Benjamin Franklin was famously convinced that borrowing and sorrow go hand in hand. But if the United States鈥� founding father were alive in Nigeria today, Bola Tinubu would probably tell him he has it all wrong.

Tinubu and borrowing鈥攁 romance better than Twilight. At the national level, he has built a government that runs completely on credit. In three short years, Tinubu has borrowed . That is a massive mountain of debt that future generations will somehow have to pay back.

But the president does not just want the government to borrow. He wants regular Nigerians to get perfectly comfortable with living on credit, too. Nowhere is this vibe more obvious than with the .

Is NELFUND a genuine lifeline keeping poor students in school, or is it a ticking time bomb designed to trap a new generation of Nigerian youth in debt?

What is NELFUND?

Tinubu signed the Student Loan Act, which created NELFUND . The plan sounds simple: The government gives zero-interest loans to students in tertiary institutions to cover their fees. Students who apply for upkeep allowance may also get a monthly stipend. The fund claims that it has as of April 2026.

The government says this initiative will remove financial barriers and give poor Nigerian youth equal access to higher education. It鈥檚 ironic because it鈥檚 this same administration that made higher education unaffordable in the first place.

He that taketh away

First, Nigerians have become significantly poorer under Tinubu. The country went . That is almost 20 million freshly minted poor people thanks to Tinubunomics. Naturally, a poorer population will struggle to pay for school.

But while the president was making Nigerians poorer, he also pulled the safety net from under them.

Less than a month after Tinubu signed the Student Loan Act, . For example, the University of Lagos , depending on the course. Fees jumped from 鈧�19,000 to over 鈧�100,000 for non-STEM courses and over 鈧�190,000 for medicine.

Under the hood, the government had quietly cut its funding to these institutions. This left them to fend for themselves by charging students higher fees. They took away subsidised education and replaced it with an invitation to borrow.

In September 2024, the government that it was funneling 30% of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) into the student loan scheme. TETFund is mainly funded by a special tax collected from corporate entities operating in Nigeria to fund education.

This means the government took money that it was always supposed to spend on public education infrastructure and turned it into a personal loan for students. The NELFUND scheme is essentially the Nigerian government robbing its youth and giving them back their own money as a loan.

Look out, it鈥檚 a trap!

If you ignore the fact that the government defunded education to force you into it, a zero-interest loan might look great on paper. But the gloss quickly wears off once you read the fine print on the official NELFUND website.

The state: 鈥淭he Loan amount shall become fully and immediately due and payable 2 years post NYSC.鈥�

Here is the kicker. As long as you owe NELFUND, you are legally barred from taking any other loans. Nigeria has a job-scarce economy that forces many young graduates into entrepreneurship. Imagine not being able to take a business loan for your startup because you are still tied down by NELFUND.

Owo mi da!

In Tinubu鈥檚 Nigeria, studying medicine at a federal university like UNILAG will cost you over 鈧�1 million in mandatory fees. If you add from NELFUND, you will graduate with over 鈧�2.2 million in debt.

How would that work in a country with a 鈧�70,000 monthly minimum wage?

You would have to save every single kobo of that minimum wage for almost three years just to pay the government back. Until you do, you cannot access a business loan or a mortgage.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

A very bad example

We do not need to guess how this story ends. We can just look at the United States, where the president claims to have gotten his accounting degree.

The US government aggressively after the 2008 financial crisis. That move led to an explosion of student loans over the next decade. Today, about in student debt.

It is a massive disaster. The National Consumer Law Centre, a US non-profit, that paying back these loans is keeping low-income individuals trapped in poverty, with some even facing homelessness.

The US is now looking for a way out of the crisis it created for its citizens. The Biden administration even .

The point is that we already know exactly where mass student debt leads. So, why is Tinubu so determined to recreate that same American nightmare here in Nigeria?

The birth of a debt-trapped generation

This is where the major tragedy of the Tinubu presidency becomes clear. The administration is taking its own worst habit, which is an absolute addiction to debt, and forcing it on individual citizens.

For decades, higher education was the one reliable equaliser for poor Nigerian families. It was the only clear path to moving up the financial ladder. A university degree was the single asset you could acquire without starting your adult life in the negative.

By shifting the financial burden of public universities onto the backs of teenagers and young adults, Tinubu is ensuring that the next generation of Nigerian professionals will enter the economy already financially handicapped.

The government has successfully turned tertiary education into a massive financial risk that poor Nigerians simply cannot afford to take.

In just three years in office, Tinubu鈥檚 legacy in education is defunding institutions and a debt trap disguised as assistance.

We want to hear about your personal experiences that reflect how politics or public systems affect daily life in Nigeria. Share your story with us 鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!

Elizabeth (33) has moved between Nigeria and the UK throughout her life. In this story, she shares some truly scary experiences she has had in Nigeria, explains why she can’t wait to leave the UK, and opens up about what it’s like connecting with Nigerians who see her as an outsider. 

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I live in the United Kingdom, and I left Nigeria in 2019. I鈥檝e moved between both countries throughout my life.

Tell me more about that.

I was born in the UK and grew up here, but I went to Nigeria for three years of boarding school, a month of A-levels, and then again for university.

Going to Nigeria for medical school was a way to connect with my culture. I had worked with Nigerian doctors in the past, and they were just built differently. They had incredible confidence and grit; they were resilient in a way that other doctors were not. I wanted to know how they were trained so I could be like them, because they truly inspired me. So, I chose a Nigerian university.

What inspired you to move back to the UK?

I wanted to stay in Nigeria for my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year. I was very into public health at the time, and wanted a chance to work in that area for service.

But my parents said, “Absolutely not.” They actually bought the tickets themselves and sent them to me. They insisted that Nigeria was not safe and that I had to come back home.

Let鈥檚 talk about life in Nigeria. What was it like coming here for school?

It was a rollercoaster. It鈥檚 the type of experience that makes you realise you鈥檙e not exactly like the people you think are yours. I came back believing I鈥檓 Nigerian and in my country, but people were very much giving me the vibe that I was not one of them. To them, I was 鈥渙yinbo.鈥�

With time, I learned the mannerisms and the cultural nuances that make Nigerians, and things got better. For example, learning that “come and eat” is just something people say even when they don’t really want you to eat with them.

But medical school was a different experience altogether. It was very challenging by itself.

How so?

Sometimes your colleagues, senior students, lecturers, and doctors can have issues with you for intangible reasons. For example, when I was working in a state hospital in Nigeria before I left, a superior who was two levels above me at the time just really hated my accent.

I used to put on an intentional Nigerian accent in my attempt to blend in, but there were certain words that I hadn’t yet learned to say in a Nigerian accent, so my original British accent would peek through at times. Because of that, she used to make life horrible for no reason, just assuming I thought I was better than her. I would wonder, “How can I think I am better than you? You are my senior.” She just had it out for me and made sure I suffered whenever I worked with her, which was all the time.

I had to accept that people just wouldn鈥檛 like me because of their own preconceived notions of what I represent, even if I don’t actually possess those traits. It was a similar thing in boarding school, but it was worse there because they could physically beat you, and they did beat me a lot.

On the other hand, some people also just adore you because you came from abroad. They would talk to me just to hear my voice and accent. They didn’t really care about what I was saying; they just wanted to hear what I sounded like. For them, I was their first experience of someone from overseas.

So it was a mix of both鈥攐ne half idolised me and the other half hated me. I never knew which it would be when I met anyone new.

How did that make you feel at the time?

It was hard. After completing Junior Secondary School, I went back to the UK. I remember deciding I was never going to go back to Nigeria again. I was completely over it. The experience was much harder than I expected because growing up in the UK, no one had ever disliked me for no reason.

But it made me stronger, because by the time I came back to Nigeria for university and encountered it again, I was a bit more prepared. I just didn’t like the concept of being treated as an outsider in a place where I’m supposed to belong. It was difficult because the whole point of going to university there was to connect with my Nigerian culture and not be an outsider.

Have you been back to Nigeria since you left in 2019?

Yes, I have been back for holidays, weddings, and to see friends.

What has been your best holiday experience in Nigeria so far?

I鈥檒l say last year. I went to Abuja for a wedding, and then I went to Lagos and Ibadan, all within about 10 or 11 days. I got to see many places that I hadn’t seen in a long time, and visited spots I had only ever heard about on podcasts. The restaurants were good, the gym was great, and everything was fun.

Since it was a short burst of ten days and we kept moving across different states, the novelty stayed very much alive. If I had stayed longer, I probably would have started experiencing the typical fatigue that comes with the travel, transport, and infrastructure issues.

Do you see yourself settling permanently in Nigeria in the future, or is the UK home for you?

I hope to retire in Nigeria down the line, maybe when I鈥檓 like 70 years old. Of course, that鈥檚 based on the hope that the country doesn’t get worse by that time.

What has been your worst experience in Nigeria?

There are so many, but I can talk about the top ones.

Wow. Okay, go ahead.

So, first was a scary police encounter. I was in an Uber ride, coming back from the Island to the Mainland late at night, around 2:00 a.m. The police stopped the car near the Lekki Phase 1 gate and ordered us to get out of the vehicle.

My heart was in my mouth because you hear all these stories of what has happened to other people in those exact circumstances with the police. They didn’t physically harm us; they just made us get down and asked, “What do you have for us?” But the fact that they ordered us out of the car entirely made it much scarier than a regular checkpoint stop.

That鈥檚 always scary. Glad to hear it wasn鈥檛 worse than that.

Thanks. Next was a near-death experience at Tarkwa Bay. At the jetty, the boat wasn鈥檛 secured properly, so as I stepped off, it slipped, and I fell into the water. There was maybe only an inch between my head and the concrete wall as I tumbled all the way into the water. It was very close to being a completely different story.

