t working. Immediately, I went online and booked my flight to London. I left the next day, and I’m staying with family. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, and there were cyberattacks, so this felt too similar.

    “I have friends who are stuck in Sumy right now. It’s in North-Eastern Ukraine, so the attacks have reached there. There was a bomb blast last night, and many of them have had to evacuate to underground bomb shelters under hostels. In Sumy, there’s a Ukrainian military base, so the soldiers resisted the Russian forces by fighting back. It’s crazy what’s happening there.

    “Some of my other friends who aren’t in bomb shelters are in basements of other people’s apartments. 

    “Even when the war dies down, I’m not returning to Ukraine. I’ll continue elsewhere. The only thing I left behind is my WAEC result, but I’m sure I can live without it.”

    Bags packed and waiting

    One of the Nigerians stuck in Sumy is Shade*, a medical student. After reaching out to her and ensuring she was safe, she had some stuff to tell us. 

    “The place where the bomb blast happened is less than 30 minutes from my school. It’s absolutely terrifying. Many students are underground in bomb-proof bunkers, but it’s not our turn yet. Since the attacks started yesterday, I’ve been with people in an apartment, waiting out whatever is about to happen. I’ve packed a bag and all my documents are with me in case I need to move. If we sense danger, we’ll move to the basement of this apartment. I don’t want to risk going on the road right now to leave this city because it’s dangerous. What if something bad happens? It’s also really expensive. A reliable source told me it’s $300 to get to Poland by road. That’s much more expensive than it normally should be.

    “Because ATMs haven’t been working for a while, many people don’t have cash and it’s been hard to buy food at the few places that still sell, so we’re rationing the little we have, doing one meal a day.” 

    And when we asked about what the Nigerian government is doing for her:

    “In my fear, I’m able to find some anger at the Nigerian government’s reaction to this situation. The only thing that has happened is that we filled some form about a month ago, and we filled the same form yesterday. That’s all. We’ve heard on the news and online that the Nigerian government wants to come and evacuate the students on Monday, but it’s probably not going to happen. Do they want to come and pick us up one by one where we are? If they’re going to pick us up, at least they would have communicated with us to set a rendezvous point or something. We’ve heard nothing. 

    I have Ghanaian friends here. Their president has addressed them and they’re making solid plans to leave. I don’t feel well catered for by my country.

    “As much as I feel in danger though, I’m worried about my family. They’re terrified. My dad has had to receive drips and injections to calm down. Even when I’m trying to sleep, they’re non-stop calling me. I understand that I’m in a precarious situation, but somehow some people have taken this as an opportunity to spread grossly over sensationalised misinformation. The media in Nigeria needs to tackle this ASAP. Families are already going through too much emotional strain for someone to come and be lying to them.”

    Thousands of Nigerians stuck in Ukraine

    Outside Ukraine, Nigerians are reaching out to help other Nigerians who are crossing into Poland to help them settle.

    But we also saw this tweet about people not being let into the country. 

    For Nigerians in Poland, who need to contact the embassy, see below. 

    Right now, there are over 12,000 Nigerian students in Ukraine, along with Nigerians from other walks of life. As more information comes, we’ll update this post and do new posts on the situation with Nigerians in Ukraine.  

  • The day is February 24, 2022, but it’s easy to mistake it for September 1, 1939.

    Russia is invading Ukraine

    2022. [Image via Reuters]

    All the mentions of Russia we’ve been seeing all over the news since the beginning of the year can no longer be brushed aside.

    Russia officially invaded its neighbour Ukraine the same way Germany invaded Poland in 1939 to trigger World War II.

    Quick, what are the issues?

    Two things are important to note about the conflict:

    1. Ukraine wants to protect itself from being constantly bullied by Russia.

    2. Russia’s response:

    Russia does not want Ukraine to join NATO

    A short history lesson

    Ukraine and Russia used to belong to this giant republic called the Soviet Union.

    It was a coalition that included a dozen other socialist states.

    The Soviet Union, with Russia at its centre, was the largest nation in the world and very influential.

    The members centralised their power until the arrangement fell and everyone went their separate ways in 1991.

    It’s the story of the Tower of Babel.

    Catch me up to the present

    The short version of what’s going on is Russia is still daydreaming about its former lover, Ukraine.

    And the worst thing about a former lover you’re still not over is watching them move on with new lovers.

    What’s the long version?

    As part of their separation arrangement, Ukraine gave Russia hundreds of its nuclear warheads in exchange for protection…from Russia.

    The two signed a series of diplomatic agreements that covered economic and security issues.

    This didn’t matter much to Russia when it took over Crimea, a part of Ukraine, in 2014. The peninsula was illegally annexed to Russia after a disputed referendum that showed people there wanted out of Ukraine.

    The world basically stood by and let it happen because they didn’t want to upset this guy:

    Vladimir Putin's Russia is invading Ukraine

    His name is Vladimir Putin, but you can call him Aquaman [Image via Reuters]

    Is that why there’s a full scale war now?

    The power balance between Russia and Ukraine has been uneven since the fall of the Soviet Union.

