NewStats: 3,261,446 , 8,174,029 topics. Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 10:01 AM 1k1p20

There is no gain without pain in life. We must sacrifice something for whatever gain we make. the concerted efforts made by the late pop legend, Michael Jackson, just to be able to shop in a mall in disguise. Inasmuch as relocating to the UK is a life-defining move and experience, it entails leaving behind some vital aspects of your life for better economic opportunities and a higher standard of living. These aspects will always be missed. Let's recount the interesting aspects of the Nigerian life below:

(1) Food:

You can easily get Nigerian delicacies in some cities in the UK, but that local flavour is always missing. I feel it needs the hands of the rugged women within the crude environment to get it right. For example, which Amala in the world can replace the famous Amala Skye in Ibadan?

(2) Social life:

The social life in the UK is either poor or strange to Africans. People in London are stepping it up with events but other cities are still lagging behind. Even when you organise social gatherings and send out invites, most people ignore them and pick shifts instead. This is unlike Lagos where people easily 'turn up'. what singer Banky W said about social life in Lagos, "Ain't no party like the Lagos party"

(3) Women:
Nigerian women are easily accessible as long as you have the money. You can easily see what Lagos socialite and other celebrities are doing with the dream women of people. Even when you are broke and you are organised as a man, you might still have your way. In contrast, the relationship market is different in the UK. It is a very conservative setting that abhors strangers. Ephemeral factors like skin colour, accent, ethnic background and visa status play key roles in who dates you.

(4) Work-life balance:

If you believe the hustle in Lagos is real, then you haven't seen the one in the UK. With the cost of living rising, I have seen people working 24 hours to make extra bucks. I once met a 48-year-old man who confided in me that he had been working 24 hours for 3 straight days. Most immigrants who set unrealistic targets for themselves end up living to work.

(5) Friendliness:

Nigerians are culturally friendly, especially if you are someone of high repute. Even when you are a nobody and you dress well, people easily get attracted to you. These people try to socialise with you. The UK will unconsciously teach you the differences of the ; colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Most people only relate with themselves either on a professional or strictly needs basis.

(6) Church:
Sunday mornings are lovely in Nigeria. People wear elegant dresses and head to church. The praise and worship session lightens your mood. It is always a moment of expression of joy. But in the UK, the roads are mostly deserted on Sunday mornings. This is because most people are nursing hangovers from the escapades on Saturday. In fact, you will doubt if the Britons actually introduced Christianity to Nigeria via Henry Townsend in 1842.

(7) Friends/Naija vibes:
It is easier to get people together in Nigeria than in the UK. In Nigeria, most people do 9-5 jobs and the weekends are sacred. Over here in the UK, every day seems the same. When you are free, your friend or neighbour is fully engaged. When you are on a day shift, he might be on a night shift. With Nigerians back home 'billing' the ones in the diaspora more than Ikeja Electric, people work throughout the week to send something home.

( Weather:
Nigeria has one of the best atmospheric conditions in the world. The weather is moderate and with technological devices, you can create your own comfort. In the UK, the weather is so cold and unpredictable. Most times, your sense of fashion goes out of the window. You just want to avoid being sickened by the cold, by wearing big jackets. These jackets make you look like Ninja Turtles. The weather remains more unstable than the mood of a woman seeing her period.

(9) Family :
When you start having kids in the UK, you will value family . It is mostly unavailable. Even when your family is here, most of them will be engaged because time is too valuable. In Nigeria, your parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and other family will always be available to you. All you have to do is to grease their palms, no matter how faint the oil is. At all at all na imm bad .

(10) Christmas and other festivities:
The Christmas Day vibe in Nigeria is second to none. People cook the best meals and share them in the neighbourhood. Visitors show up at your place for memorable times. In the UK, it is a bank holiday and some workplaces that can't afford to close, lure people to work with double pay. A greedy Nigerian will take the money and postpone the celebration for the following year. At the end of the year, all your memories might hover around depressing moments at work if care isn't taken.

Osahon George Osayimwen is a Journalist and a Psychologist. He writes from the UK.

Many proverbs in relation to the topic
- You can't have it all
- You can't have your cake and eat it.
- There is always price to pay
- The grass seems greener on the other side. Etc
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If you really know why you Japa from this shit hole, then you won't even miss a thing.

Semo, pounded yam , EWA egoyin, naija club vibes, you never cum

True

Ok lets talk about the 10 thousand things u wont miss?