Thank God I can swim. I swam up, and people from the shoreline and staff members ran over to pull me up because the jetty wall is quite high, and it鈥檚 hard to get out on your own. I still proceeded to do what I went to Tarkwa Bay to do before going home, because I couldn’t come all that way for nothing.

What could possibly top a near-death experience, though?

Getting sexually harassed by a senior doctor?

It was my very first night in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at the hospital where I was working. In between operations, while waiting for the nurses to prepare the next patient for the theatre, the senior doctor asked me to follow him to a separate location to copy some case notes.

We got into the room, and he locked the door behind us. When I asked what was going on, he said, “You know why we are here.” I replied that I only thought we came to write notes. Then he said something that infuriates me to this day: “You鈥檙e from London na.” As if there is some automatic correlation between being from London and being promiscuous.

I demanded he let me out or I would scream. He still wouldn鈥檛, so I began counting down, “Three, two…” and then he opened the door. I was so afraid because he was a senior doctor who had been there for years; I thought people wouldn’t believe me.

I chose not to file a formal report because I鈥檇 experienced something similar before during my one month in a Nigerian A-level school. The authorities didn鈥檛 believe me over the maths teacher who鈥檇 worked there for years. Anyway, I told my fellow house officers. They were males, and they agreed to protect me by immediately offering themselves instead whenever that specific doctor tried to pick me as his house officer. Thankfully, about a week later, he was transferred out of the team entirely.

Sorry you had to go through that.

Thanks.

What about your best experiences in Nigeria?

I鈥檒l start with winning the inter-house sports events at my secondary school three years in a row. I was a sprinter鈥擨 ran the 100m, 400m, and 800m鈥攁nd I did cheerleading as well. Graduating from medical school was also a major happy moment.

It was also great randomly running into celebrities in Lagos. You could just attend a launch party for a drink brand and find yourself taking pictures on stage with celebrities.

What are your favourite and least favourite things about Nigeria?

My least favourite thing is the sense of helplessness within the country. There is a lot of helplessness about what can be done to improve or change things; people are demoralised, and while I can’t completely blame them, it is unpleasant to experience.

My favourite thing is the exact opposite side of that same coin: when given the right opportunity to succeed, Nigerians do incredibly well. It is very inspiring. That was the main reason I went there for university in the first place鈥攕eeing Nigerians who were doing super well globally. It is interesting how a Nigerian in one context can be so inspiring, yet in another context, the environment can be deeply demoralising.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

Let鈥檚 talk about life in the UK now. What is your typical routine?

My routine is quite simple. I get up, pray, go to the gym, come back, and get my baby ready for nursery. I take him to nursery, or my mum-in-law helps drop him off, and then I go to work.

When I get back from work, I pick him up and handle his evening routine. Then I take care of any additional administrative tasks that come home with me from work. On some evenings, I go to church for choir practice, and on others, I hang out with friends. I don’t go out on weekday nights, but I do on weekends.

What do you do for fun in the UK?

I schedule hangouts with my friends. We plan activities like pottery, painting, arts and crafts, or anything novel to us. During the summer, there are a lot more events, so we go to concerts, parks, and swim.

What are your favourite and least favourite things about living in the UK?

My least favourite thing is the tax. I pay 40% tax. I understand that it鈥檚 a necessary evil, but it鈥檚 still a lot.

My favourite thing is having most of my family here. I have my husband, my son, my parents, my grandparents, and my cousins, all here with me.

There鈥檚 a growing wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK. What has that been like for you?

It is very sad to see because the UK depends heavily on immigrants to function across every single sector. It hasn’t affected me directly, but I do academic research on this topic regarding International Medical Graduates (IMGs). My research looks into how they are disadvantaged by the exam culture in the UK because they weren’t brought up in the same system, leading to higher failure rates.

On a societal level, it is very worrying. In 2024, the year I gave birth, there were major riots across the country with rioters trying to harm people of colour. The police put it down, but the sentiment is still there; there was another march just a few weeks ago. It makes you worry about who you are working next to and whether they are online, writing hate comments.

The political rhetoric claims immigrants are taking all the jobs, but it鈥檚 not true. For example, I have taken part in hiring processes here. By law, we have to assess all the British applicants first, and we can only look at international candidates with visas if those local options are exhausted. The right-wing media simply stoked the sentiment because it is an easy way to divide the country.

Have you encountered racism on a personal level?

The last time someone was overtly racist to me was on a bus in London, which is ironic given how multicultural London is. I had my headphones in, so thank God I didn’t hear the exact words she was saying, but it was an elderly white lady. I was sitting in a regular, non-priority seat, and she had plenty of options to sit elsewhere.

Instead, she stood right in front of me and demanded I give up my seat. I just kept playing my music and watched her face squeeze as her mouth moved. The passengers around us looked deeply offended by the horrible profanities she was spewing, but nobody stopped her. That is how the UK is鈥攗nless it is outright physical violence, people generally mind their own business.

I chose not to let it ruin my day or get offended, so I just kept my headphones in and remained seated until my journey ended. It didn’t make a difference to me.

On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you in the UK?

I鈥檒l say seven. I still want a better quality of life than I can get here. So, I am actually hoping to leave the UK very soon. With the medical work that I do, I can get paid a lot more and live a much happier life in places like Australia, Canada, or even the United States. The time is coming for me to move somewhere else, and to be honest, I can’t wait.

Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me . For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).

West Africa: Are we so back, or is it so over?

In July 2023, Tinubu told the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): 鈥溾��

It felt like a subtle shade at , and a huge promise that Nigeria would dominate West Africa again.

In 2026, after three years of Tinubu鈥檚 leadership, the vibe is completely different. It is looking less like 鈥渨e are so back鈥� and a lot more like 鈥渋t鈥檚 so over鈥�. Here is exactly how Tinubu fumbled Nigeria鈥檚 regional standing.

Where did we go?

If Tinubu is claiming 鈥渨e鈥檙e back,鈥� where are we coming from and where are we going back to? Nigeria used to be a regional superpower: economically, politically and militarily.

When ECOWAS intervened in the Civil wars in and in the 1990s, Nigeria to bring stability to those countries. When Abuja spoke, West Africa listened.

But during the Buhari years, Nigeria shrank into its shell because we were drowning in our own crises.

With terrorism and banditry ravaging the country, our security forces had their hands full. Economy-wise, things were just as bleak. Nigeria to suffering . 

To make matters worse, in 2019, Buhari shut our land borders, claiming it would stop smuggling and increase local production. It only , , and openly violated .

Buhari had already dropped the ball on our global standing. So when Tinubu promised a comeback, you might have expected him to pick it back up. Sadly, it鈥檚 more like he鈥檚 just kicked it further down the road.

I鈥檒l close my eyes and count to seven

Tinubu did not waste any time screwing things up. He was sworn in as president on May 29, 2023, and on July 9, 2023. But his first real test came on July 26, 2023, when .

Nigeria has always been seen as the “big brother” of West Africa, but Tinubu immediately overplayed his hand. He gave the Niger junta to hand back power or face a military invasion.

The junta ignored him, and Tinubu to back up his threat.

Bad neighbour

So, what did this reckless bluff actually achieve? It completely pissed off some of our neighbours. Burkina Faso and Mali . Just two months into his presidency, Tinubu had Nigeria staring down the barrel of an all-out regional war.

When the ultimatum expired, and we did not invade, it only exposed Nigeria’s weakness. that invading Niger would turn into a long, messy campaign, and our hesitation showed the world we did not have the stomach or capacity for it.

Our soldiers stayed home, but the Tinubu-led ECOWAS still hit Niger with . We cut off their electricity, closed our borders and blocked vital supplies, including food, which is usually left out of such sanctions for humanitarian reasons. Niger is a landlocked country, so .

By September 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had , a rival regional bloc to ECOWAS. However anyone looks at it, one thing will always remain true: ECOWAS lost three member countries and became significantly weaker under Tinubu.

Breakup blues

This breakup is not victimless. Beyond the suffering in Niger, Nigeria is paying a heavy price for destroying relationships with its neighbours.

We used to rely on cross-border military cooperation to beat back Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the north. Now that cooperation is gone, . Since 2023, kidnapping ransoms have exploded year after year, and brutal attacks on schools and communities have become the norm. In 2025, Nigeria , a number higher than what we saw in 2014 when Boko Haram was at its absolute peak.

These tense relationships don’t just leave us vulnerable to terrorists; they put our troops in direct danger.

In December 2025, eleven Nigerian Air Force personnel flying a plane to Portugal for routine maintenance suffered a mechanical fault and had to make an emergency landing in Burkina Faso. Under normal diplomatic conditions, a neighbour would offer a hangar and some assistance. Instead, the Burkina Faso military government swiftly . It took a full week of just to get them released.

The cost of Tinubu fumbling our regional standing is measured in lost lives, closed schools and ruined communities. That is the real legacy of his regional foreign policy over the last three years.

Global embarrassment

Naija to the world

We鈥檝e already talked about how Tinubu undermined Nigeria鈥檚 place as a regional 鈥渂ig brother鈥� in West Africa. We鈥檒l give you one guess as to how he鈥檚 done on the global stage.

If you guessed he鈥檚 done well, you really need to work on your pattern recognition skills. If you guessed he鈥檚 fumbled that too, congratulations, you鈥檙e correct. Also, condolences, because the effects of his fumbling have made all our lives harder. You little know-it-all, you鈥檙e right, but at what cost?

