NewStats: 3,265,390 , 8,186,584 topics. Date: Saturday, 14 June 2025 at 06:04 PM 6gz6x

The West sells you a dream: "Come abroad, earn in dollars, live the good life." But behind this promise is a well-designed trap. They NEED you, but only to fuel their economy. They dangle opportunities while ensuring you remain an economic slave.

1. CURRENCY MANIPULATION: YOU CAN NEVER WIN

Your home currency is deliberately weakened so Western economies can buy resources cheaply and extract skilled labor.

Sending money home? High fees and bad exchange rates ensure you lose value every time.

Want to return? The money you’ve saved abroad suddenly means nothing back home. You’re forced to stay and keep working for them.

2. THE MORTGAGE SCAM: YOU’LL NEVER REALLY OWN YOUR HOME

They push 30-year mortgages so you stay locked into their economy.

After interest, you pay 3X the home’s value.

Miss payments? The bank takes everything.

Even if you pay it off, property tax ensures you NEVER truly own it.

Most immigrants work two or three jobs just to afford a house they barely have time to live in.

3. THE SALARY DECEPTION: HIGH PAY, BUT YOU OWN NOTHING

Your paycheck is taxed 30-40% before you even touch it.

Cost of living is adjusted so you never have excess money.

Layoffs happen anytime—one recession and you’re done.

Work visas tie you to one employer, so you can’t demand better pay or leave without risking deportation.

You work more, but never get ahead. It’s a hamster wheel.

4. THE SOCIAL LIFE KILLER: ISOLATION & BROKEN HOMES

Back home, you have community, celebrations, family bonds.

Abroad? Work dominates everything.

Friendships are transactional—no real connections.

Marriages become financial traps—divorce laws ensure men lose big.

Your kids grow up disconnected from your culture.

5. THE WORK VISA TRAP: LEGALIZED EXPLOITATION

Western countries market job visas, but here’s the truth:

You’re tied to a single employer.

You pay thousands in visa renewals.

If you lose your job, you risk deportation.

Your spouse may not even be allowed to work.

They use immigrants as cheap, obedient labor—then replace them when done.

6. STUDENT LOANS: A LIFETIME OF DEBT

Western universities recruit Africans aggressively.

You pay outrageously high tuition.

You take massive student loans that take decades to repay.

After graduating, you struggle to find jobs due to work restrictions.

You thought you were escaping poverty? You just bought a lifetime of debt.

7. THE FINAL BETRAYAL: THE WEST TAKES EVEN YOUR DEATH

After decades of working, sacrificing, and paying taxes, the final insult:

Inheritance tax takes up to 50% of your wealth before your kids see a dime.

If no heir is named, the government seizes everything.

Even in death, they profit off you.

8. WHO REALLY BENEFITS FROM JAPA?

The UK, US, Canada, and Europe need African doctors, engineers, and IT specialists to sustain their economies. But instead of treating them well, they trap them in a cycle of debt, taxation, and economic servitude.

For every one immigrant who “makes it,” thousands are stuck in financial slavery.

9. THE REAL PATH TO FREEDOM

Invest in Africa—stop letting them steal your resources and talents.

Use the West strategically—take the money, get the skills, but don’t get trapped.

Build generational wealth—pool resources, invest at home, and create local opportunities.

Know the game—JAPA is not an escape, it’s a new prison.

WAKE UP.

The dream they sold you is a carefully crafted illusion.

For years, the West—especially America, Canada, and the UK—has been selling Nigerians the “Japa” dream: leave Nigeria’s fuel scarcity, bad roads, and Boko Haram behind for big money, nice houses, and freedom. Social media floods with pictures of Nigerians in New York, London, or Toronto, flashing smiles and fancy cars, shouting #JAPALife and #AmericanDream. But let me break it down for you, my brothers and sisters—this is a big, fat lie. The West has turned Japa into a trap, a hidden system of modern slavery that milks us dry while pretending to offer opportunity. Let’s tear off the mask and face the brutal truth.
Hidden Currency Devaluation: You’re Poorer Than You Think
Your $50,000 salary feels like ₦75 million back home, but rent, food, and bills swallow it faster than a Lagos politician grabs public funds. The West keeps your naira weak and your dollar weak in buying power, so you’re stuck working for peanuts while they laugh all the way to the bank.