    It looks like this:

    Russia is invading Ukraine

    Russia has remained a world power with nuclear capabilities making it extremely tricky to mess with them, while Ukraine has merely been…hanging on. This has made it easy for Russia to bully Ukraine whenever conflict happens between the countries.

    To address this imbalance, the current Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, revisited the idea of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2021.

    NATO is a military alliance of 30 countries, mostly in Europe, led by the United States of America who is also Russia’s biggest rival on the global stage. To Russia, it isn’t just a former lover moving on, this is a former lover moving on with the one person that’s also making your life difficult.

    The organisation’s whole arrangement is based on collective security against attacks by external parties.

    When NATO was created in 1949, the Soviet Union as one of its biggest adversaries. But since the union dissolved, former republics have joined up with NATO. Five of them currently share borders with Russia, and this has fueled fears that the country will eventually be surrounded and isolated.

    Vladimir Putin isn’t a great fan of Ukraine becoming another neighbour aligning with NATO as that poses a security concern for Russia. So, towards the end of 2021, he started moving troops along the borders shared by both countries to flex his muscles.

    As the number of Russian troops grew to over 150,000 over the past few weeks, Putin’s main demand was no NATO membership for Ukraine. Ever.

    Enemies within

    After Russia stole Crimea in 2014, two regions of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, also declared themselves independent republics.

    The referendums they used to proclaim themselves free from Ukraine were not recognised by the international community.

    They said:

    The rebellion in both regions sparked an armed conflict against the Ukrainian military and has claimed over 14,000 lives in the past eight years.

    After weeks of repeating that the Russian troops’ movement has nothing to do with an invasion of Ukraine, Putin officially recognised the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk on February 21, 2022.

    He ordered Russian troops into both regions to “maintain peace”, a move that brought them on a collision course with the Ukrainian military.

    This was Putin’s pretext to finally invade Ukraine.

    What is the world doing?

    We have to mention that Ukraine’s current president is a former comedian, so it’s no surprise we woke up to this on February 24:

    The meme was posted at a time when Russian troops stepped into Ukrainian territories and started an invasion that had been feared for weeks.

    Explosions have been reported in many parts of Ukraine including Kyiv, its capital.

    Ukraine also claims to have shot down five Russian jets.

    At least six people have been reported killed in Ukraine, and a state of emergency has been declared.

    The situation is so bad now that Zelensky has offered to give weapons to civilians who are willing to defend Ukraine against the invading Russian force.

    As it stands, the reaction of world governments has pretty much looked like this:

    I am a Nigerian in Ukraine, what should I do?

    The Nigerian Embassy in Kyiv has advised Nigerians stuck in Ukraine to…remain calm. 

    The embassy said anyone disturbed by the situation should relocate by private arrangements, and ensure all their documents are in order. 

    The embassy remains open for consular services.

    The House of Representatives also resolved on February 24 to commence the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine.

    There are no details yet on how that will be done, but operations have been scheduled to start on February 28.

  • 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 this week’s Abroad Life has chosen to be anonymous. She is a 21-year old International Economics and Relations student who left Nigeria for Ukraine when she was 17. She talks about racism and why she’s done with both Nigeria and Ukraine.

    First things first, what’s a 21 year old Nigerian woman looking for in Ukraine, with no family there?

    I’m in university, studying International Economics and Relations. 

    What happened to UNILAG?

    Haha…The atmosphere in Nigeria is not a very good place for studying. If we’re going to be frank with each other. I have watched people ahead of me do six years for a course that was meant to last four years. There’s always a delay, somehow, as if it’s a curse. Personally, I’m not about to go on a break in between school, so that’s one major thing.

    So when did you decide that you were going to leave?

    It was June 2018. I had just finished secondary school and I had a friend in Ukraine already, who was studying medicine. It was her uncle who set up everything for her. She told me to come because the process was easy and I told my mom. My mom linked up with the uncle and he actually did the processing. 

    I thought this was one of those scam stories.

    Haha.. Nope. We needed some documents, which we were able to present. I had to go to the embassy at Abuja, and I got my visa. So from the time when I decided I was going to study in Ukraine, when I applied to the school, and I told my mom, and I got my visa, it took about two weeks.

    Two weeks?

    Two weeks. Although, I really don’t know how much it cost and all that because at time I was still 17 going 18 that month. My work was just to make sure I appear, and present all the needed documents and I did that. I left very shortly after.

    Considering how short the time was, you didn’t have much time to say goodbye to friends and family. How was that?

    It was actually cool for me, I’m not that person that has a lot of friends and all so it wasn’t too dramatic. We are in the 21st Century where you can just text “Hey, I’m leaving to study in Ukraine, I’ll see you in four years.” or make a call and you’re good. It’s never as deep as going round visiting. My family followed me to the airport. It was just normal.

    So you’re arriving in Ukraine, a place where you’ve never been before. What hit you the hardest?

    My God, it was the language. I didn’t have any time to learn so it was super complex. Even now, I’m always on my phone using a translator. Luckily for me, as you enter the country, the people that check the visa and your documents speak English so that helped me at least get myself into the country. I had booked for someone to pick me from Kyiv to my city, and that was a six-hour drive. After that, I found a way to settle. Google Translate everywhere. 