Let鈥檚 find out exactly how Tinubu has fumbled Nigeria鈥檚 international standing.

Homecoming

Like we said earlier, Tinubu wasn鈥檛 wasting any time when it came to screwing things up. In September 2023, just three months after taking office, he across 109 countries.

Now, that in itself is not a bad thing. A new president usually recalls old appointees to put their own people in. What was completely unexpected was that Tinubu just didn鈥檛 appoint anyone else. For over two years, Nigeria had no ambassadors and zero representation across the globe.

Too little, too late

After major diplomatic tensions with the United States over accusations that his government was complicit in a genocide of Nigerian Christians, Tinubu finally realised the importance of international relationships. In March 2026, he finally approved the which he had delayed for god knows why.

But it鈥檚 not going smoothly. Multiple countries have already . With only one year left in his presidential term, foreign governments don鈥檛 want to waste time onboarding ambassadors who might get kicked out if a new president wins in 2027. They鈥檇 rather just wait. Basically, Tinubu waited too long, and now it鈥檚 too little, too late.

We鈥檒l always have Japan

Tinubu鈥檚 presidency has been a steady stream of global embarrassments, and Japan is a prime example.

In August 2025, Japan hosted the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9). Even though Tinubu and his team arrived two days early, they managed to leave Nigeria鈥檚 official booth . Two Nigerian citizens who happened to be attending the conference had to step in and represent the country to foreign investors.

But the State House wasn鈥檛 done embarrassing us. On the final day, the Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, proudly announced that Japan had named the city of Kisarazu 鈥渢he Hometown of Nigeria鈥� and would grant Nigerians a special visa.

, 鈥淎rtisans and other blue-collar workers from Nigeria who are ready to upskill will also benefit from the special dispensation visa to work in Japan.鈥�

The Japanese government immediately came forward to , basically calling our administration liars. There was no special visa. The State House quietly and published . Shame wear me asiwaju cap.

Collective second-hand embarrassment

A similar embarrassment played out in September 2023 when Tinubu , Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Right after the meeting, the presidency proudly .

The joy was short-lived. The UAE quickly issued its own statement contradicting the claim. The presidency was , lamely explaining that both sides were still working out 鈥渢he finer details.鈥�

Johannesburg gbese

The international embarrassment continues with the fact that Nigeria can鈥檛 seem to keep the lights on in its own buildings. In 2023, a Johannesburg electricity company over an unpaid bill of $23,000. The High Commission in South Africa suffered the exact same fate, getting disconnected and again for unpaid utility bills.

Unwanted visitors

Is a little global embarrassment the only consequence of Tinubu fumbling our foreign policy? Sadly, no.

Nigeria had when Tinubu became president. That baseline was already laughably low, but our master strategist has somehow taken us even lower. In 2026, we have .

To put that in perspective, let’s look at how many countries other African passports give you access to:

• Ghana: 67 countries
• Kenya: 69 countries
• South Africa: 100 countries

Even worse, we do not have a visa-free relationship with any of . In fact, the top three countries we visited in 2025鈥攖he United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States鈥�.

Because the Tinubu administration has zero geopolitical weight, we cannot negotiate better migration terms or protect our citizens looking for greener pastures. When Western countries want to cut down on immigration numbers, Nigeria is always the easiest target because they know Abuja will not do anything about it.

Children of No Nation

The absolute scariest part of this fumbled international standing is what happens when Nigerians face actual life-or-death emergencies abroad.

Look at the Middle East. A massive conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran escalated earlier this year, with Iran launching a wave of retaliatory strikes . Many Nigerians suddenly found themselves stranded in volatile combat zones.

Instead of an immediate extraction, the government’s evacuation strategy was sluggish. The bombings began on February 28. Yet, by March 17, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was . The Ministry鈥檚 spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said: 鈥淭he government is working out the necessary administrative details and the release of funds to commence evacuation.鈥�

When you are dodging missiles in a foreign land, the last thing you want to hear is that your country is still sorting out “administrative details,鈥� but that鈥檚 exactly what you get with this administration.

Nigerians must go

The exact reactive script is playing out in South Africa right now. In May 2026, xenophobic tensions boiled over again across major South African cities. Sadly, this is not the first time something like this has happened, yet the Nigerian government still looked completely clueless.

The newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, had to for a voluntary evacuation flight for the hundreds of Nigerians who registered in fear for their lives. To add insult to injury, the Ministry informed Nigerians looking to leave South Africa that . The government was willing to “facilitate” the return but would not pay for it or provide the plane.

Let鈥檚 sit with that for a minute.

The fact that these xenophobic attacks remain a frequent occurrence without a strong, definitive response from the South African government to protect foreign nationals shows just how little diplomatic leverage Nigeria has left. Good luck being taken seriously by a country that keeps disconnecting your embassy buildings over unpaid electricity bills.

We are constantly playing defence. Instead of using high-level diplomacy to prevent xenophobic violence before it starts, we wait until our people are living in terror before trying to rescue them. And even that is done badly. When a country’s foreign policy is this weak, its citizens are always the ones who pay the price.

Made in Nigeria

Whether you live in Lagos or the diaspora, as long as you carry a green passport, the government鈥檚 foreign policy moves affect your daily life. The missteps of the Tinubu administration over these three years have made things harder, more restrictive, and at times have directly endangered Nigerian lives. Tinubu is fumbling Nigeria鈥檚 international standing, but it is ordinary citizens who are paying the ultimate price.

We cannot change the fact that we are Nigerian, but we can certainly change how the world perceives us. And that starts with the government that represents us on the world stage.

We want to hear about your personal experiences that reflect how politics or public systems affect daily life in Nigeria. Share your story with us 鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!

Success* (28) is a medical doctor who moved to the UK to escape insecurity and poor salaries. In this story, she shares her experiences with the culture shocks of British medical practice, racist microaggressions and why she finds herself praying less often since relocating to the UK.

Where do you live currently, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I live in the United Kingdom (UK), and I left Nigeria in early 2025.

What inspired you to leave Nigeria for the UK?

Everything. But let me start with the insecurity. I grew up in the northern part of Nigeria, so I saw firsthand the terrorism and religious intolerance. When I was young, there were times we had to be searched with bomb detectors before we entered church after a church had been bombed on Christmas Day.

Another catalyst for my relocation was the salaries for doctors in Nigeria鈥攊t鈥檚 just too little. When I practised in Nigeria, I earned 鈧�300,000 per month, and that was barely enough to cover my basic needs. In addition to the reason I mentioned, I had always wanted to leave Nigeria as early as my primary and secondary school days. I got a peek at what life was like abroad from friends who vacationed abroad with their parents. 

It鈥檚 the reason I studied medicine. I knew that healthcare workers were highly sought after in many parts of the world. So I knew it would give me a good chance to leave Nigeria.

What was life like for you in Nigeria before you left?

Working in a private hospital, I was making about 鈧�300,000 a month. I was only able to afford a shared apartment with that. But it was a terrible experience. We only had electricity between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. So I had this huge power bank that I鈥檇 charge at work and in church on Sundays. That was how my life was in Nigeria; it wasn鈥檛 easy.

As you said, doctors are in high demand in many parts of the world. Why did you choose the UK?

I chose the UK because the migration pathway for other countries is quite expensive. Though we are highly sought after, the process doesn’t come cheap. The UK is relatively cheaper than other countries, but it still cost me about 鈧�7 million to migrate. That was because I passed my exams on my first try. Some people have had to write the exams twice or thrice, and that increases the cost.

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There are very few doctors in Nigeria, currently about one doctor for every 10,000 patients. Do you have any feelings about that?

It does bother me because I’m always thinking about my family back home. What happens when my parents or other loved ones need medical care? Here, people can walk into the hospital almost dead, and we鈥檙e able to get very good outcomes because we have all the equipment we need. It makes me think back to my time in Nigeria, where we didn’t have the equipment, and we didn’t even have enough hands. It makes me worry about my family, but I can only put them in my prayers.

I also think about the times when I was back home in Nigeria, when I couldn’t really take care of my basic needs鈥攊t was difficult for me to get a place, having a car could only be a dream, and I was basically living off my parents. I think about all of these things.

With the way the Nigerian government is running the country, I don’t think you can blame doctors for leaving. I don’t feel guilty because I know that the Nigerian political system did not create a conducive environment for us to stay.

Doctors spend a lot of time in school, go through a lot of difficult exams, and a lot of money is spent training us. But when we graduate, we get paltry salaries, worth next to nothing. A lot of doctors have to work in multiple hospitals  to make ends meet. I did that too: I would work a morning shift in one hospital and then a night shift somewhere else. That鈥檚 the reality for many doctors in Nigeria.

Yes, Nigeria needs doctors. But leaving is the best option at this time. We want a good life for ourselves and our families. We want safe lives too. I鈥檝e heard of doctors getting kidnapped back in Nigeria. It’s really crazy.

How has life been in the UK so far?

My life is much better compared to when I was in Nigeria. First of all, I have a better work-life balance. I don鈥檛 have to work two jobs just to make ends meet. There鈥檚 a 48-hour cap every week. You are not meant to work more than 48 hours a week. So this means  I have time to do other things with my life.

I can afford my own place. I have savings and investments now, unlike in Nigeria, where I couldn鈥檛 afford to do either.

Food here is actually cheaper than back home. When I was in Nigeria, I always had anxiety about going to the market because the spaghetti I bought for  鈧�500 this month could become 鈧�1,000 the next. But here, prices are very stable. I think my life here is better. I can support my family more, and I have a better community. Overall, it鈥檚 just better.

What鈥檚 your support system like?