Slave Mortgages & Asset Stripping: Your House Isn’t Yours
They sell you the dream of owning a house—a nice Lagos-style compound in America. But it’s a 30-year mortgage trap with 7% interest (even after their rate cuts, per X posts in 2025). For a $300,000 house in Houston, you pay $3,000/month, three times the house’s value over time. Miss a payment, and they kick you out faster than NEPA cuts power. When you die, inheritance taxes—40-50% on anything over $13.6 million, or even state taxes in places like Washington—steal your wealth, leaving your kids with nothing. If you’re single or deported, the government or predatory landlords grab your house. Your so-called “asset” is just another chain.

Slave Jobs & The Great Pay Lie: You Work Like a Mule for Peanuts
They promise big salaries—$60,000 for a nurse, $80,000 for an engineer—but here’s the catch: taxes grab 30-40% before you see a dime. You’re stuck in at-will jobs, meaning they can fire you anytime. Gig work (Uber, DoorDash) has no benefits, and immigration ties you to one bad job via visas like H-1B—no switching without risking deportation. Wages don’t match costs—rent’s $2,000/month, food’s $500, and healthcare’s another $400. You’re working 12-hour shifts, juggling three jobs, but still broke. And don’t forget wage theft—bosses underpay or don’t pay overtime, leaving you chasing courts that favor them.

Zero Culture, Zero Social Life: Your Soul Dies in Silence
Back home, you had Lagos jollof, Yoruba weddings, Igbo festivals—community everywhere. In America, it’s dead. Friends are transactional—people only hang out for money or work. You’re stuck in redlined inner-city ghettos (Detroit, South LA, Newark), where buses don’t run, parks are dangerous, and neighbors are too tired to talk. Work consumes your life—60-hour weeks, no time for church, mosque, or even a suya party.

Marriages? Predatory traps—some marry you for green cards, drain your savings, then divorce, leaving you broke via U.S. laws that favor locals. Your Nigerian culture fades as your kids learn Western ways in schools that erase your heritage, teaching them to see you as “backward.”

Slave Bills & Financial Punishments: You’re Chained to Debt
Every bill in the West has teeth—rent due on the 1st, utilities on the 15th, credit cards at 18% interest (per Bankrate, 2025), car loans at 8%, student loans at 6%. Miss one? Late fees ($35-$100) and sky-high interest (29.99% penalty APRs) turn $5,000 debt into $7,500 fast. Sporadic jobs (layoffs, gig cuts) mean you can’t keep up—your credit score tanks, locking you out of loans, forcing you back into slavery. Healthcare’s another trap—miss insurance, and a $10,000 hospital bill bankrupts you. Predatory landlords jack up rent, evict for late payments, and charge extra for “maintenance” you never see. You’re a financial prisoner, always one paycheck from ruin.

Healthcare Traps: You Pay for Pain
They free healthcare, but it’s a lie. Without insurance, a simple hospital visit costs thousands—$10,000 for appendicitis, $5,000 for a broken leg. With insurance, deductibles ($2,000-$5,000) and co-pays ($50/visit) still bleed you dry. Immigrants can’t afford private plans, so you delay care, get sicker, and lose work. The system profits from your pain, while you pray for Nigeria’s public hospitals—flawed, but cheaper than America’s greed.

Predatory Immigration Policies & Work Visa Chains: You’re Their Slave
The U.S. H-1B, Canada’s LMIA, UK’s Tier 2 visas are designed to trap you. They tie you to one employer, banning job switches without risking deportation. Renewals cost thousands—legal fees, applications, and delays keep you compliant. Spouses can’t work, draining your wallet further. Employers underpay, overwork, and threaten visa cancellations if you complain. You’re a captive laborer, not a citizen, feeding their economy while they dangle permanent residency like a carrot you’ll never reach.

