15 Things Nigerians Miss while Living Abroad

There is no doubt that living abroad is one of the desires of most Nigerians, it is one of the most unforgettable and incredible experiences that anyone will love to partake in. However, there are quite a few things that you may miss outside Nigeria. Yes, you may have taken these things for granted, wait till you have spent few months abroad, by then, the excitement and fun of the new city must have worn off. This is when you may start missing the some things about Nigeria and you’ll shockingly be longing for them.

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Here are 15 things Nigerians miss while living abroad:

1.Visitation from friends, neighbours and families

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There is nothing as unique as the visits we get from our friends and neighbours in Nigeria, especially from our families in the village or our home town. During these visits, food is served and stories are shared. It is one experience that brings oneness and bond between people. Most people living abroad do not enjoy this luxury and they miss home badly when they are lying alone in their apartments.

2. Free car parks

plane-on-street      Photo Source: Sunnewsonline

You don’t need to worry about traffic tickets when you are in Nigeria. There is no police ticket for you when you default in your parking space, it is either you are called out to re-park your car or warned. When you park wrongly abroad, you pay the penalty fee. In Nigeria, you can park an airplane on the street without stress.

3. Street shops

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You would definitely miss the street shops in Nigeria when you travel abroad. The reason is, these street shops provide you with everything you may need early in the morning or late in the night when the markets are closed. On every street, you will find Aboki with small kiosk selling a variety of household items or a pharmacy store right at the corner of the street.

4. Street Jamz

You must have realized that most developed countries are noise free, sometimes; you can feel a pin drop because making a noise is regarded as an offence. Come to Nigeria and experience something that will blow your mind, the jamz that comes from different shops can be exciting because it is one avenue where you can know the hottest tracks in the music industry without surfing the internet.

5. The TV shows

NG TV soaps and shows

Nigerian TV soaps and reality shows are like no other, you can’t compare them with American or British TV shows because they are have been uniquely produced. Some of the TV soaps have good story and once you start viewing them, you will get hooked. Most Nigerians living abroad miss these shows because they tell a lot about our lifestyles and how to tackle most problems we encounter in our daily lives.

6. Lagos bus conductors

7213890272_841b5af799_z Photo Source: Bankole Oluwafemi on Flickr

Even though, bus conductors in Lagos can be annoying, you can’t but miss the way they behave especially when they have a disagreement with someone in the bus. It’s always an interesting and memorable scenario.

7. Speaking daily vernacular – Pidgin English

Pidgin English makes communication very easy among Nigerians. Nigerians living abroad miss speaking their favourite slangs such as ‘How far?’, ‘Wetin dey happen?’, ‘How you dey?’.

8. Owambe Parties

Owambe Party      Photo Source: Precious Olivine Ventures

Nigerian parties are famous for some reasons – the fashionable clothes, foods, friends and families. They are the only massive weekend parties in the world and also the grooviest. Owambe party is a norm in Nigeria and if you like it or not, you will find yourself in one, celebrating with friends and families, dancing, eating and drinking with them. After all, a great celebration reveals itself wherever there is food, music and of course, Nigerians.

9. Market haggling

Balogun Market

You may never know what you have until you have travelled abroad and discovered how difficult it is to bargain on some items because they come with price tags. In Nigeria, everything is very affordable and you can easily buy things without price tags. You have the freedom of down pricing every product with the sellers which is what you may never experience in malls and supermarkets abroad.

10. People who do everything for you

You can not get free labour outside Africa which is one thing you would definitely miss. There are a lot of relatives, friends and neighbours who would love to wash for you, cook and clean for you without asking for anything.

11. Affordable housing

Lagos

Life in Nigeria may not be so rosy when compared to the life outside the shores of Africa, but when you calculate how much you are spending abroad and what half of that money can fetch for you in Nigerian housing, you would love to jump the next air plane to live in Nigeria again.

12. Cool weather

The weather condition in Nigeria is beautiful. There is no need to worry about snow, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. The sun may be scorching but it is better than the fear of unfriendly weather conditions outside the country.

13. Nigerian hospitality

The Nigerian police may not be your friend but the people in Nigeria are always out to help you in one way or the other. Nigerians don’t mind their business when things happen and this is what makes them unique. We bet you would miss this hospitality if you’ve ever experienced it once in Nigeria.

14. Street foods

Akara

Many times we have heard people say that they can also get Nigerian foods abroad especially in London but we’re sure it can never be like it is back home. Nigerian foods found in London are either overpriced or packaged to make it look like it is ‘made in London’. Naija street foods have a unique flavour that you can’t find anywhere. For instance: Akara has a local taste that you won’t trade for anything, its delicious and smells good.

15. Daily Lagos Scenes

lagos-lagos-island-people-2-large       Photo by Eve Andersson

There is nothing as interesting as Lagos city’s daily scenes. It’s been said that, “If you can live in Lagos, you can live in any city in the world”. People living abroad miss the daily scenes of Lagos – the traffic jams, the street vendors, Lagos transport hustles, Agbero shouting destination names – “Oshodi Oshodi’, the odd feeling they get when people push past them without saying sorry, the fights, street dance performances and many more.