I don’t have any nuclear family here; I’m the first person in my nuclear family to actually leave Nigeria. I have some members of my extended family here, but we are not so close.

But I have my church members. I also go to the gym, and I鈥檝e made friends there. I have friends at work too. I know some people say not to make friends at work, but I鈥檝e had a different experience. I have really nice coworkers.

Now my support system is actually growing. I’m getting to know more people and becoming acquainted with my environment.

Are these friends Nigerian?

The majority of friends I鈥檝e made here are Nigerians or fellow Africans. It鈥檚 just easier to make friends with people you share similar cultures and backgrounds with. For example, the town I live in is white-dominated, so once you see a Nigerian, there’s this internal joy that you feel. It’s like any Nigerian at your workplace is automatically your friend.

I think if you鈥檙e able to have non-African friends, that means you both must have a very strong bond for that friendship to actually work out, because you鈥檒l have very little in common.

Have you felt any sort of discrimination or racism since you arrived in the UK?

I have, but it鈥檚 nothing overt. What I feel at times is what we call microaggressions. An example was when I was looking for a house; landlords would see my name,, noticed that it doesn鈥檛 sound British, so they wouldn’t call me for house viewings.

But at work, I don’t feel any form of racism from my colleagues or from patients. The National Health Service (NHS) has a strict policy against racism. If any patient is racist to any doctor, that patient can be ordered out of the hospital, as long as they don’t have an emergency condition. So patients are cautious about what they say.

It鈥檚 the same with colleagues from other nationalities who are non-African. I notice that whenever they are talking to me, they try to carefully pick their words because they don’t want to come off as offensive. I think that can also affect making friends with non-Africans, because they鈥檙e always second-guessing everything they say. That doesn鈥檛 allow for real connections to form.

What about the growing anti-immigrant rhetoric? Does that make you feel uncomfortable?

It has created a bit of uncertainty because the policies are constantly changing, and you don’t know which policy they will come up with next, or how it will affect you. The  Prioritisation Act, for instance, basically says that UK-trained doctors have to be considered for jobs first before doctors from other countries. This was passed after I came here.

I鈥檝e heard British doctors at work talking about how immigrant doctors are taking their jobs. Initially, when I came to the UK, I was always telling people that I got my job from Nigeria. But I noticed they were not really happy to hear that. It was more like, “Okay, you’re one of the people who took our jobs from us.”

I felt guilty about it for a very long time. But I had to deal with the guilt and tell myself that I got the job because I deserved it, and I worked for it. With time, I stopped telling people how I got my job. I only mention it to people I really feel comfortable with.

But one thing I always say is that there’s love at home. So if they say that I can’t stay here anymore, I’ll go back to my country.

Apart from working, what activities do you get up to in the UK?

I’m kind of an extrovert, so I spend more time outside than at home. During my free time, I go to the gym. I’m also learning how to swim. I sing, so I’ve joined the choir in church. I love going to shows too. During the summer, there are usually events happening around, like Afrobeats concerts. I usually go for those kinds of things.

I visit my friends, and my friends come over to see me. I travel, and it’s safe. I鈥檝e always loved travelling, but in Nigeria, I couldn’t really travel so much because of the insecurity and the accidents. But here, the roads are freer, and it’s safer, so I travel easily without any restrictions or any anxiety that something bad will happen to me.

I also use my free time to bulk cook. You can’t be late to work; there’s a very strong work ethic here. So when I’m not at work, a huge chunk of my time is spent preparing for my next period at work. I clean my house, iron my scrubs, and cook in bulk so that nothing delays me when I’m going to work the next day.

What culture shocks did you experience when you arrived?

They like queuing. There’s a queue for everything. There was a time when I first arrived, and I wanted to jump the queue with my normal Nigerian mentality, and someone confronted me about it.

Another thing is that everyone tries to be polite. Unlike in Nigeria, where people show their anger. For British people, even when they are really angry, they smile, and they try to be calm. Trying to unlearn that Nigerian directness so you don鈥檛 get labelled as aggressive is not easy.

It鈥檚 also the same at work. You have to learn how they communicate. In Nigeria, we have a direct way of communicating; you can tell people exactly what needs to be done. But you don’t want to look patriarchal in the UK, so there’s a way you try to use flowery words: “Oh, would you like to do this?鈥� 鈥淒o you think it will be okay if you do this?”

Also, unlike in Nigeria, where you can gossip and make some jokes at work, you can’t just make any type of joke here because it may be offensive to the next person. I miss the laidback work culture that we have in Nigeria.

As for the accent, when I came here initially, it was difficult to hear what people were saying. In Nigeria, I used to believe I had a very good command of English, but when I came to the UK, I was taken aback by people asking me to repeat myself because they couldn’t understand me. At times, I have to spell a word to make them understand my pronunciation of it. For someone who learned English as a first language back home, that was a big shock.

Definitely. How did you manage?

I try to speak as slowly as possible so that people can hear me, and I don’t get offended if someone tells me to repeat what I say. Also, I try to demonstrate. When I’m conversing with a patient, if I want to talk about any eye pain, I may just point to my eye so that they can easily get what I mean. I also avoid using big words or complex grammar and just try to use the simplest English possible, and that actually helps.

On a scale of one to ten, how happy would you say you are in the UK?

I’ll say 20.

Wow.

I feel that all the things Nigeria took away from me in 27 years cannot be gotten back in one year. It’s a journey, but so far so good.

I am happier in the UK. I’m less anxious, and I’m praying less. I know people might see that as a bad thing, but in Nigeria, most of my prayers were built out of anxiety: “Let me have food to eat,” “As I’m going to work, may an okada not crush my leg,” “May I not be kidnapped,” “May I not have an accident.” All those kinds of things. I don鈥檛 have those anxieties anymore.

Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me . For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).

Let鈥檚 be completely honest for a second. For many Nigerians, everything feels incredibly difficult right now. If you are feeling completely overwhelmed by just existing, we want you to know something important: It is not just you.

Many of us are trapped in the same mental loop. The statistics are alarming. The World Health Organisation (WHO) that one in eight Nigerians suffers from mental disorders. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are the most common around here.

Mental health issues have deeply complicated, deeply personal causes. But your brain does not exist in a vacuum. It reacts to your environment. According to the WHO, like poverty, violence, disability, and inequality increase the risk of developing a mental health condition.

That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here to tell you that Nigeria is actively messing with your head. Here鈥檚 how.

Tinubunomics 鈥� No Money, More Problems

Let鈥檚 look at the most consistent source of your daily headaches: your empty wallet, and the fact that you can comfortably count the digits in your bank account on one hand.

The World Bank reports that the population of Nigerians living below the poverty line has climbed from 56% in 2023 to a staggering 63% in 2025, trapping over 140 million people in absolute economic survival mode.

We all know by heart now:

• The sudden end of fuel subsidies without any structural social protections to cushion the blow
• Runaway inflation that , the .
• that left it worth a fraction of its pre-Tinubu value.
• A 鈧�70,000 monthly minimum wage, which is practically impossible to survive on.

You are trapped in an exhausting loop where you are working harder than ever, getting paid less in real value, and unable to afford basic necessities because everything is so damn expensive.

Tinubunomics is kicking our collective behinds, and it鈥檚 actively knocking you upside the head. All that desperate, daily stressing about money keeps your body鈥檚 cortisol levels permanently spiked. When your system is flooded with prolonged, elevated cortisol, it alters your brain chemistry, .

Every single time a new bill arrives, you go into emergency fight-or-flight mode, and that constant trauma response is quietly wrecking your mind.

Violence: I See Dead People鈥� On My Timeline

Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places to live, and we鈥檙e not even exaggerating. The country ranks , sitting behind only Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.

It is completely expected that direct victims of this violence will suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. , and the constant cycle of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping is minting new victims every single day.

But what about those who aren鈥檛 directly affected? Like you, reading this right now.

Well, you are still a witness to the madness. Reports of these violent incidents are a daily occurrence, and you cannot escape them on the news or your social media timelines. For instance, many Nigerians had to start the week after a bandit attack on schools in Oyo State.

The sheer volume of violence we consume might make us feel desensitised, but none of this is normal. Even if it starts to feel like regular everyday life, your body and your mind are not actually getting used to it.

Researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Centre media exposure to real-world violence heavily adds to the mental health burden, even 鈥渇or those not personally involved in an incident.鈥� According to their study, people who are regularly exposed to violent reports are .

Infrastructure 鈥� Nothing Works

Do you have light? Is your water running? How鈥檚 your internet connection? If you try making a quick mobile bank transfer, are you sure it will work, or is there a risk the payment won鈥檛 go through because of 鈥渘etwork failure?鈥�

In Nigeria, basic things that should require zero cognitive effort act as constant tiny stressors, making even the most mundane parts of life a struggle. Once again, it鈥檚 not normal to always be on edge the way Nigeria forces you to.

Nigeria is a country with bad and broken infrastructure. The World Bank Nigeria鈥檚 total infrastructure stock as amounting to 30% of gross domestic product (GDP). This is miles away from the recommended 70% benchmark. The Bank also estimates that Nigeria will need to invest to reduce the current deficit.

The result is that nothing works. Trying to get around? Bad roads. Gridlocked traffic. Waiting hours for BRT buses. You dared to get sick? Terrible healthcare system. No medical equipment. One doctor for every ten thousand patients.

At home? You need to provide your own running water. Get a generator or solar setup to generate your own electricity. Collect Internet Service Providers like Thanos gathering infinity stones, and still lose your mind when they all somehow experience simultaneous downtimes.

You鈥檙e constantly thinking about and negotiating broken systems just to get through the day. You don鈥檛 lack mental fortitude. Nigeria is designed to exhaust you mentally. It鈥檚 a miracle if you haven鈥檛 broken already.