Student Loan Slavery: Degrees That Chain You
Western universities lure Nigerians with scholarships and degrees, but it’s a debt trap. Out-of-state tuition’s $40,000/year, student loans hit 6% interest, and jobs post-graduation pay $50,000—below living costs. You’re stuck paying $500/month for decades, working slave jobs to cover it. Many end up in gig work, not their field, while the West profits from your tuition and debt.

The Asset Grab Upon Death & Wealth Destruction
Even after decades of toil, the West steals your legacy. Die, and inheritance taxes—40-50% federally (over $13.6M, per IRS 2025) or 16% in states like Washington—wipe out your savings. If no heirs exist, the government or predatory spouses/ex-partners seize your $300,000 house or $100,000 savings. Your Nigerian family gets nothing—your dream dies with you, ensuring wealth never builds for your lineage.

Who Really Wins from JAPA?
America, Canada, and the UK need Nigerians—doctors, engineers, nurses—to prop up aging economies. They promote Japa on X, Instagram, and TikTok with fake success stories (#JAPALife, #AmericanDream), but for every “made it” post, hundreds suffer in silence. You fuel their hospitals, tech firms, and farms, but they keep you broke, isolated, and dependent. Influencers cash in on your dreams, while governments and corporations rake in profits from your labor.

The Mental Health Toll: You’re Breaking Inside
The pressure—debt, loneliness, job insecurity, cultural loss—crushes you. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD spike among Nigerian immigrants, per 2025 WHO reports on X. You miss Lagos laughter, Abuja mosques, Port Harcourt parties, but you’re stuck in a sterile, isolated life, numbed by antidepressants and work. The West doesn’t care—it profits from your breakdown, keeping you productive until you burn out.

The Way Forward for Nigerians
Don’t fall for Japa’s lies. Instead:
Build at Home: Fix Nigeria—start businesses, demand better governance, invest locally. Nigeria’s problems (fuel queues, insecurity) can be solved if we unite.
Use the West Strategically: Take skills, earn dollars, but send money home wisely, avoid debt traps, and plan to return or invest back home.
Pool Resources: Form Nigerian investment groups—buy land, start companies, and create wealth that stays in our hands, not theirs.
Know the Traps: Don’t believe the hype—research debt, taxes, and jobs before you leave. Japa isn’t freedom; it’s a cage.
Japa isn’t your salvation—it’s their exploitation scheme. The West needs you, but it doesn’t love you. Break free, Nigeria—don’t let them turn your dreams into their profit.

Kabukabu propaganda mill/machine. Instead of attacking the better option, make Nigeria fair for all and not one ethnic group n their animals. After shouting like a man all day, you will still gather your APC Osusu n go buy a wooden home in US to secure your personal future.

Voice of real EXPERIENCE. Kudos.
BUT the West didn't craft anything. Things just turned out that way. They're not begging nor forcing anyone, and infact they make it hard to get in.
Also, japa can help someone in Nigeria regardless - just moving to somewhere else can kickstart someone's fortune. Just as moving back to Nigeria can help someone feeling stuck abroad. Everything is NOT always about money and infrastructure!

CodeTemplar:
Kabukabu propaganda mill/machine. Instead of attackinf the better option make Nigeria fair for all and not one ethnic group n their animals. After shouting like a mxan allday, you will still gather yourAPC Osusu n go buy a wooden home in US to secure your personal future.

Thank you for your input.
Your sanity will be assumed.
Although your comment says otherwise.

DaddyCoool:
Voice of real EXPERIENCE. Kudos.
BUT the West didn't craft anything. Things just turned out that way. They're not begging nor forcing anyone, and infact they make it hard to get in.
Also, japa can help someone in Nigeria - just moving to somewhere else can kickstart someone.

Thats the real street they are running on us, making us believe they are not begging or forcing anyone, while sabotaging our countries with loans we can never pay back and selecting the best brains when screening in visa interviews.

