I am a Nigerian from ekiti state, and I am definitely very qualified to write on this topic.
Nigeria is by far the most populated African country with over 200 million people. Though Nigeria is not the most developed African country is often referred to as the giant of Africa. Nigerians are one of the most friendly people on earth, and also very funny. If a Nigerian can’t make you laugh, forget it, you have a serious internal problem.
Nigerians also have a great hustling spirit. Nigerians are not scared of changing occupations even if it is in a completely unfamiliar terrain so long they make money.
The people
Nigerians are the happiest people on earth. We also find a reason to smile and keep our hopes high. If you are a foreigner visiting the country, you won’t find it hard to make friends in Nigeria. However, if you want to visit the local markets, it is a very good idea to go with a local as even if you have black skin and you are from a neighboring African country, those traders will sniff you out and increase the prices of items for you.
Nigeria definitely has the best comedy shows on the continent. There are loads of big-time comedians who have gone on to make big names for themselves and organize shows all over the world. Every Nigerian is sort of a comedian, it is just in our DNA.
We also have the most vibrant music industry in Africa and this has been made popular by out afrobeat genre of music. The very best musicians like the likes of Burna Boy rake in around $500k per show and they go to shows all over the world. The Nigerian music industry is just too big right now even the Americans are well aware of this fact.
Nigerians are also great sportspeople. The only unfortunate thing is that we often don’t have the facilities to train these people and they end up going to ply their trade for some foreign countries. But we are not really bothered, we have an endless supply of talent. In football, for instance, I used to feel bad when a Nigerian goes on to represent another country. But I honestly don’t care anymore these days, there are thousands of better-talented people waiting to fill his space.
Security
I have decided to put this point at the forefront so as to get it out of the way. Nigeria is plagued by issues of terrorism in the north and some parts of the south have agitators that are becoming rather violent.
If you only listen to news from foreign countries, however, the impression you are going to get is that the country is a war zone but this is all a big lie. It is true that the terrorism issue was really a problem in the northeastern part of the country but this has reduced a lot in recent times.
There are 36 states in Nigeria, and I personally won’t visit a few states. These states are Borno, Sokoto, Yobe and in the 5 eastern states of the country, I will only stick to the state capitals. So, if I won’t visit those places, you probably shouldn’t. But in any case, things have improved a lot, and if you really have something you want to do there, by all means, go. It is not as bad, just that I won’t visit. And by the way, millions ply those roads daily.
A city like Abuja is bulletproof, you can’t rob a bank in Abuja, forget it.
Housing
Housing is quite affordable outside the cities of Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt and even within those cities, you will definitely find extremely affordable accommodation outside the city centers. Depending on how you look at it, this also holds true for most countries out there, the houses get cheaper as you move outside the city center.
We also usually pay for rent for one year at a go here and not like the monthly plan you are used to in your country, but I am sure you can afford it regardless.
Standard of living and ease of living
A lot of factors play into what we will define as the standard of living. In terms of electricity for instance, the bulk of the population still depends on generating sets to get their power. So, if you are coming to Nigeria, you should never expect to always have power. This should not be an issue to you though depending on where you live. Some big estates in the country often have their own independent power. Some private individuals also have solar power. But for everyday Nigerians, we don’t enjoy 24 hours of electricity.
The factor I will like to touch is transportation. I am a Nigerian and I assure you that if you don’t live and work on the lagos island, the transportation is guaranteed to frustrate you. I am a Nigerian too, and I don’t look forward to visiting lagos. Outside of this commercial nerve centre of the country though, there isn’t any serious vehicle traffic you will encounter.
The standard of living in Nigeria is definitely very affordable regardless of where you are living.
Author
Abbey Johnson has a Masters degree as an engineer and has over 3 years of teaching and research experience. He is happiest when on a bike and is also interested in electric energy and computer Science.