NewStats: 3,261,670 , 8,174,720 topics. Date: Friday, 30 May 2025 at 04:12 AM 2936z

When Ngozi was still in Nigeria, she lived in her parents’ massive duplex in Enugu. You know the type — 3 living rooms, 2 balconies, 5 toilets (that nobody uses), and space to jog from the gate to the kitchen. Life was good.

Then she japa’d to the UK for her master’s.

Her first rented room in London was a Box room.
Literally. A small square that looks like it was designed for house rats with ambition.

She called her brother back home on video call.
“Chuka, this is my new room!”

He said, “Ah ah… that’s the wardrobe na. Where’s the real room?”

Ngozi sighed, “This is the real room. My bed touches all four walls. If I sneeze, my elbow hits the side.”

Let’s talk about rent. Back in Nigeria, ₦450k could rent a full flat with boys’ quarters and goats in the backyard 🤣🤣 for a year.
In the UK? £500 = NGN 110k a month gets you a room so small, even your thoughts need to queue to enter.

Then there’s heating. In Nigeria, if NEPA tries rubbish, you fan yourself with church bulletin.
In the UK, if you forget to turn on the heater?
You wake up shaking like an exorcism is happening.

Ngozi once made the mistake of trying to reduce bills by turning off the heat overnight.
She woke up with her nose frozen, and blanket on her head

Bathroom matters?
In Nigeria: 3 bathrooms, one just for decoration.
In the UK: 5 housemates, 1 bathroom. If you spend more than 10 minutes, someone starts knocking like EFCC.

Washing machine? You have to schedule it like a doctor’s appointment.
Cooking? Be fast or your jollof rice will be labeled “eviction rice.”

One day, Ngozi sat in her box room and said,
“In Nigeria, I used to open fridge for fun. Here, I open fridge and calculate electricity bill.”

But you see Ngozi? She’s adjusting, laughing through it all — because she knows one day she’ll own her own duplex again probably starting with a mortgage....maybe she would pay for the house 20 yrs before she can own it, if she doesn't loose job or default in payment due to sickness... House would be foreclosed!

Back home, space is cheap and light is unpredictable. Abroad, space is tight and bills are very predictable — and consistently painful.

But we still like it like that 😏

©️ Queen Abigail

Igbos does not shout Ah ah... as insinuated in the story. Why use Igbo names in your made up story?

₦450k could rent a full flat with boys’ quarters and goats in the backyard

in which part of Nigeria exactly?

At least no spontaneous chase from herdsmen and bandits

mightyhaze:
At least no spontaneous chase from herdsmen and bandits

How many times have herdsmen chased you?

tunjijones:


How many times have herdsmen chased you?

Those being chased and hacked,you are better human than them?

mightyhaze:
Those being chased and hacked,you are better human than them?

Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

tunjijones:


Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

wake up calls are healthy... For those who seek to improve though..not unscrupulous people who love self deceit... That's what score cards are meant for. Score cards are meant to point out areas of default and urge u on to change or improve where necessary

Any Nigerian downplaying these things instead agitating for a change in status quo is a criminal

U.K is so overrated!

Thank God I didn't make that mistake of "JAPAING" back then. By now, my own lamentation for this one.

See as house tight like my fowl cage. The stress of working round the clock nko? Followed by the characteristic don't do this, don't do that. On top wetin? Saner Clime

The monumental suffering that I experienced in my University days has always been my guide to any life's decision. The moment I want to undertake a venture and someone says you'll have to "suffer a few years before you find your feet". I'll immediately reject that venture. I don too suffer for University abeg, I refuse to suffer again in my life.

Nigeria is not perfect, I go dey manage am like that. Afterall, saner clime is not for everybody.

PS- Any JAPARIAN or intending JAPARIAN wey body dey pepper should avoid my mention. I get hot temper! I no dey hear e don do. I go drag you like Tiger generator.

ariesbull:
When Ngozi was still in Nigeria, she lived in her parents’ massive duplex in Enugu. You know the type — 3 living rooms, 2 balconies, 5 toilets (that nobody uses), and space to jog from the gate to the kitchen. Life was good.

Then she japa’d to the UK for her master’s.

Her first rented room in London was a Box room.
Literally. A small square that looks like it was designed for house rats with ambition.

She called her brother back home on video call.
“Chuka, this is my new room!”

He said, “Ah ah… that’s the wardrobe na. Where’s the real room?”

Ngozi sighed, “This is the real room. My bed touches all four walls. If I sneeze, my elbow hits the side.”