If we only have 2 houses in a city,(USA and Nigeria) and i light my neighbors house on fire,(remove oil subsidy and forex subsidy) then i charge them $1000 to stay in my house, while they repair theirs,(JAPA) i tell them they can pay the $1000 slowly.(Mortgage) I now give them jobs in my house, jobs that should pay $200/day but i only pay them $100/day. I also collect the money back from them as rent,(bills,utilities and taxes) because i am the one giving them housing. As they now dont have money to rebuilt their burnt house,I borrow them $10000 at 20% interest,(IMF and world bank) knowing fully well they wont be able to pay.
Essentially i have been able to make them work for free under the illusion that i am paying them., and also saddled them with a debt they can never pay back. All i have to do to get free labor is to make sure, i go around and burn their house when they are trying to rebuild it.

Its a complex scam, but if you step out of the picture, you will see it clearly.

malali:


Thats the real street they are running on us, making us believe they are not begging or forcing anyone, while sabotaging our countries with loans we can never pay back and selecting the best brains when screening in visa interviews.

If we only have 2 houses in a city, and i light my neighbors house on fire, then i charge them $1000 to stay in my house, while they repair theirs, i tell them they can pay the $1000 slowly. I ran now give them jobs in my house, jobs that should pay $200/day but i only pay the $100/day. I also collect the money back from them as i am the one giving them housing.
Essentially i have been able to make them work for free under the illusion that i am paying them. All i have to do to get free labor is to make sure, i go around and burn their house when they are trying to rebuild it.

Its a complex scam, but if you step out of the picture, you will see it clearly.

There is no deliberate scam. Don't forget, "the West" is NOT a monolith. There is no "they". Take a country like US, Trump is undoing everything Biden did and even sacking the bureaucracy. Competing interests all over. So who is the "they" with this masterplan??

malali:


Thank you for your input.
Your sanity will be assumed.
Although your comment says otherwise.

Sanitometre i hail o. Only a fool wont see the folly of your propaganda effort

CodeTemplar:
Sanitometre i hail o. Only a fool wont see the folly of your propaganda effort

It's NOT Propaganda. He gave you what HE has experienced and witnessed. But that doesn't mean that'll be YOUR experience. So that shouldn't stop you from japa. Also japa is simply good for the soul. It could Kickstart your fortune, also it's better to go and see for yourself instead of staying in Nigeria imagining abroad is heaven and you're missing out!

CodeTemplar:
Sanitometre i hail o. Only a fool wont see the folly of your propaganda effort

Ooohhh.....Now i know why you didnt see it .

DaddyCoool:


It's NOT Propaganda. He gave you what HE has experienced and witnessed. But that doesn't mean that'll be YOUR experience. So that shouldn't stop you from japa. Also japa is simply good for the soul. It could Kickstart your fortune, also it's better to go and see for yourself instead of staying in Nigeria imagining abroad is heaven and you're missing out!

Good analysis.

DaddyCoool:


There is no deliberate scam. Don't forget, "the West" is NOT a monolith. There is no "they". Take a country like US, Trump is undoing everything Biden did and even sacking the bureaucracy. Competing interests all over. So who is the "they" with this masterplan??

Dont forget during the slave trade era too...There was no "they"
The west wasn't a "monolith"
The slaves were being traded in an open free market.
Competing with interests all over
Have you heard of invisible handcuffs......You get there and start asking but no one is restraining them.

Traveling abroad is a personal choice.

DaddyCoool:


It's NOT Propaganda. He gave you what HE has experienced and witnessed. But that doesn't mean that'll be YOUR experience. So that shouldn't stop you from japa. Also japa is simply good for the soul. It could Kickstart your fortune, also it's better to go and see for yourself instead of staying in Nigeria imagining abroad is heaven and you're missing out!

I believe in having a target ... travel if you believe it will improve your life.....

Fantastic thread ...

