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| FAQ's on my mind... (this car number plate made me smile though) |
I kept thinking about all the work I had lined up and how unproductive my day had been, I must have been thinking about it too much that I gave myself a 'tension' headache..it was so bad that I was trying to stop myself from thinking 'cos it felt like my head would explode, so I lured my brain to think of nice thoughts just to ease myself of the mental torture but all my nice thoughts took me back to my 'UK' memories, where 'SANITY' rules in every sphere of life but instead of giving myself the comfort I needed it made me even more tense as all I kept asking myself on top of it all was one more big question: IS IT REALLY WORTH MOVING BACK TO NIGERIA????
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| @Just Me: You wont believe I just saw this in today's Punch (8th) page 3 (Pic added at 00:13am 9th). |
Dangerous roads and perils it holds, poor health care, insecurity, PHCN/NEPA etc, etc seem like an unfair deal for citizens of an oil rich nation like Nigeria. It is a big shame on us that we are so blessed yet the country is such a mess with a non-existent infrastructure...
Thankfully, I got home yesterday a few minutes shy of 10pm with every bone in my body aching. I hit the sacks with so many frequently asked questions on my mind.."How many more unproductive days lie ahead, will things actually get better for citizens, what can I do to make a difference? etc" Hmmm!
Morning breaks, headache gone (Praise God!) and I get myself ready as quickly as possible and head for the office but guess what? I'm stuck in traffic again! This time I'm taking it easy on my brain (as I know there is no ambulance service here that works) but I have just one question on my mind as I type bumper to bumper with other cars (in pidgin english) - "WHICH KAIN COUNTRY BE DIS???
Na wa o!
B.
PS: Pls excuse any typos..I'm trying to be discrete using my laptop in the car before Naija bigger boys chance it off me..!!!
The answer to your question is "HECK NO"... The six weeks I spent there earlier this year were more than a testament to that.
ReplyDeleteI love having a normal quality of life, nothing extraordinary, just normal. In Naija, that's an impossibility.
i feel u. Traffic in Lagos is just exhausting. To think of all the productive things you could use the time for is just annoying.
ReplyDeleteSorry dear SD. Pele. You may need to move. There is no sense in spending your life in Lagos traffic. On occasion when I drive by during rush hour, I shake my head mannn, I feel bad for the backpain, headaches, and lost lives going on in those cars.
ReplyDeleteMy mantra when I've been employed in Lagos (well, anywhere in the world actually) has been WALKING DISTANCE. Cut the car and driver expenses. But not everyone likes the same thing. Other options - BRT bus. Other options, work outside Lagos where you earn more spend less and can afford a house wherever. Or work from home. Or don't work at all (in some cases, it's cheaper than roaming around the bridge stuck in your car.)
Then after you get the Island house, or the Mainland job next door to your home, they'll probably skip a paycheck or five. Welcome to Lagos.
Pay the one year's rent on the Island sweetie. Get a serviced place or get an inverter (less expensive). End of advice column. Hugs.
http://upnaira.blogspot.com/2011/02/lagos-survival-guide.html
Living well in Lagos
(),sry, Lagos can be stressful. I here Abuja is becoming like lagos but its still not as bad as lagos, pls help urself n move to Abuja, although cost of living is really high, its still better. I live in DC n d stress here is on another level its bills bills bills, at least in Lagos u do not have to think of mortgage, tax n all that crab. Take heart dear and move if possible.
ReplyDeletei feel you.pele. i'm glad you're also thinking of what you can do to help
ReplyDeleteeh yah, i can imagine, sorry but thats our beloved country, i believe change is coming soon
ReplyDelete-bhookey
Haba SD,
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with your comment that our healthcare system is crap,it may not be the best in the world but it is good enough if you know where to go-money or no money.Please find out from your driver if he knew the sickness that killed his baby (may God comfort him and his wife),i'm sure it is not something that could not be cured here.Other factors might have caused the death of the baby and not the healthcare system in place here.
Traffic in lagos - especially on the island is mad and stressful. I used to work on the mainland and faced little traffic to and from work.Now i work in Victoria Island and spend minimum of two hours in traffic back home everyday-that alone is enough to make any sane person stressed and angry(lol)
NEPA seem to have repented lately o-so happy for that.
Nigeria is not as bad as you make it seem and I still love my lagos even with the traffic.
Kudos to those who mustered the courage to relocate to Nigeria. Not for me. I was there for work and was more than depressed half of the time even though i had 24 hours water and electricity. it was ridiculous. it's one worry over another. fear of getting kidnapped, my maid's petty theft (the heifer was pinching body cream, salt, sanitary pad and poured my body wash, diluting the remaining with water), traffic, my driver lying and begging for money all the time etc...i was like heck nah!
ReplyDelete*sigh* sad situation really.
ReplyDeleteI was in Lagos this past January and I almost ran mad sitting thru traffic.
I thought the traffic in L.A was chaotic but my gawd! Lagos' just takes d cake and d whole kitchen.
But then u go to cities like Abuja and Enugu and regain sanity.
However, Lagos is where it's all at so the city is unavoidable. Its really a fun place to be but with way too many BUTS
Bola, like i keep telling you, it will be very difficult for me to relocate to Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteWhen i go on holiday for a month each time, after two weeks i start getting restive, cranky and fed up. Not a good sign. I'm getting all excited for my next trip but when i'm done, i know i'll be exhausted.
However, if you want big things to happen to you, Nigeria is the place to be. If you don't care about those big things, then stay put where you are....
I think the catch to countering Lagos is trying ur darnest to live close to ur job. And a sort of let it roll off ur back approach. While lagos is hectic, the truth is it might be the golden ticket some folks need in their lives. Bcos one minute u can be @ the bottom and the next minute skyrocket to the top. Nigeria is filled with a lot of opportunites, so those that are willing to deal with a bit of discomfort should come and join the lot.
ReplyDeleteWell every part of Nigeria has its peculiarities. This article should be aptly titled moving back to Lagos. The traffic situation you have described is peculiar to Lagos and isnt experienced by people who move back to Owerri, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Abeokuta, Ibadan and many other parts of Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteSigh... i ask myself the same questions everyday. Having just relocated 10 months ago, i can't help but flash back to my comfy life in the UK. 15 yrs away from nigeria surely didnt help... i'm close to telling hubby i wanna go back..i mostly hate it here and cant help but complain everyday! I have tried to get used to it as my friends have advised and try to see a glimmer of hope sumwhere, but nah.. from house girls that give u daily headaches with their wahala, to drivers and guards stealing ur diesel and selling it..list is endless. its sad that the excitement i had 10 months ago at d tots of relocating back home disappeared within 2 weeks of getting here...
ReplyDeleteI've moved back to UK after 2 and a half years of trying to make it happen for myself in Lagos. Lagos is Hectic! Lagos is mad! Lagos is class-crazy! However Lagos brings out the hustle in me. Back in london, i've gone back to the mundane, same-old routine, everything moving at snail pace way of life.
ReplyDeleteIm beginning to miss Naija again, but the stability im enjoying here in London is too much of a sacrifice to give away. What i've decided to do now is to take the Lagos energy and imply it to my life here hence im starting a new business next year.
Good luck with your endeavours...you seem to be making it and enjoying the good things of Lagos, we cant have it all.
Wow very nice content and informative blog.I want to share another link of a one of the best house relocation company that is Removals in surrey. Which provide best services of house relocation.
ReplyDelete