Don’t japa
Stay here let’s make Nigeria better

Japa is cowardice

You would miss the food ofcourse if you the type that is into African food.

Then of-course the social life and your family. Then Naija girls and their entitlement mentality

Abroad can be a different world sometimes but i would always pick it 100 times over this suffer capital Nigeria with no direction under the present party - APC.

Chai..


Bloggers kept on praising UK with posts gracing frontpage steady steady.

UK indigenes, both in Nigeria and beyond, are on our social media platforms and news outlets for intelligence gathering.

They feel regular posts about their country and the Japa mentality is because their country is Great while you are chaff.

Plus the fact that they colonized you.

Enough of UK stuff.

I love them.. no hard feeling.. but let's focus on our mattaz here.

Biko!!!

Hian, una no dey taya for UK wahala, like seriously, don't marry, have a child or don't eat fufu and ogbono soup in the UK, don't eat suya and onions in Central London, Don't drink coffee ☕ in Birmingham, don't eat Eba and black soup in East London,, don't spend pounds in London but rather spend Naira, like seriously

Dey play oh... If u dey miss am come back huz

(9) Family :

Na the family be koko. Even we wey dey Naija dey miss una badly

Myssseww

Apart from family and friends, I will miss nothing about Nigeria if I leave this country.

maureensylvia:
Don’t japa
Stay here let’s make Nigeria better

Japa is cowardice

Misery loves company

Walai I’ll not miss anything sha

I've noticed that many anti-japa thread have been springing up lately all with the aim of trying to dissuade Japarians for japaing.

E no go work.

As long as the country is not rewarding labor of it's citizens people will continue to japa.
I've seen many people who travelled abroad to do company labourer work and after three years, they have built mansion in their hometown but can someone of equal workload in Nigeria achieve such a feat even in 10yrs time?

Abeg, let's leave that thing. Better to japa and suffer and see the fruit of your suffering than to stay here and suffer for nothing.

Until I get there

Story!
Yet people still want to enter UK.
How can you miss chaos?

omoredia:
Ok lets talk about the 10 thousand things u wont miss?

good question?

As long as the buck keeps coming there is no qualms.I will make some buck and after some years I will come and invest here.

Food will be the only thing I'll miss

Social Life: I'm an introvert

Women: I don't value our Naija women now, I surely won't value them when I leave

Work-Life Balance: Not every immigrant finds himself in this kind of situation (24 hours work ke)

Friendliness: I believe whites are also friendly

Church: I haven't been to church since 2022/2023 new year eve

Friends/Naija Vibes: Not an issue for me

Weather: Me miss our Naija hot weather, make I bend

Family : Probably

Christmas: I have never had any spectacular Christmas here ever since I became an adult. I will surely not miss it.

The freedom to just face any bush, pole, or fence (with the notice: do not urinate here) and piss will be hugely missed

Afang and eba !

Most of them aren't true.

food
There's a woman whom a friend used to take me to eat at her place, around Greenwich library in the UK, where we would go and eat amala. We'd come all the way from thamesmead to eat there. I've also eaten poundo yam there with Malta Guinness to take it down. Likewise in Chicago, at Aurora area. There's a woman who sells gari, isu, elubo, ogbono, worowo and other soup ingredients. A friend had taken me there before to buy gari and soup ingredients. You'd never miss home if you know your way. At a place called nazareth, near texas prison, a friend had taken me to one igbo woman where we went to eat eba with ofe nsala.

Christmas
No country in Europe celebrates Christmas more than the UK. They'd decorate their streets with beautiful lights and all,more than what we see in Nigeria. Christmas is much more celebrated over there than here in Nigeria.

Church
You can still worship on a Sunday in any church of choice if you like. Only naija go japa finish and forget all these...and be working on Sundays cos of money. They hardly socialise...it's money,.money and money yet, they still don't get that money. You'd see an oyinbo who drives refuse truck and still be visiting Disneyland with his family in US. Our people can work all year round , ki lo deeeh

Friendliness/friendship/social life
If you're the type who loves keeping friends, you can still be ok. But money they chase all about doesn't allow many to socialise. My friend in brooklyn had missed his bus stop many times cos he always slept off once he entered the train. Na work, work and work. How can he have time to socialise in all these or go to church? Na paki dey go mosque for UK. You hardly see our people to visit mosque and pray on a Friday. I was my neighbours Best friend back in the days in Buffalo, up state NY. It all depends on yourself. Our people hardly see their neighbours. Isę ni kura

Family
This even increases as people know your level don change. Demands would keep inceeasing

Brothel...I no sure ashewo house dey UK/Canada/US.

