The wealthiest Nigerian lives in Nigeria, and the second wealthiest Nigerian also lives in Nigeria. Ditto for the third and fourth richest Nigerians.
Whether Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Dr. Mike Adenuga, or Femi Otedola, none of them have ever been in politics, and none of them engage in government contracts.
Yet, under President Tinubu’s administration, all of them saw their net worth increase. What is their secret?
The moral of the story is that if you invest, produce, and create, you will make money in Nigeria.
Go ahead and insult me. Yes, this lack of emotional intelligence makes you so wrapped up in yourself that you do not see opportunities around you. But you are hypersensitive to how much Nigeria owes you.
Do you know that if you take the money you plan on spending on one girl at a lounge in Lagos island, and buy a train ticket from Lagos to Oyo and, enter a bus to Şaki and buy yam in bulk and return it to Lagos, you can double your money at Ketu Market?
Or instead of just yam, you can go to Eruwa, also in Oyo, and buy every type of Amala that can make Amaka stop doing shakara. You will also find an instant buyer in Ketu.
Or go into livestock. Every blessed day, between 5000 and 3000 cows are slaughtered in Lagos. And there is still an ACUTE shortage of beef!
Tufiakwa! Why should I do that? I have a degree. How do you think Aliko Dangote started? He was a trader buying produce from Kano to sell in Lagos.
Go on YouTube and search for videos about avalanches. An avalanche starts out as a small snowball that starts rolling. Eventually, it gathers enough snow and ice to become so big that it can bury a village.
That is how your wealth can avalanche to launch you. Start small. Start where you are. Make that trip to Șaki or some other agrarian rural community and return to Lagos, Enugu, or Port Harcourt.
You will make little money at first, but eventually, it will snowball.
But do not just sell everything you own and Japa. Life abroad is not as rosy as it is painted.
One of the worst things you can do is allow your friends who japa’ed to entice you to also japa because of the rosy picture they paint. One of the first things that will happen is that their attitude will change if you actually make it to the country they are in.
First, they stop taking your call once they know you have landed. They never really expected you to get that visa. Why? As long as they know you are not on vacation but on relocation, they will become fearful that you will come and stay with them. And while they can afford to fool you on social media, they cannot afford to feed you in real life.
Secondly, they will avoid you because the picture they painted was a bit exaggerated, and the truth will embarrass them.
Immigrants who enjoy Europe and America are those who are independently wealthy. Those who make money from a business that does not require their physical presence 9-5. Or those with intellectual property, e-commerce, or monetised social media that brings money. Or old money from Nigeria.
If you follow me, you will testify that I could visit over thirty countries in a year. Why? Because my survival is not tied to a job. It is tied to e-commerce.
The rest of our people are not doing too badly. However, they are running the rat race. Working two jobs. 9-5, five days a week on one job, evenings or the weekends on the other job. Without those jobs, all they flaunt, including house, car, and even phones, will be repossessed by banks if they miss three consecutive payments. No sorry. No, please. No, I beg! You don’t don’t pay, you don’t stay. Period!
If you own a bungalow in Lugbe in the FCT or a flat at Oworonshoki, Lagos, you are better than many of the japa people you see on social media, whose lives are mortgaged to the hilt. Not everything that glitters abroad is gold.
This is not to say don’t japa. Do relocate. But don’t relocate, hoping to replicate a life that is a delicate facade.
Reno Omokri
Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022. 21st Most Talked About Person in Africa, 2024.
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