Let’s talk about rent. Back in Nigeria, ₦450k could rent a full flat with boys’ quarters and goats in the backyard 🤣🤣 for a year.
In the UK? £500 = NGN 110k a month gets you a room so small, even your thoughts need to queue to enter.

Then there’s heating. In Nigeria, if NEPA tries rubbish, you fan yourself with church bulletin.
In the UK, if you forget to turn on the heater?
You wake up shaking like an exorcism is happening.

Ngozi once made the mistake of trying to reduce bills by turning off the heat overnight.
She woke up with her nose frozen, and blanket on her head

Bathroom matters?
In Nigeria: 3 bathrooms, one just for decoration.
In the UK: 5 housemates, 1 bathroom. If you spend more than 10 minutes, someone starts knocking like EFCC.

Washing machine? You have to schedule it like a doctor’s appointment.
Cooking? Be fast or your jollof rice will be labeled “eviction rice.”

One day, Ngozi sat in her box room and said,
“In Nigeria, I used to open fridge for fun. Here, I open fridge and calculate electricity bill.”

But you see Ngozi? She’s adjusting, laughing through it all — because she knows one day she’ll own her own duplex again probably starting with a mortgage....maybe she would pay for the house 20 yrs before she can own it, if she doesn't loose job or default in payment due to sickness... House would be foreclosed!

Back home, space is cheap and light is unpredictable. Abroad, space is tight and bills are very predictable — and consistently painful.

But we still like it like that 😏

©️ Queen Abigail

The picture of her room (box room) reminds me of the one I lived in when I first came to the UK. Mine was actually smaller than that. I lived there for 9 months. It was a starting point. Everyone has to start somewhere. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards to move forwards. I went from renting a box room to eventually being a landlord to tenants. I know how much I send to Nigeria every month for different reasons.

Do you know that diasporans in the UK remitted about $3.53 billion back to Nigeria in 2022? 2nd only after USA? Globally, about $20 billion was remitted back home by Nigerian diasporans. That same year Nigeria earned $35.7 billion form Oil & Gas. That same year Foreign Direct Investment from other sources was -$0.19 billion (negative). The highest it had ever been up till then from 2010 was $8.84 billion in 2011. Bear in mind that the FG would have spent millions of dollars on trade missions and other government sponsored junkets in order to woo investors, and also make certain tax breaks and other incentives available for FDI. Money from diasporans is money to Nigeria FOR FREE.

Nobody gives diasporans any tax breaks for investing in Nigeria, just like is given to the already rich Chinese, Arabs and westerners. Diasporans work extremely hard, run businesses, hustle in the streets etc, and gladly send these monies home for various things. No thank you for being the largest source of foreign earning into Nigeria after Oil & Gas. Instead, what I've seen in the last few years is a concerted effort to malign and de-market the idea of Nigerians moving abroad, and it's increased 10 fold in the last year.

How typical of black man to consistently shoot himself in the foot. To consistently make things worse for himself just because of pride and sentiments. Stubbornly refusing to be pragmatic. Yes, we will feed ourselves, create jobs and keep ourselves healthy by being proud, abi? Grown men, fathers, grand fathers and even great grandfathers, reasoning like children and scoring cheap political points. Indulging in meaningless bragging rights. Sad.

DemonSlayer:
in which part of Nigeria exactly?

come to Egbin ijede ikorodu Lagos

350k for three bedroom flat

Don't argue with me Google can actually help to find out the truth

eastOFwest:


The picture of her room (box room) reminds me of the one I lived in when I first came to the UK.

Which side in UK

tunjijones:


Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

MC oluomo the number one agbero still won't allow his son to school in Nigeria, and you actually think those people abandoning their ”mansions“ in Nigeria are stupid right?

mightyhaze:
At least no spontaneous chase from herdsmen and bandits

No hospitals without electricity

That box room is part of climbing the ladder, here in the UK.

I started out in a small space as a student, now in a way bigger place and cool neighbourhood with my family.

I don't work like a "slave" as I am into a skill set that pay more, for less time and that is something achieving in Nigeria, will be more struggles.

Firebox123:
Which side in UK

Ilford

The woman is better off. Her parents set a good example by establishing themselves and housing everyone in a huge mansion. She has a baseline on what a good life should resemble. I had a friend who came from dirt. For some reason whatsoever, he could spend the most amount of money for the largest accommodation he could find. Till today, I have no idea how he learned that. Most people from modest homes see a modest lifestyle as starting points. If they don’t sur it, they settle into it. They don’t know any better.

SMH at people who think leaving Nigeria is all about material comfort.
We are talking about security and quality of life.
Nigeria is failing, Do you know what is happening in public hospitals? I pray whenever a complicated ailment assails you, you always have the fund to go private, if not.....