This is for my beer palour brothers...

Aro1 if u see this, we love you oooo.

Aryasand , stillmatic, abbeyologgy, That OG from akwanga nassarawa , borntowinmorepu**y, Dr Dauda sef dey, nwa chibuzor and every one that has contributed one way or the other

Mehhnnn.....

If u know, u know.

uche87:
There is no gain without pain in life. We must sacrifice something for whatever gain we make. the concerted efforts made by the late pop legend, Michael Jackson, just to be able to shop in a mall in disguise. Inasmuch as relocating to the UK is a life-defining move and experience, it entails leaving behind some vital aspects of your life for better economic opportunities and a higher standard of living. These aspects will always be missed. Let's recount the interesting aspects of the Nigerian life below:

(1) Food:

You can easily get Nigerian delicacies in some cities in the UK, but that local flavour is always missing. I feel it needs the hands of the rugged women within the crude environment to get it right. For example, which Amala in the world can replace the famous Amala Skye in Ibadan?

(2) Social life:

The social life in the UK is either poor or strange to Africans. People in London are stepping it up with events but other cities are still lagging behind. Even when you organise social gatherings and send out invites, most people ignore them and pick shifts instead. This is unlike Lagos where people easily 'turn up'. what singer Banky W said about social life in Lagos, "Ain't no party like the Lagos party"

(3) Women:
Nigerian women are easily accessible as long as you have the money. You can easily see what Lagos socialite and other celebrities are doing with the dream women of people. Even when you are broke and you are organised as a man, you might still have your way. In contrast, the relationship market is different in the UK. It is a very conservative setting that abhors strangers. Ephemeral factors like skin colour, accent, ethnic background and visa status play key roles in who dates you.

(4) Work-life balance:

If you believe the hustle in Lagos is real, then you haven't seen the one in the UK. With the cost of living rising, I have seen people working 24 hours to make extra bucks. I once met a 48-year-old man who confided in me that he had been working 24 hours for 3 straight days. Most immigrants who set unrealistic targets for themselves end up living to work.

(5) Friendliness:

Nigerians are culturally friendly, especially if you are someone of high repute. Even when you are a nobody and you dress well, people easily get attracted to you. These people try to socialise with you. The UK will unconsciously teach you the differences of the ; colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Most people only relate with themselves either on a professional or strictly needs basis.

(6) Church:
Sunday mornings are lovely in Nigeria. People wear elegant dresses and head to church. The praise and worship session lightens your mood. It is always a moment of expression of joy. But in the UK, the roads are mostly deserted on Sunday mornings. This is because most people are nursing hangovers from the escapades on Saturday. In fact, you will doubt if the Britons actually introduced Christianity to Nigeria via Henry Townsend in 1842.

(7) Friends/Naija vibes:
It is easier to get people together in Nigeria than in the UK. In Nigeria, most people do 9-5 jobs and the weekends are sacred. Over here in the UK, every day seems the same. When you are free, your friend or neighbour is fully engaged. When you are on a day shift, he might be on a night shift. With Nigerians back home 'billing' the ones in the diaspora more than Ikeja Electric, people work throughout the week to send something home.

( Weather:
Nigeria has one of the best atmospheric conditions in the world. The weather is moderate and with technological devices, you can create your own comfort. In the UK, the weather is so cold and unpredictable. Most times, your sense of fashion goes out of the window. You just want to avoid being sickened by the cold, by wearing big jackets. These jackets make you look like Ninja Turtles. The weather remains more unstable than the mood of a woman seeing her period.

(9) Family :
When you start having kids in the UK, you will value family . It is mostly unavailable. Even when your family is here, most of them will be engaged because time is too valuable. In Nigeria, your parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and other family will always be available to you. All you have to do is to grease their palms, no matter how faint the oil is. At all at all na imm bad .

(10) Christmas and other festivities:
The Christmas Day vibe in Nigeria is second to none. People cook the best meals and share them in the neighbourhood. Visitors show up at your place for memorable times. In the UK, it is a bank holiday and some workplaces that can't afford to close, lure people to work with double pay. A greedy Nigerian will take the money and postpone the celebration for the following year. At the end of the year, all your memories might hover around depressing moments at work if care isn't taken.

Osahon George Osayimwen is a Journalist and a Psychologist. He writes from the UK.

You forgot the most important: In Nigeria you can piss anywhere