    So if I’m coming to Ukraine, I know I need to learn the language, thanks. What else do I need?

    Should I be honest?

    Hit me.

    Don’t come to Ukraine. 

    But…

    I’m just being honest with you. You know that racism thing that they’re shouting in the US? Hmm.

    Every time I enter a bus here, people act like the grim reaper has just entered and they have to avoid me at all costs. You see people instinctively using their bags to occupy seats and moving away. If you sit beside one white person, odds are they’ll stand up and leave you with an empty seat. 

    Wow

    I’m probably just a very self aware person, but these things get to me. It’s weird feeling like you don’t fit in society and whenever you try to fit, society looks at you and says “Nope, you don’t belong here”. In my experience, it’s also been really hard to get a job, and it doesn’t help that black people pay more for stuff like housing than locals. 

    Why is that?

    I don’t know. But me and some other black students pay $250 a month for rent in our different apartments. In the same building complex, whitestudents pay $150 or even less. Wanna hear the worst part?

    It gets worse?

    We have separate classes for blacks and whites.

    That’s not possible!

    I’m dead ass serious about that

    What’s the name of your school?

    I’d rather not say. In fact, I want to be anonymous. 

    There’s also the little things like being on a queue for something and not being attended to until all the white people have been. But you know Africans are free spirited, so we don’t take things to heart, we just deal with whatever comes. 
    What is the distribution of white to black people in your city?

    There are actually a lot of black people here, you’ll find Ghanaians, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Ethiopians, South Africans, people from Swaziland, there are plenty black people here. My city isn’t very big so maybe that accounts for why they treat us like this.

    Do you think nationality doesn’t matter when this racism happens?

    Yes, every black person is treated the same. Recently a boy was stabbed, and they’ve been dragging the case for a while, but now they want the case to go because it’s a black guy and they’re making his murder his own fault. 

    Why am I speechless?

    There’s NUGS (National Union of Ghanaian Students) there’s NUNS (National Union of Nigerian Students) here though and they play their parts in expressing our interests.

    I feel like I have to clarify though, that they won’t violently attack you. In fact, as a black woman, I can freely walk at any time of the night and feel safe. You just won’t have the same rights as everyone else.

    That’s crazy, and I hate to hear that you’re experiencing that. So how many years is your course and how far gone are you?

    I’m doing a 4 year course and by God’s grace I’ll be in my 3rd year by September.

    Are you planning on leaving once that’s done?

    Definitely. I do not see a future for myself here.

    Okay so you can’t wait to leave and come back to Nigeria? 

    Nah, not Nigeria. Somewhere else maybe. I’m done with the two countries. Living abroad has made me see how much we suffer in Nigeria. 

    Gun to your head, pick a place to stay, Ukraine or Nigeria?

    I’d pick Ukraine.

    Balance me here real quick.  So you’d rather stay where you face racism nonstop?

    There’s tribalism in Nigeria that lets people get more opportunities than others. They’re brothers. Nigerians even get violent sometimes. I’d stay here if it was the only choice. If I’m getting treated differently because I’m black, and I’m also getting treated differently because I’m Yoruba, what’s the difference?

    That’s…interesting.So, how is daily life in Ukraine?

    One thing I should let you know; feeding is cheap.

    Cheaper than in Nigeria?

    100%

    Wow! What do they eat?

    We have African stores here so you’ll buy your stuff. But food generally, is cheap. 

    What do Ukrainians eat?

    Apart from their traditional food, they eat a lot of junk. They have their own food but I haven’t tried it because I’m not interested. 

    So you’re not immersing yourself in their culture? 

    No. I don’t feel accepted so it’s not natural for me.

    Apart from food, how would you say it’s different from Nigeria? 

    Nightlife is very safe; you can walk on the roads at night even as a girl. I’m an introvert so I’ve never been to a club here but I hear it’s cheap to enter. I’ve got just a few friends, I’m not a people person. Transportation is also pretty chill. We’ve got buses, rail, and taxis, or you can ride your bicycle.

    But everyone here obeys every single traffic rule. Like robots. 

    How’s the weather?

    The weather is harsh. When it’s cold it’s extremely cold and when it’s hot it’s extremely hot.

    What is it right now?

    I don’t know if the world is coming to an end. But it’s summer right now and it’s extremely hot. 

    Hang in there!

    Check back every Friday by 12pm noon for a brand new Abroad Life story. If you’ll like to share your own story, please fill out this form.

  • The National Assembly is where the laws of Nigeria are made and bills like the infamous Social Media Bill are passed.  In fact, the House of Representatives certainly has more drama than Fuji House of Commotion.
    Ajegunle has got nothing on this.

    Nigerian men of parliament aren’t the only ones that have to throw punches and stunts in the name of democracy.

    Three years ago, Ukrainian parliamentarians, pulled off their ties and fought hard without shame, for their country of course!

    And this December, they decided to beat Nigerian senators at their own act and fight even harder, beating all human obstacles that came in their way.

    LMAO. From Mushin to parliament.

    We hope you are convinced beyond reasonable doubt on the international status of our senators.