4 People Who Regretted Relocating to Nigeria and Moved back Abroad again

• "Japada" is a Nigerian slang term used to describe the act of returning to Nigeria after previously emigrating ("japa") to another country, but sometimes, people relocate overseas a second time
• Some Nigerians who relocated to the country after their sojourn abroad had unexpectedly changed their minds and moved back abroad
• In this article, Legit.ng revisits the stories of four Nigerians who regretted their decision to move back to Nigeria and went overseas again.

After their stay abroad, some Nigerians decide, for reasons best known to them, to move back to their home country permanently or follow a chosen path.

However, in the past, some people have proved that one can relocate overseas a second time by unexpectedly emigrating overseas after initially returning to Nigeria.

Legit.ng has spotlighted the stories of four individuals, one of them a couple, who changed their minds after previously moving back to Nigeria.

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1. Man returns to UK to start afresh

After previously announcing on TikTok that he had relocated permanently to Nigeria, a young man, known on the social media platform as @okikiolatours, regretted his decision many weeks later.

In a recent video made in the UK, he said he had to run back overseas to start afresh as he could not successful set up a business in Nigeria as he had intended.

"I regretted my decision. I wasn't expecting that. I regretted my decision. I regretted my decision.

"In fact, I never regret decision wey I take for my life. This will be the first decision wey I do wey I regret. You see, the initial plan there, the initial plan of relocating was okay. I felt I wasn't really feeling this country because of some reasons wey I stated..." his explanation partly read.

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2. PhD candidate who relocated abroad again

On October 28, 2024, a PhD graduate, Usman Isyaku, said he completed his studies in the UK and returned to take up a job in Nigeria that pays an equivalent of N250k.

It is noteworthy that his monthly allowance as a PhD student in the UK was 1,550 GBP per month (N3.4 million at the time).

Despite the pay for the Nigerian job, Usman said he remained patriotic until he realised how foolish he was and left the country. His Facebook post read:

"My monthly allowance as a PhD student in the UK was 1,550 GBP per month (3,400,000 Naira). I finished and returned back to a job that pays today's equivalent of 250,000 Naira per month. I was patriotic until I realised how foolish I was and I left.

"The foolishness was my assumption that Nigeria needs my expertise and that somehow I can be able to feed my family with such an unlivable salary. Anyone with a job offer who decides to stay back abroad is only responding to the realities of life in Nigeria today.

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"Nobody cares even if you are Albert Einstein. Where people are struggling to eat 3-square meals is not a place PhD graduates will be willing to return to unless if you just want to be politically correct and lie to yourself!"

3. Couple move back abroad again

An X user, Opeyemi Babalola, shared the story of a couple who had lived in the United States for 35 years and relocated to Nigeria, only to return abroad.

Opeyemi said that a send-off was held for the couple and other older couples in April, as they wanted to retire in Nigeria.

He was, however, blown away to see them in church in the United States shortly after they left, suggesting they had changed their minds. His tweet read:

"We had a sent forth party for older couples in April. They have stayed in the US for 35 years and went to Nigeria for their retirement. I saw them in church again yesterday.

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Man starts laundry after relocating to Nigeria

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that a man had started a laundry business after relocating to Nigeria and shared why.

While speaking highly of the Southeast Asian countries he lived in, the Nigerian said he realised Nigeria has hidden opportunities. His statement partly read:

"I discovered that abroad isn't always that better. When I moved to Vietnam and Malaysia, I thought everything will be perfect. Yes, the environment was clean, the system worked, and the cities were developed. But, I also realised something deep: Success is not always about where you are..."

Source: Legit.ng