Politics: Expect More鈥�?

Your timeline is full of all kinds of political discourse. Campaign flyers, reports of defections, coalitions, party primaries and consensus debates. But you look at the names, and you鈥檝e heard all of them before.

The stagnation in our political space creates intense feelings of . How can you get excited about the future of Nigeria when it doesn鈥檛 look like anything is going to change? The same old men, with their old ideas, are wasting the lives and youth of your generation. It feels completely hopeless.

That lack of excitement and hope is exactly where the damage is done. In psychology, this is called 鈥攖he inability to experience excitement or pleasure for future events鈥攁nd it is (MDD). When your brain literally cannot picture a positive future, it completely shuts down your motivation and leaves you feeling deeply pessimistic and ultimately depressed.

Only If You Let It

This particular fact is where we have the shiniest silver lining. You can actually do something about this because you still have agency here. It starts with getting your Permanent Voters Card (PVC). The current phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise closes on July 10, 2026. You can go to right now to pre-register before visiting an INEC office for your biometrics.

Be an active citizen and an active member of the electorate. Research political parties and candidates. If you are tired of the old guard, find fresh faces and voices that are saying what you actually want to hear and back them. Then, on election day, show up and vote. Take back your country and your mental health, because currently, the government isn鈥檛 doing enough to get you the help you need.

Mental Healthcare: Cycles of Madness

So, Nigeria is actively destroying your mental health in many different ways. This entire structural pressure cooker leads to the ultimate elephant in the room: What happens when you finally break?

The current medical landscape is terrifying.

Three years after the National Mental Health Act was , key provisions like the creation of a dedicated Mental Health Department within the Ministry of Health have still not materialised.

In 2024, the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria it had fewer than 250 psychiatrists serving the entire country. That is roughly one psychiatrist to about 960,000 patients.

The available therapists are way too expensive for most of the population, who also to manage their mental health conditions. To make matters worse, the National Health Insurance Authority does not explicitly cover mental health treatments in its standard benefits package.

When it comes to mental health issues, Nigerians are completely on their own. We need better mental healthcare, and that means we need a better government.

In the meantime, please ask for support when needed for yourself and those you know to be struggling. Your mental health is just as important as any other health need. Don鈥檛 wait until you break. 

If you need support, someone to talk to, or immediate help, these Nigerian mental health resources may help.

Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) 鈥� Youth-focused mental health support

| Crisis support: +234 916 841 7413

She Writes Woman 鈥� Free teletherapy & crisis helpline

| +234 800 800 2000

SURPIN 鈥� Suicide prevention & crisis intervention

| 080 0078 7746

Asido Foundation 鈥� Emotional wellness assessments & 24/7 Helpline

| +234 902 808 0416

National Emergency Helpline: 112

We want to hear about your personal experiences that reflect how politics or public systems affect daily life in Nigeria. Share your story with us 鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!

Mike (43) moved to the UK for a master鈥檚 degree when he became disillusioned with life in Nigeria. In this story, he shares the struggle of being a mature student in data science, and how a Christmas holiday in the UK turned into a permanent relocation for his family after he secretly applied for jobs on his wife’s behalf.

Where do you live currently, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in Kent, United Kingdom, and I left Nigeria just after the pandemic in January 2021.

Was that your first time leaving the country?

No, I have travelled out of the country several times. My spouse and I go on vacation almost every year, but that was the first time I knew I was going for the long term.

What inspired you to make that move?

I saw the trajectory things were taking in Nigeria, and realised it was not the kind of place I would like my children to grow up in. There was this general sense of helplessness, especially after the EndSARS protests and what happened at the Lekki Toll Gate.

It felt like there was no sense of order. To get things done, you had to know. I saw no structure; everything had to do with power or who you know. From my perspective, I just saw a continuous breakdown of law and order, and I decided I couldn鈥檛 handle it anymore.

But what was life like for you before you left?

Life was not bad at all. I was a project manager in an oil servicing firm, and my wife was doing very well, too. She had risen up the ladder to be a Managing Director at a fintech after years in investment banking. Life was good. We were living in our own house, we had two cars, and my children were going to some of the best schools around.

However, there was this general sense of insecurity. Once, my children鈥檚 school bus didn鈥檛 come back to drop the kids off on time. We would learn later that it was due to traffic, but when we couldn鈥檛 reach the drivers and the teacher with them, our first thought wasn鈥檛 a possible traffic jam. The first thing we thought was, “Have they kidnapped our kids?” You could feel the general insecurity in the country, and you know it can touch you at any time, regardless of how much you have.

How did you move to the UK?

I came for a Master’s in Data Science. During my studies, my wife and kids came over for a Christmas holiday. My wife is highly skilled, so I took her CV and put it out there without her knowing. Within a couple of days, she was already getting calls for interviews from some top companies. She couldn’t believe it.

She was actually against relocating at first because of the life we had built in Nigeria. But the speed with which those calls came flipped the switch for her. I also took her to see friends she knew over the years who were already established in the UK, living comfortably in good neighbourhoods. It gave her a picture of what was possible within a short period if we chose to build a life here.

She didn’t go back after that holiday. Her role in Nigeria was remote, so she worked from the UK for a couple of months until she got a very good job here. Our house in Nigeria was locked for about five years before we rented it out recently.

So staying wasn鈥檛 always the plan?

From my perspective, it was the plan. But my wife wasn鈥檛 too keen. She was at the peak of her career in Nigeria. But when she saw how fast she was getting senior management interviews here, things changed. It took her 12 years to reach that level in Nigeria, but within three days of putting her CV out in the UK, she was getting calls. This was just after COVID, so there was a high need for specialised skills. She got a job offer that sponsored her, so we have been under her skilled worker visa.

Since you moved to the UK, have you been back to Nigeria at all?

Yes. The year I travelled, I lost my dad, so I came back for his burial. But since my wife and kids moved here, we have not been back.

What was your first experience like arriving in the UK?

It is totally different from coming for a three-week vacation. This was the height of COVID, so restrictions were still in place. For the first time, I saw how things really work. I remember going to a bus stop, and my app told me the bus would be there at 3:15 PM. At 3:15 PM on the dot, the bus came; I almost shed a tear. In Lagos, you can’t have public transport that can be timed.

I realised that here, even with a menial job, you can afford an okay life. As a security guard in McDonald’s, you can afford to travel somewhere in Europe once or twice a year for a holiday. Menial jobs are not looked down upon. My wife insisted I shouldn’t work so she could fund my lifestyle, but as a man, I had to work. So I did some menial jobs while I was a student. I was able to get warehouse and care gigs while in school.

Why did you choose Data Science, and what do you do now?

I chose Data Science because I knew the world was moving towards machine learning and AI, and I had a background in mathematics and computer science. Studying it was hard because I was in my late 30s, struggling alongside 22-year-olds from India and Nigeria. Now, I still work in data, but I focus on data and AI governance.

What is life like now?

When I finished school in Leeds, we moved to Kent, where we live now and where my wife鈥檚 job is. At the time, things changed, and she went from a largely remote schedule to a hybrid one. But it was also time for our kids to start secondary school, and the best Grammar Schools are in Kent, so it just made sense.

Also, Kent is much closer to London. It鈥檚 about 45 minutes by train, or an hour if you drive. And London is basically like Lagos in terms of jobs. The moment I changed my address when we moved, I started getting a lot more job offers.

So the move has been great, and life is good. My wife has a great job, I have a good job too that I really enjoy, and our kids are in great schools.

Sounds great. Which was your favourite city to live in?

I was resistant to moving from Leeds because it was less expensive; when we moved to Kent, we were paying almost double the rent. But I have grown to love Kent. It is quiet and reserved, and if we want the bubbly vibe of London, it is just 45 minutes away.

How much contact do you still have with Nigeria? Do you see yourself returning permanently?

Nigeria will always be home; we still have a house there. But most of my friends are no longer in Nigeria; they have moved to Australia, Canada, or the UK. My close friends and I actually meet regularly in the UK. I still try to stay up to date on Nigerian news, but the connection is not as strong. Once we get full citizenship, we might make more frequent trips home.

As for settling long-term, there is a possibility because we still have property in Nigeria. At the same time, I like the idea of being a global citizen, so it might not be Nigeria we retire to鈥攊t could be Botswana or Rwanda鈥攂ut Nigeria will always be a base.

What is your support system like in the UK?

The move to the UK can either make or break you as a family. If there are any cracks in your relationship, it will widen them. That鈥檚 why we hear of so many people ending up divorced after they move here. But if your relationship is solid, it can bring you closer. For us, it has made us closer.

We were both very intentional about picking roles that allow for remote or hybrid work. My wife is almost fully remote, and I only go to the office once every two weeks. This gives us time to be part of our kids’ lives.

In Nigeria, we had help, and our parents were around, so we would leave at 5:00 AM and not be back until 10:00 PM. We wouldn’t see the kids awake until the weekend. Now, I drop my daughter off every day and pick my son up from the train station. We do homework together.

We have no help here, whereas we had two in Nigeria. So we’re a lot more hands-on with our children now. If you are the kind of man who has a problem with doing housework, you will struggle. I鈥檝e always been hands-on, so it has worked out great, and it has been one of the best decisions we鈥檝e made.

Was there a culture shock in terms of raising kids in the UK?

Yes. Here, you have to be more intentional. Nigerians believe very strongly in the saying about sparing the rod and spoiling the child. Here, you have to move away from that mindset unless you want social services to take your kids away. You have to find other ways of thinking about discipline, like maybe taking away privileges instead.