There is no place like home. What do you miss most about Nigeria? Share with us in the comment below:

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31 thoughts on “15 Things Nigerians Miss while Living Abroad

  1. Pingback: 15 Things Nigerians Miss While Living Abroad | PointCareers
  2. thats true cause presently i miss naija alot,imagine no street football,no street noise,no saturday environmental sanitation,etc…if yhu buy clothes in naija half of ur friends wanna be like yhu…buh in u.s who care about ur new clothes.mehn there’s no place like naija ooo

  3. Nigeria remain d numba 1 country in africa no mata wat…proudly Nigerian

  4. Nigeria remain d numba 1 country in africa no mata wat…proudly Nigerian.

  5. nice publications in various ways which has helped in getting alot of informations about our environment keep it up

  6. agaga bread

  7. breadi agege and ewa aganyin every mrng inplace of burger.agbo jedi,opaeyin,monkey tail,kick and start all for n150 and it works.though not too reasonable but its just there u no?

  8. the owambe party,where u drink beer on an open field,and you alone would be served 2meat,i big fried fish,asun,and ponmo,with all ur friends around you.funny but unite friends

  9. well i miss mosquitoes, the sound of generators and 404. I miss naija but whenever i land at the Nigerian airport, i feel like taking the next plane back to US

    • Y do u feel like going back?

    • I dey feel you die. I always miss 9ja but once you land at the airport, you already start seeing how difficult simple things are in Nigeria immediately. If not careful, you can witness first hand intimidation already on arrival.

  10. Wow, you have to miss nigerian shoe makers, hair dressers and tailors. We see them at almost every bus stop take them for granted at home, but when u have to spend $20 to fix a broken shoe, that’s if u ever find where to fix it, or $200 to make ur hair, u’ll definitely miss home

  11. We are not developed but developing, we are not advanced but advancing. What a nation? Can’t swap Naija for any other country. London Egusi, okro and spinach turned into efo Riro cannot match Nigerian flavours. Eba nko,a malaria nko, ofie nasal, atanma Biko, no place like Naija. Where else can tax clap earache cost you NGN5,000. I love my country o

  12. We are not developed but developing, we are not advanced but advancing. What a nation? Can’t swap Naija for any other country. London Egusi, okro and spinach turned into efo Riro cannot match Nigerian flavours. Eba nko, amala nko, ofie nsala, atanma. Biko, no place like Naija. Where else can tax clearance cost you NGN5,000. I love my country o

  13. i am in Malaysia but i do get Akara, one that has no difference with the Naija product

  14. I miss agidi and stew or p.soup, mallam suya, fresh fish banga soup, making my hair cheap, scrubbing my foot and making nails for small money, I miss naija jamz. Inshort I miss my country. Esp the simple tins like food and friends and simple life.

  15. Most of the things u mentioned are no more. Nothing like free car park. Street shops have all being demolished. Most of u on here must hv been away from home for a while.

    Fashola is changing lagos.

  16. I miss my red oil,here I have to spend so much to buy it,I miss friends,damn,too much,honestly abroad living is too expensive compared to Naija, I miss home too much

  17. No Asuu Strike and Black Market of Fuel In Abroad

  18. The great thing about those that miss 9ja is they can always return. Most of these things that we miss are readily available anywhere in the world. Me personally I don’t miss the corruption, greed, filth and tribalism. I can dress speak pidgin, chop di food etc right here. No need to miss it, hop on a plane and go home, where you can enjoy.

  19. I miss street jamz so terribly and the shouts of oshodi okeooo gbagada new garage.

  20. I miss the hospitality and general feeling of belonging in Nigeria. I mean, you have those neighbours who won’t let you be, your friends stopping by unannounced, you even get to buy things on credit from the ‘mallam’ at your bus-stop who always teases you and says you’re his ‘Yarinya’
    It’s the people i miss most. I don’t care much for the dust and hassle and power issues but the sweet crazy noisy people of Nigeria are precious.

  21. God bless Nigeria

  22. pscheeeeeeeeeewwww . . . only an imbecile would mis hell!!! . . pls don’t even go there . . like really?!!!! . .

  23. The items on the list is countless, ewa goinn, agege bread, suya, yam and egg aboki, I-better-pass-my-neighbour Gen noise, darkness from power outrage, amala, fufu, queue at fuel station, 3rd mainland bridge jam, running red light, Agbo Jedi, alomo and the silly ones, rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, lizards, codeine. Noise from ladipo spare part market boys, tasking of Oshodi boys and ther ever sharp computer village boys. Club life in UK is as boring as staying at home with no power. No ass kicking TGIF God bless Nigeria God bless Nigerians

  24. One thing i miss is going out without my passport…

  25. Yea Nigerians miss the scene of littered streets too. Very clean streets and roads some times appear abnormal 🙂

  26. Wat I miss most is my morning alarm, 6 am sharp. Den u hear a loud female voice…. Bredi agege ti dee ooo.

  27. True but there are places u go where u feel u in Nigeria….Peckham (london)…lol

  28. that is so true and the airport officials or customs watever dnt help matter,den u meet d hold up.its just too hectic.d annoying part is wen ut luggage doesnt arrive on d same day den u have to go bck to get it

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