Besides, how many people in Nigeria can afford to rent a 450k per year flat?
Is it people that are earning 30-50k per month? Lmao

See people who had the chance to Japa 10-15 years ago and did not regretting their decision everyday.
Do you think Nigeria will get better? Probably, yes but not in the nearest future.

That's just a little sacrifice for a better life.

Rent in the UK can be high.

It's better you don't live in London where rents are probably the most expensive.

tunjijones:


Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

Hello tunji. I agree with you that things aren't rosy anywhere but I dispute the work like a slave part. Even if you're in Nigeria, you still have to work to earn to pay your bills, don't you? UK is definitely an expensive place to be, no doubt but I think it's great to travel, earn in currencies better than ours, establish in Nigeria using the advantage of the currency disparity and return home in the future

eastOFwest:


The picture of her room (box room) reminds me of the one I lived in when I first came to the UK. Mine was actually smaller than that. I lived there for 9 months. It was a starting point. Everyone has to start somewhere. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards to move forwards. I went from renting a box room to eventually being a landlord to tenants. I know how much I send to Nigeria every month for different reasons.

Do you know that diasporans in the UK remitted about $3.53 billion back to Nigeria in 2022? 2nd only after USA? Globally, about $20 billion was remitted back home by Nigerian diasporans. That same year Nigeria earned $35.7 billion form Oil & Gas. That same year Foreign Direct Investment from other sources was -$0.19 billion (negative). The highest it had ever been up till then from 2010 was $8.84 billion in 2011. Bear in mind that the FG would have spent millions of dollars on trade missions and other government sponsored junkets in order to woo investors, and also make certain tax breaks and other incentives available for FDI. Money from diasporans is money to Nigeria FOR FREE.

Nobody gives diasporans any tax breaks for investing in Nigeria, just like is given to the already rich Chinese, Arabs and westerners. Diasporans work extremely hard, run businesses, hustle in the streets etc, and gladly send these monies home for various things. No thank you for being the largest source of foreign earning into Nigeria after Oil & Gas. Instead, what I've seen in the last few years is a concerted effort to malign and de-market the idea of Nigerians moving abroad, and it's increased 10 fold in the last year.

How typical of black man to consistently shoot himself in the foot. To consistently make things worse for himself just because of pride and sentiments. Stubbornly refusing to be pragmatic. Yes, we will feed ourselves, create jobs and keep ourselves healthy by being proud, abi? Grown men, fathers, grand fathers and even great grandfathers, reasoning like children and scoring cheap political points. Indulging in meaningless bragging rights. Sad.

Nicely said. I have an issue with you sha. You are trying to teach an OP who whose thinking brain is less than that of a 2 year old child cos of his exposure; you are wasting your time. He sees living in a big house and flouting every law as an achievement. This person could be more than 40 years, and you know what a fool at 40 stands to gain.

grandstar:
Rent in the UK can be high.

It's better you don't live in London where rents are probably the most expensive.

I live and work in London, yes it is the most expensive just as Lagos is to Nigeria.

Be highly skilled, earn better and you will enjoy the good, London has to offer.

Just as in Lagos, there are affordable rental spaces in some parts of London, where one can start out.

Uk this, UK that everyday.
It's only in Nigeria, you come out from school, get employed and start living in a mansion as a single.

Go to Japan and see their cubicles.

Dig out more stories against UK while the embassy says a diff thing.

We will never hear stories of how the same Ngozu is remitting money to family and friends every month. When you that is bouthing her is sick, you will still beg her for hospital money.
Have never seen jealous people as Nigerians in my life. Don't know if it's caused by poverty.

Lesson for all,don't ever mingle with people beneath your level. Anything can happen.

Mindlog:


I live and work in London, yes it is the most expensive just as Lagos is to Nigeria.

Be highly skilled, earn better and you will enjoy the good, London has to offer.

Just as in Lagos, there are affordable rental spaces in some parts of London, where one can start out.

Like where please?

Chimarto:
Igbos does not shout Ah ah... as insinuated in the story. Why use Igbo names in your made up story?

You catch am there
It's Yorubas that usually exclaim Ah ah, Igbos will exclaim 'Chai, hmm hmm, ewoo, Chinekee, Chimoo

London is quite expensive a friend of mine renting a 2 bed flat for 1800 i shout

DemonSlayer:
in which part of Nigeria exactly?

Nigeria no end in Lagos.. There are places in north and East where u go get a flat 200k per year. Old House though

The narrative of back home is exaggerated but the point of the whole story is clear