Any other culture shocks in general life?

Ironically, I sometimes miss the “anyhowness” of Nigeria. For example, the driving test in the UK was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. It鈥檚 harder than getting a job.

What was so difficult about the driving test?

It鈥檚 about recalibrating your mind to be on the other side of the road. We are not used to obeying road signs in Nigeria. Driving there is basically a 鈥渇ree-for-all.鈥� So here, you have to unlearn those bad habits first. I think it is actually better if you have never driven in Nigeria before you come here, because you won’t have to unlearn so much.

What has been your worst experience?

My first winter was terrible; I realised I didn’t pack the right types of clothes. I hate the weather here. Even now in May, it is still cold.

One other bad experience was being kicked out of my apartment at night with my wife and kids. This was when they came for the Christmas holiday. I was staying in my one-room apartment in a shared flat for students while my wife was doing her job interviews. I had signed a rule saying multiple people couldn’t stay in the room. I think a housemate ratted me out to the landlord. He came knocking, saw my family, and said they had to leave that night or he鈥檇 be fined by the council.

We had to hop on a bus at midnight to stay with my wife鈥檚 cousin in a different city. We spent five days there, and within that time, she got the job offer that allowed us to rent a two-bedroom house. That night was terrible; I felt like I had put my family in a mess.

Wow. What has been your best experience?

The best part is just how quickly we鈥檝e been able to settle. Within three years, we had bought our house and were both in very good jobs.

So it all worked out in the end. What do you like most about the UK?

I like that if you are focused, you can plan your life for the next 10 years. You can build a skill and grow. I love how orderly it is and how intentional they are with everyday living. I could sleep without locking my door and not be worried. I recently went up north, and at one point, I was driving at 2:00 AM, and I just thought about how I wasn’t worried about kidnapping or potholes. My only worry was falling asleep at the wheel. That relative safety is something I really value.

You mentioned you are waiting for your paperwork

Yes. It is just a matter of about ten months now. If you are on a skilled worker visa for five years, you qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). So we鈥檙e almost there.

Does the anti-immigrant rhetoric in the UK make you feel uncomfortable?

We were faced with tribal sentiments back in Nigeria, so it’s not new territory. I only worry about my kids because they already face some of that rhetoric in school. It鈥檚 about having conversations with the kids about reality and helping them understand that the world has people like that.

On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you in the UK?

I鈥檒l say eight and a half. If you can take away the anti-immigrant rhetoric and give me Nigerian weather, it鈥檒l be a ten.

Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me . For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).

There鈥檚 a popular perception that young Nigerians simply don鈥檛 have what it takes to compete in the global market. But those conversations conveniently sidestep the structural barriers that created this reality.

If you鈥檙e looking for a lecture on hustle culture or lifestyle trends鈥�we don鈥檛 do that here.

We aren鈥檛 exploring vibes, feelings, or personal failings. We鈥檙e looking at the state-sponsored obstacle course that has made “making it” in Nigeria a miracle. Here are the real and systemic reasons Nigeria is failing to platform its vibrant workforce.

Education 鈥� No Teach Me Nonsense

Nigeria鈥檚 education system can be summed up very easily: underfunded and out of date. UNESCO recommends that countries dedicate of their national budget to education. Nigeria has only reached such levels once鈥攊n 1997 with 17.59%. Between 1960 and 2023 (when Tinubu became president) the yearly average was a 7.61% spend on education. Tinubu hasn鈥檛 even managed that.

Here鈥檚 the education allocation for every year of Tinubu鈥檚 presidency.

• 2024: 5.5%
• 2025: 6.4%
• 2026: 6.1%

In 2023, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) admitted that some curricula in our tertiary institutions are . This is a disaster that needs no explaining.

Our education system is not globally competitive, yet it鈥檚 supposed to pump out global talent.

Power 鈥� A Grid Called Brother Benard

The Energy for Growth Hub, an energy-focused think tank, says each person needs to be productive. For Nigeria and its estimated population of over , that would require a grid supplying around 27,000 MW of electricity.

Currently, our grid has an installed capacity of only 13,625 MW, and . By global standards, Nigerians are experiencing 鈥�.鈥�

How are you supposed to take those online courses to fill the gaps left by your poor education when you don鈥檛 have electricity?

Telecoms 鈥� 鈥淚 Can Hear You, Can You Hear Me?鈥�

Nigeria鈥檚 internet penetration is , and the connection we do have is shaky, unreliable, and slow. The ranks Nigeria 82nd in the world for mobile internet speeds at 50.53 Mbps, while the global average sits at 109 Mbps. Many international companies use internet speed as a filter to screen out candidates, so Nigerians are being disqualified before we even get a chance.

Despite these struggles, in January 2025, the government permitted Telcos to raise their prices by 50%. Now, we鈥檙e paying more for the same shitty connection. 

How can you be a global talent when you鈥檙e constantly disconnecting during standups?

Passport 鈥� Global Citizens

On the global stage, the Nigerian passport is a handicap. On the , we鈥檝e dropped in the last twenty years from a rank of 62nd in 2006 to 90th in 2026, with visa-free access to only 44 countries.

For comparison, Ghana (ranked 68th) has access to 67 countries, and South Africa (ranked 47th) has access to 100. The idea of the 鈥済lobal citizen鈥� does not apply to Nigerians who face some of the strictest visa guidelines in the world.

This administration has further fumbled our international standing. Tinubu didn鈥檛 appoint ambassadors for over two years of the presidency, leaving us with zero representation internationally. Nobody was beating the drum for why Nigeria is a good place to hire from.

Hardware 鈥� The Lifestyle Cost

Because the government hasn鈥檛 provided an environment for Nigerians to be competitive, individuals have to be their own government, buying everything they need. But so much of this gear is imported; the Naira鈥檚 free fall over the last five years combined with hefty import duties means a lot of Nigerians are basically screwed.

A $2,000 MacBook that would have cost 鈧�900,000 in 2021 now costs about 鈧�3 million today. Your Starlink kit will also set you back hundreds of thousands, and that鈥檚 before you calculate the cost of a generator or a solar setup. It is bloody expensive to just “show up” for work when the state treats your professional tools as luxury imports.

In early 2026, the federal government . We need something similar for the digital workforce. The least the government can do is not make the tools the workforce needs any more expensive.

Taxes 鈥� Reap where you sow

Tinubu鈥檚 tax reforms, which came into effect in 2026, show to cut into the pie of freelance and remote workers. Despite providing next to nothing when it comes to the infrastructure people in this industry need, the government now has its hand out asking for a share of global earnings.

It is a “success tax” on survivors. They are taxing the very people who managed to jump over every hurdle the government itself put in their way.

Punching Above Our Weight

Despite the huge government-shaped monkey sitting on our backs, Nigerians are still climbing the global job ladder. The ranked Nigeria 6th out of 193 countries.

We don鈥檛 have a talent problem; we have an obstacle course built by our own government to keep us from reaching our potential. Yet young Nigerians are putting in the work every single day to be world-class in spite of the odds against them.

When the world needs talent, we鈥檙e still one of the first places they look. If anyone can鈥檛 find global talent here, they aren’t looking hard enough.

Having to jump systemic hurdles just to be able to do your job should not be the norm. We should not accept it.

Nigerians deserve a government that provides the education and infrastructure needed to be competitive. If you鈥檙e wondering why you鈥檙e not considered a world-class or global talent, despite doing everything right, the answer is pretty simple. You don鈥檛 have a world-class government.

If you want one, you have to demand it. You鈥檙e showing up in the job market with world-class skills, but are you showing up at the polls with stubborn determination for your vote to be counted?

The portal for Permanent Voters Card (PVC) registrations closes on July 10, 2026. Go to now to register. See you at the polls.

We want to hear about your personal experiences that reflect how politics or public systems affect daily life in Nigeria. Share your story with us 鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!

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I talk to Nigerians a lot about international travel for our flagship series Abroad Life, which I write every week.

But a recent personal trip reminded me of the one aspect of travel we often overlook: the awkward, expensive ritual in Nigeria of actually getting from the airport entrance to the plane.

“So, what do you have for me?”

When the balding immigration officer asked, “So, what do you have for me?” I didn’t refuse him out of some grand principle. Since I鈥檇 stepped into Terminal 2 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, I had already parted with almost 鈧�3,000. 

Pretty much everyone in uniform was extraordinarily chatty, their sheepish grins confessing exactly what they really wanted. And I gave鈥攆ive hundred Naira here, a thousand there. 

They were mostly nice about it when they asked.

鈥淒rop something for me.鈥�

鈥淒o well for me na.鈥�

I obliged. I was already behind on time and it kept things moving smoothly.

But after checking my luggage and getting my boarding pass, I swapped my remaining Naira for dollars. The smallest bill I had now was $10. There was no world in which I was giving Baldy $10 just to stamp my passport鈥攐r as I like to call it, doing his job.

鈥淕o and meet him鈥�

Hearing I had no more cash to give, he set down his stamp and pointed to a row of desks to the right. 鈥淵ou see that my oga with the glasses?鈥� He pointed to a stocky man in a blue-and-white horizontal striped polo shirt. He was the only one not in uniform.

鈥淕o and meet him.鈥� I could sense I was in for some drama.

As I strolled over, I heard the boarding announcement for my flight echo over the airport public address system.

Horizontal Stripes gave me the regular grilling: Where are you going? What for? How long? The only new question was 鈥淲here鈥檚 your hotel reservation?鈥�

I was travelling for a fully-funded writing workshop; the organisers had sorted everything. When I told him, he wouldn鈥檛 budge, and insisted on seeing the reservation.