They use you as cheap labor

malali:
The West sells you a dream: "Come abroad, earn in dollars, live the good life." But behind this promise is a well-designed trap. They NEED you, but only to fuel their economy. They dangle opportunities while ensuring you remain an economic slave.

I tried to explain this to a few people some months back but most people seem hypnotized. The UK conservative government came and removed for universities then they started targeting students from India,China, Nigeria , Philippines
Rich countries that have students that can afford tuition fees and made it attractive by allowing you bring your family along..... and they can even use the extra revenue to provide scholarships for their own citizens.

But I stopped bothering because the majority of the people japaing are people that already have more than most of us,they can afford it.
Its those who can't afford it that go to extreme lenghts to be able to Japa that I pity....
Many are stranded abroad already

Nigeria is not in anyway the option if you want to stay and build your life except you politics or manipulate your way to wealthy class. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there are people not doing well legitimately but they are few.

Japa is a personal choice and majority who had left via legal route and work visa class tends to make it well and invest in real estate, etc here in Nigeria. Most average to rich people in Nigeria business space obtain their funding from foreign currency earned when in overseas. How many working class or business individuals in Nigeria are that rich or wealthy?

Japa all the way. Most hotels, factories, estates, hospitals, business chains are built by diasporans.
Earn money there, invest back home. It's not hard 🤷

Dynamicboss:
Nigeria is not in anyway the option if you want to stay and build your life except you politics or manipulate your way to wealthy class. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there are people not doing well legitimately but they are few.

I laugh when I read comments like this

So where will the 220 million of us go to and which country will take us in.
The fact is NOT EVERYBODY WILL JAPA EVEN IF ENTRY WAS THROWN OPEN, I mean some people will be like the west is full of diseases , id rather remain in my naija.

Please Japa if you can afford it , but please stop making it look like people that don't Japa don't have a future , they do and it may be brighter than some of those that japa

My Japa is not a scam, living my best life through my career here in London while Nigeria will never give me the same life opportunities I presently have. Even a monthly salary of N2m in Nigeria, will not make me consider relocating back.😂

This life is once and I will not matyr my dreams for Nigeria, that will neither nurture it.

If you are convinced living in Nigeria suits your aspirations, please do stay and work towards it.

Obiedun:
They use you as cheap labor

They use you as cheaper labour in Nigeria.

Mindlog:


They use you as cheaper labour in Nigeria.

You are are more else a slave over there. No freedom. Trum has come . Kemi Badenock no dey joke.

Nice thread! JAPA is really a vicious cycle many are trapped in unknowingly

You ended up posting rubbish....

Enjoy your Nigeria in peace.

malali:
The West sells you a dream: "Come abroad, earn in dollars, live the good life." But behind this promise is a well-designed trap. They NEED you, but only to fuel their economy. They dangle opportunities while ensuring you remain an economic slave.

1. CURRENCY MANIPULATION: YOU CAN NEVER WIN

Your home currency is deliberately weakened so Western economies can buy resources cheaply and extract skilled labor.

Sending money home? High fees and bad exchange rates ensure you lose value every time.

Want to return? The money you’ve saved abroad suddenly means nothing back home. You’re forced to stay and keep working for them.

2. THE MORTGAGE SCAM: YOU’LL NEVER REALLY OWN YOUR HOME

They push 30-year mortgages so you stay locked into their economy.

After interest, you pay 3X the home’s value.

Miss payments? The bank takes everything.

Even if you pay it off, property tax ensures you NEVER truly own it.

Most immigrants work two or three jobs just to afford a house they barely have time to live in.

3. THE SALARY DECEPTION: HIGH PAY, BUT YOU OWN NOTHING

Your paycheck is taxed 30-40% before you even touch it.

Cost of living is adjusted so you never have excess money.

Layoffs happen anytime—one recession and you’re done.

Work visas tie you to one employer, so you can’t demand better pay or leave without risking deportation.

You work more, but never get ahead. It’s a hamster wheel.

4. THE SOCIAL LIFE KILLER: ISOLATION & BROKEN HOMES

Back home, you have community, celebrations, family bonds.