I had to call my contact person, wait for her to send the reservation as a PDF, and show it to him. He studied it, then asked a more ridiculous question: 鈥淗ow much cash do you have on you?鈥�

When I told him, he shook his head. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not enough. You need at least $500 in cash to travel to any African country.鈥�

I knew he was making stuff up. No such blanket requirement exists, especially not when you already have your visa.

If you鈥檙e getting a visa on arrival, some countries do ask for proof of funds, but that鈥檚 done by their own immigration services when you arrive. It鈥檚 certainly not the job of the Nigerian Immigration Service to stop you from travelling because you don鈥檛 have enough pocket money.

None of my explanations got through to him, though. Still holding onto my passport, he walked away to speak with other officers, acting like I wasn鈥檛 even there.

I stood there, doing the mental math of how long it would take to go back to the money changers. I actually set off to do it too, but on my way, two ticketing staff recognised me and offered to intervene. They walked me back to his desk and spoke to Horizontal Stripes while more minutes ticked away.

After they left, he waved me over, but kept me standing there while he chatted with other officers. I heard another boarding call.

鈥淥ya, tell me the real reason for your trip,鈥� he finally said, waving my passport like a hand fan. I repeated the same things I had said earlier.

He stared at me for several moments, then finally asked another officer to hand him a stamp.

But it wasn鈥檛 over. My next obstacle was the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) desk. 

#NairaLife

There I met Dumbo 1 and Dumbo 2. From their desk, I could see my gate, where the short queue was getting shorter by the minute. The final boarding call echoed over the PA system.

First, Dumbo 1 took my passport, passed it to Dumbo 2, and then repeated the usual questions: Destination? Purpose? Duration? 

Dumbo 1 was direct: 鈥淪o, what do you have for us?鈥� I breathed a tired sigh as I thought through my options. Was I going to risk more silliness like what happened at immigration, or was I finally parting with that $10 bill?

Dumbo 2, more suave than his partner, stepped in during my moment of hesitation with one of the oddest conversations I鈥檝e had recently.

鈥淪o, what do you do?鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 a writer.鈥�

鈥淎h. Writers make a lot of money na. I bet you write about all this crypto stuff?鈥�

Do people actually make that much writing about crypto? Am I in the wrong niche? If you don鈥檛 see any more 91大神 stories from me, just know I鈥檝e gone to look for money in crypto writing.

I told Dumbo 2 I didn’t write about crypto. 鈥淓hn? I like reading sha,鈥� he said. Who would have guessed? He certainly had me fooled up to that point.

鈥淒o you know 91大神?鈥� he asked.

I was almost sure he was pulling my leg. Maybe he鈥檇 googled my name from my passport while I was talking to Dumbo 1. But then he started telling me about his favourite Naira Life stories.

Shoutout to the amazing Tife Oni; there鈥檚 an NDLEA officer who really loves your work.

鈥淚 always find it so interesting,鈥� he said. 鈥淩eading stories about how people can just 10x their income.鈥� He was grinning from ear to ear just talking about it.

I was honestly fascinated, but I had one eye on the queue at my boarding gate. Only a couple of people left.

No wahala

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any more cash,鈥� I interrupted Dumbo 2鈥檚 narration of Naira Life stories.

Dumbo 1, ever the direct one, did not miss a beat. 鈥淣o wahala,鈥� he said, as he slid a piece of paper to me. It had an Opay account number written on it. I looked over; just one person was left at the gate. I pulled out my phone.

As I opened my bank app, I said to Dumbo 2, 鈥淵ou know, I actually write for 91大神. I write Abroad Life.鈥�

鈥凌别补濒濒测?鈥�

鈥渊耻辫.鈥�

With 鈧�2,000 less in my account, I rushed towards my gate. As I went, Dumbo 2 said that he鈥檇 look out for my name next time he was on the 91大神 website.

Well, this one鈥檚 for you, Dumbo 2. I know your dream is probably to be featured in a Naira Life story about how you 10x鈥檇 your income. This is likely the closest you鈥檒l get. But hey, you鈥檙e on 91大神. Enjoy it.

Beggars who don鈥檛 give you a choice

In January 2026, when the streamer , the constant begging he encountered shocked the internet and led to Nigeria being labelled 鈥淎begistan.鈥� In a country where , begging has become ingrained in our culture.

But what happens at the airport is different. A beggar on the street appeals to your mercy. But when the person asking wears a uniform and can hold your passport until you miss a flight, that isn’t just begging anymore.

It鈥檚 a shakedown. It鈥檚 extortion. I don鈥檛 have a clever name to capture it like Abegistan. I鈥檒l let you all come up with that. But funny labels hide a sinister reality beneath the humour: a culture of entitlement that turns every person in uniform into a personal toll collector. I don’t have a name for it yet, but maybe it shouldn’t have one at all. Because it shouldn鈥檛 exist in the first place. It鈥檚 a culture that needs to end.

We want to hear about your personal experiences that reflect how politics or public systems affect daily life in Nigeria. Share your story with us 鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!

Samson* (20) left Nigeria when his family migrated to the UK. In this story, he talks about the initial loneliness of life in the UK, why he decided to move to Georgia for his studies, and the reality of experiencing overt racism in a country where some people are still shocked to see Black people.

Where do you live currently, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in Georgia. I left Nigeria with my family in 2023, and we moved to the United Kingdom (UK).

What inspired you to leave Nigeria?

We were looking for better opportunities, basically. My mom got a job there, and we all decided to move. My mom got there first, about five months before the rest of us joined her.

What was that experience like for you?

Obviously, I was excited, but I also felt sad because I would be leaving my friends behind. I get very attached to people. But I got over it eventually. I鈥檝e met new people here. And I still talk to my friends in Nigeria a lot too. 

When we arrived, we stayed at an uncle鈥檚 place for about four months. He made sure we did not lack anything. So it was a very relaxed start to life in the UK. But not being able to do anything or go out with friends got to me quite a bit, to be honest.

It has been a good experience; it just came with a bit of loneliness. But I wouldn鈥檛 change anything about it.

What are you up to now? 

I鈥檓 studying medicine in Georgia. I moved here in 2025.

Studying medicine in the UK is quite expensive as an international student. My parents cannot keep up with that kind of expense. So I looked for cheaper alternatives around Europe, like Romania.  I eventually settled on Georgia.

How are you finding life in Georgia?

It鈥檚 fine, I guess. It is a less developed country than the UK. When I first got here, it felt a bit like mini Lagos because of the hustling and bubbling. There are still signs of the old Soviet era. You see new, good-looking buildings and older, terrible-looking ones side by side.

The primary language here is Georgian. English is not really spoken among the older people; they speak Russian and Georgian. Some younger people speak English alongside Georgian.

To be honest, it feels like the government here does not care about the Georgian people. You see people begging on the streets in traffic. People really struggle here. Even lecturers and medical doctors struggle so badly in this country.

Coming from the UK, when I convert Pounds to the Georgian Lari, I can live quite comfortably. But the Georgians themselves do not necessarily live a comfortable life; things are very expensive for them.

For me, though, the biggest issue is racism. Some Georgians are not used to Black people, so they can act very strangely around us. 

And you didn鈥檛 experience anything like that in the UK?

Not exactly. I feel racism in the UK is more subtle, more hidden. For example, I had a boss at work in the UK who I think might be racist. But I cannot prove it.  He smiles and acts all nice, but I noticed a pattern of strictly assigning certain tasks to the Black members of staff. That鈥檚 what racism in the UK felt like. You feel like it鈥檚 there, but you can鈥檛 exactly prove it.

And in Georgia?

In Georgia, little kids call me the N-word all the time. You see adults who will be the ones to touch you or brush against you, and then they get offended and keep cursing at you in their language. You see people recording you; some might do it out of curiosity, but some actually record you to post you on the internet. It happens all the time.

How does that make you feel, and how do you react to it?

I grew up in Nigeria, where everybody was the same colour. Even when we saw white people, we didn’t really care. So, I don’t really care about it. I know it affects some people, but personally, I couldn’t care less, to be honest.

Does it ever make you feel unsafe?

No, it does not make me feel unsafe. I go out anytime I want. I do anything I want. I really don’t care. If you come to me, we can have a scrap; that is not a problem. But I am not scared of anybody like that.

Please be safe. You mentioned you made new friends. Are these in the UK or Georgia?

Both.

Are they Nigerians, British, or Georgians? How did you meet them?

In the UK, I made friends at work. Most of them are British, some are Albanian, some are Indian, and some are Ghanaian. I don’t really have Nigerian friends in the UK unless you count people at church. But those are acquaintances, not really friends. In Georgia, I made friends at university. Some are Nigerians, some are from the UK, some are Indian, and some are Canadian. It is quite diverse.

Have you been back to Nigeria since you left?

No. The opportunity hasn鈥檛 come up yet. I plan to, but not now. Maybe in the next two years.

If you look to the future, do you see yourself returning to Nigeria to settle at some point, or is your life abroad now?

I think I see my life as being abroad. Obviously, it鈥檚 not completely up to me right now, but I do see myself continuing to live abroad.

Let鈥檚 go back to the UK. Were there any culture shocks you experienced when you first arrived there?

The main culture shock for me was the fact that people don’t go to each other’s houses that much. You can鈥檛 send someone to your neighbour’s house to go and chill. Everybody just stays in their own space. Also, the way they behave toward their elders is different; they do not behave the way we do toward ours in Nigeria. Their idea of respect is different. Those are the two main shocks I had.

What is your favourite and least favourite thing about the UK?

I鈥檒l say my favourite thing is how accessible everything is. Anything you want is accessible, whether online or in stores. My least favourite thing is that I feel like the UK wants to put you in debt. Their taxes are very heavy. It feels like they want you to be broke.

What about Georgia? What were the culture shocks there?

This wasn’t a shock compared to Nigeria, but coming from the UK, I was shocked by the homophobia in Georgia. In Nigeria, people are homophobic, and it is the same in Georgia. Most people are very homophobic, and they are aggressive about it. In the UK, people are very chill about it; I have lesbian and gay friends there. In Georgia, it is very different.

What is your favourite and least favourite thing about Georgia?

My favourite thing is that I have more friends compared to the UK because of university. Also, when I convert Pounds to Lari, I鈥檓 able to live comfortably. My least favourite thing is the constant staring. I get that some of them do it because they don鈥檛 see a lot of Black people and they鈥檙e curious. So I try not to pay much mind to it, but it gets to a point.

What are your plans for the future?

Finish medical school and definitely go back to the UK. I鈥檒l try to build my portfolio and find a good-paying job. If I can’t find a job as a doctor immediately, I鈥檒l find anything related to it and continue building myself.

On a scale of one to ten, how happy were you in the UK, and how happy are you in Georgia?

For the UK, I鈥檒l say an eight. Everything feels accessible. I have family and friends close by, so it is just very comfortable for me.

I鈥檒l say a seven for Georgia. I think Georgia is a hidden gem. Most people shy away from it, but it is very nice if you actually open up to it鈥攖he places, the history, and even some of the people. Not everyone is racist. I鈥檝e met some really good people here.

Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me . For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).

On Friday, April 24, 2026, a video of a woman鈥檚 cry for help made the rounds on social media. In the video, a woman who described herself as a mother of two young children said she was being harassed for calling out inappropriate content in her child鈥檚 school textbook.

A passage described an owner using hot metal to burn his dog as punishment. She felt this violence could negatively influence young minds and made a video about it.

The young mother says she deleted that video after a representative of the publishers reached out, but she alleges threats to her life and harassment of people close to her followed. She also claimed the police invited her for questioning, which she sees as a cover for arrest. “I don鈥檛 have money for lawyers,” she said tearfully.

On Sunday, April 26, 2026, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan posted supporting the woman. Akpoti-Uduaghan said: “Parents have every right to question and vet the materials their children are exposed to. Likewise, publishers and business owners must remain open to feedback, while the Ministry of Education and its agencies must be proactive in ensuring that all educational materials meet appropriate standards. Threats or intimidation over such concerns are unacceptable.” She then said she was looking to get in contact with the distressed mother to make sure “this matter can be properly addressed.”

The customer is always right a suspect

In Nigeria, these cases are far too common. Businesses use aggressive tactics to silence public criticism. Just last week, we covered the filed against Love Dooshima by Bon Bread, after she questioned the suspiciously long shelf life of some bread brands. Dooshima did not name Bon Bread or show its logo, yet she was arrested and detained overnight.

In September 2023, of its product, Nagiko Tomato Mix, on Facebook. Okoli , which has now dragged on for over two years.

But how are these brands able to do this and get the police to help them?

Words hurt, you know

We spoke to , a lawyer and researcher at Juritrust Centre for Socio-legal Research and Documentation. He said the law does protect the rights of consumers to complain. “Yes. There are laws that protect the right of consumers to complain about products and services. The general framework is governed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018,” he said.

But he added that businesses also have a right to protect themselves from criticism they believe will damage their reputation. “We must acknowledge the right of consumers to complain. We must also acknowledge the right of businesses to protect their reputation,” Ewuziem said.

The tension between where consumer rights end and business rights begin is the source of these issues. The reason businesses can go after customers with the full force of the police is that, in Nigeria, the law allows them to.

The law says “watch your mouth”

Defamation is included in the Criminal Code Act, where it is defined as injuring someone’s reputation by exposing them to 鈥渉atred, contempt, or ridicule.鈥� It can carry a prison sentence of up to two years.

There鈥檚 also the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015, which defined Cyberstalking as knowingly sending a message by computer or network that causes: annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will, or needless anxiety.

Some of the items on that list seem reasonable enough, but 鈥渁nnoyance?鈥� Really? Can we be arrested just for annoying someone? It is a miracle we haven鈥檛 all been locked up. The punishment is a fine of up to 鈧�7 million and three years in prison. Cyberstalking was the charge brought against Chioma Okoli.

After intense public pressure, section 24 was tweaked in 2024 in the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (Amendment) Act 2024, which limited the cyberstalking definition to material that is either pornographic or capable of 鈥渃ausing a breakdown of law and order鈥� or 鈥減osing a threat to life.鈥� This already shows the impact our voices can have on changing laws that make our lives difficult. More on that later.

Freedom of (after?) speech

Now, the obvious defence for Nigerians targeted by tyrannical brands is the freedom of speech guaranteed by the constitution. Section 39 states that all Nigerians are entitled to freedom of opinion and expression, to receive and share ideas without interference. It also says that we are entitled to use any medium for the dissemination of those ideas and opinions. That includes the computer systems mentioned in the Cybercrimes Act. But even that is not all black or white.

“There are limitations; freedom of speech isn鈥檛 absolute,” Ewuziem said. In each case, it is up to the courts to decide if a critic has violated the rights of the business. Ewuziem explained that the courts of law are in the best position to balance the right to freedom of speech of the consumer against the right to protect businesses against unfounded claims.

The problem here is that having defamation under criminal law turns matters of opinion into criminal trials. Defamation is a real thing, but ultimately it is a civil matter and should be settled in civil court.

As usual, we’re behind the rest of the world

Ewuziem agrees that defamation should be a civil matter. “Comparative law already indicates that defamation has been decriminalised in many countries,” he said. “Justice Helen Ogunwumiju JSC in actually called on lawmakers to remove defamation as a crime.”

Making defamation a criminal matter justifies the involvement of the police, whom these businesses use like personal thugs. Ewuziem said it should be a civil matter only and should not be included in the Criminal Code Act.

When these cases get to court, even if the judge upholds constitutional freedom, the damage is already done. For some businesses, getting a conviction isn’t the point; humiliation and revenge are.

“This concept is called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP),” Ewuziem explained. “This is when companies know that they can’t actually win a particular case, but they use the legal system to intimidate and frustrate critics.”

Corporate terrorism

When we think about Chioma Okoli losing her pregnancy, or a mother crying because she has no money for lawyers, the damage is done long before a judgment arrives. Legal fees and psychological costs are paid during these ordeals. These businesses can afford years of court cases and can get critics detained. It is a test of financial and physical stamina where the odds are stacked against the individual.

Ewuziem shared that there are ongoing calls to tackle this trend with several legal and human rights organisations working on it. 鈥淚’m using this opportunity to call on policymakers to consider the formulation of anti-SLAPP laws in Nigeria,鈥� he said.

As businesses exhaust and silence visible critics, their tactic also helps them silence potential ones. You see a substandard product, but you remember these cases and decide to swallow your dissatisfaction. These brands are engaging in a war against our right to complain and demand accountability. It is obscene and has to stop. We must all lend our voices to the cause.

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who is defending Chioma Okoli in her legal battle with Erisco Foods,  ran to the rescue of Love Dooshima when Bon Bread had her detained. And now, it appears Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan might take up this mother鈥檚 case. Their actions are noble, but Effiong cannot defend the whole of Nigeria, and we cannot keep relying on the luck of a viral video appealing to the mercy of a top government official.

Individual interventions will not save us from a systemic problem. We need root-deep solutions.

We don鈥檛 need heroes鈥� we need better laws

First, the National Assembly must decriminalise defamation. It should be a civil matter only; the police have no business pacifying hurt feelings. At the very least, the law must clearly exclude product reviews and whistleblowing from the definition.

Second, we need consequences for bullies. Businesses currently weaponise the police with zero risk. We need a law mandating companies to pay sizeable damages to consumers they wrongfully arrest. If a brand uses the police as private enforcers, they should pay for the human rights violations they trigger.

Third, the Police must stop acting as reputation managers. The Inspector General of the force, Tunji Disu, must issue a directive: any product review is a civil matter for the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), not a criminal matter for the station.

How we save ourselves

All of these solutions won’t magically happen. We have to make them a reality. That means contacting your representatives in the National Assembly and letting them know you are unhappy with the laws used to gag you.

While we wait for the laws to catch up, we need to know what tools are available to us. According to Ewuziem, it is best to follow lawful procedures for making complaints to avoid exposing yourself to legal troubles.

“The law asks the consumer to first approach the business with their complaints,” Ewuziem said. “If satisfactory steps aren’t taken, the consumer can escalate the matter to regulators.”

Consumers can file official complaints with regulators like the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), or the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

Ewuziem added that the consumer also has the right to approach the court with their complaints. When possible, he encourages consumers to get legal advice before posting product reviews.

Who are we?

A healthy economy with high quality products is built on a conversation, not a monologue. When a brand can harass a mother for worrying about her child鈥檚 education, or a shop owner for raising concerns about food safety, it is not protecting its reputation; it is admitting its product cannot survive scrutiny.

Nigeria must decide: are we a modern nation of discerning citizens, or a corporate fiefdom where the customer is always wrong and treated as a criminal? If we don’t stop this trend, the next person crying “I don鈥檛 have money for lawyers” could be you. It is time for collective accountability. It is the only way forward.

Disclaimer: All of views expressed by Ifeanyi Ewuziem are his and are not to be attributed to the Juritrust Centre for Socio-legal Research and Documentation.

We want to hear about your personal experiences that reflect how politics or public systems affect daily life in Nigeria. Share your story with us聽鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!