Abroad? Work dominates everything.

Friendships are transactional—no real connections.

Marriages become financial traps—divorce laws ensure men lose big.

Your kids grow up disconnected from your culture.

5. THE WORK VISA TRAP: LEGALIZED EXPLOITATION

Western countries market job visas, but here’s the truth:

You’re tied to a single employer.

You pay thousands in visa renewals.

If you lose your job, you risk deportation.

Your spouse may not even be allowed to work.

They use immigrants as cheap, obedient labor—then replace them when done.

6. STUDENT LOANS: A LIFETIME OF DEBT

Western universities recruit Africans aggressively.

You pay outrageously high tuition.

You take massive student loans that take decades to repay.

After graduating, you struggle to find jobs due to work restrictions.

You thought you were escaping poverty? You just bought a lifetime of debt.

7. THE FINAL BETRAYAL: THE WEST TAKES EVEN YOUR DEATH

After decades of working, sacrificing, and paying taxes, the final insult:

Inheritance tax takes up to 50% of your wealth before your kids see a dime.

If no heir is named, the government seizes everything.

Even in death, they profit off you.

8. WHO REALLY BENEFITS FROM JAPA?

The UK, US, Canada, and Europe need African doctors, engineers, and IT specialists to sustain their economies. But instead of treating them well, they trap them in a cycle of debt, taxation, and economic servitude.

For every one immigrant who “makes it,” thousands are stuck in financial slavery.

9. THE REAL PATH TO FREEDOM

Invest in Africa—stop letting them steal your resources and talents.

Use the West strategically—take the money, get the skills, but don’t get trapped.

Build generational wealth—pool resources, invest at home, and create local opportunities.

Know the game—JAPA is not an escape, it’s a new prison.

WAKE UP.

The dream they sold you is a carefully crafted illusion.

Wake up from the propaganda


If I have the funds to leave this country, I will.
You know the truth
A medical officer in Nigeria working in a government owned institution earns ₦300,000 while His colleague on Sierra lonne earns ₦1.5million with social amenities and work benefits.
You are here saying japa this japa that.
You've not been in the position of the common man in Nigeria where every single element plus the government is against you.

Chibuezem:
Wake up from the propaganda
If I have the funds to leave this country, I will.
You know the truth
A medical officer in Nigeria working in a government owned institution earns ₦300,000 while His colleague on Sierra lonne earns ₦1.5million with social amenities and work benefits.
You are here saying japa this japa that.
You've not been in the position of the common man in Nigeria where every single element plus the government is against you.

Are you a medical personnel ? How old are you ?

Obiedun:
You are are more else a slave over there. No freedom. Trum has come . Kemi Badenock no dey joke.

Wetin concern me and Kemi?

I have way more freedom in the UK than in Nigeria.

-I go for my 9 to 5 job, Monday to Friday working in my office overlooking the iconic London bridge and Tower bridge.

-Getting well paid in the public service, salary is being paid every 20th of the month and increased every April, overtime pay is fantastic.

-I have 6 weeks paid annual leave.

-Have free access to gym and leisure facilities as a staff

-What I earn in day can easily pay for a return flight ticket from London to Paris and spend the weekend there in .

I can't exchange all that, to work in Nigeria's civil service.😂😂😂

Most important is, I am in a place that nurtures my mental wellbeing


Enjoy your "Masterhood" in Nigeria, I will never shame anyone for that.

Anyone that suits u. Life is perspectives

Difrent:


I laugh when I read comments like this

So where will the 220 million of us go to and which country will take us in.
The fact is NOT EVERYBODY WILL JAPA EVEN IF ENTRY WAS THROWN OPEN, I mean some people will be like the west is full of diseases , id rather remain in my naija.

Please Japa if you can afford it , but please stop making it look like people that don't Japa don't have a future g , they do and it may be brighter than some of those that japa

Japa is not meant for everybody but if you have left the shore of this country, you will understand Nigeria is a living hell