In a bid to escape Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic challenges, many young Nigerians embark on journeys abroad, only to encounter harsh working conditions and, in some cases, tragic deaths, Uthman Salami writes

As the Nigerian government grapples with providing employment opportunities for its citizens and creating an environment conducive to securing decent jobs, many young Nigerians leave the country in droves, taking on jobs abroad that the locals in those countries might not consider engaging in.

The number of Nigerian students studying abroad has also steadily increased over the years, as many seek to escape the challenges of poor governance and frequent disruptions to academic activities caused by unions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, among others.

Families are putting up properties they have spent years acquiring to raise funds to help their children escape the overwhelming challenges their country is facing. They are seeking a future elsewhere, far from the troubled Nigeria.

But pressure from home, school fees, utility bills, and hectic work hours in their newfound homes is pushing many of these Nigerians, especially those in the United Kingdom, to sickness and, in extreme instances, their early grave.

Some of the challenges facing Nigerians abroad are captured by a young woman from Abeokuta, Ogun State named Adijat Akanni (not her actual name), who graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife with a degree in pharmaceuticals.

She told this reporter that her father, who sells meat, used his only house as collateral to borrow money from a Nigerian bank to pay for her schooling abroad.

Shockingly enough, she lamented that her father and the bank the family borrowed the money from had started to demand monthly payback barely a month after she had arrived in Luton, England, in the UK.

“I have not settled for a proper accommodation. My school fees have not been paid in full because we only paid half before I was granted admission. I don’t blame my parents, though. The pressure of knowing that I have all these bills to offset is demoralising in itself,” she lamented.

Nigerian youths and japa

The mass migration, now popularly known as “Japa,” a term so widespread that it has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary, has led many Nigerians to seek opportunities abroad, often enduring challenging conditions in the process.

This reporter gathered from Nigerians living abroad that the primary motivation for travelling out of the country is the pursuit of better education and improved quality of life.

This claim is backed by data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency, which reports that approximately 128,777 Nigerian students were enrolled in British universities between 2015 and the end of 2022.

This figure does not include Nigerians who travelled to the UK for reasons other than education during the same period.

Canada has also become a key destination for Nigerians in search of better opportunities. Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reveals that over 71,459 Nigerians acquired Canadian citizenship between 2005 and 2024.

This figure excludes those currently living, working, or studying in Canada who have not yet qualified for citizenship.

According to a report by The PUNCH in 2023, approximately 17,600 Nigerian students gained admission to various universities across 970 institutions in the United States. This was disclosed during the 23rd Annual College Fair held on September 17, 2024, in Abuja.

Struggles at home

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the country’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.3% in Q1 2024, up from 5.0% in Q3 2023. Women were more affected, with an unemployment rate of 6.2%, compared to 4.3% for men.

However, the unemployment rate declined to 4.3% in Q2 2024, down from 5.3% in the first quarter.

The report revealed that the labour force participation rate among the working-age population rose to 79.5% in Q2 2024, up from 77.3% in Q1 2024.

The cost of japa

For some Nigerians, the dream of a better life abroad has come at a high cost. On December 29, 2024, Ross, an international student in South Wales, UK, reportedly collapsed and died suddenly without any prior illness.

Ross was set to graduate in January 2025 and had recently brought his wife and three children to join him in the UK. A report by PUNCH Metro in January 2025 described the deceased’s young widow, now left to care for their children, as facing an uncertain future as their study visas were set to expire.

A GoFundMe page set up by his wife, Benedita, sighted by this reporter, seeks £30,000 for Ross’s burial, either in Nigeria or the UK. She describes the tragedy thus:

“Ross died suddenly. He had no prior illness and collapsed before an ambulance could arrive. We humbly ask for support to help his family start burial arrangements and meet their immediate needs.”

The GoFundMe post read, “Ross died suddenly on December 29, 2024. He had no prior illness, collapsed, and passed away before an ambulance could arrive. He was an international student in South Wales, UK, and was set to graduate in January 2025.

“We humbly ask for support to enable his family to start his burial arrangements to either be buried back home in Nigeria or here in the UK. His young widow would need your support to be able to take care of the kids and meet their immediate needs.”

Another heart-wrenching tragedy struck once again on October 7, 2024. An MSc Management student at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, England, Chinonso Ezeonwumere, tragically collapsed and passed away while waiting to begin his shift for the day.

A GoFundMe campaign created to fund his repatriation revealed the devastating news that despite the tireless efforts of medical professionals, Hatfield police officers, and security personnel to revive Ezeonwumere after he fell unconscious, their attempts proved futile, and he tragically succumbed to the collapse.

Ezeonwumere, the youngest child of his elderly mother, leaves behind seven older siblings, all residing in Nigeria.

In the wake of this heartbreaking loss, the family requested that his body be returned to Nigeria for a proper burial once all post-mortem investigations have been completed.

A grieving family member, Christian Daniel-Ebeye, took the step to bring Ezeonwumere’s remains back to Nigeria.

Through a GoFundMe campaign, Daniel-Ebeye sought to raise the necessary funds for repatriation and cover the crushing burden of funeral expenses.

The campaign’s note partly reads, “My name is Christian, and I am raising funds to support the repatriation and funeral expenses of my relative, Chinonso Ezeonwumere, who, like so many other hopeful Nigerian youths, arrived in the UK in September 2023 to pursue an MSc in Management at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, England.”

In another heart-wrenching tragedy, Chidimma Ezenyili, a 37-year-old Nigerian woman working as a carer in the UK, collapsed on February 22, 2024, and passed away two agonising days later. Known as Suzy to those who loved her, she left behind a void that no words can fill.

A report by The PUNCH in February 2024 stated that Chidimma, like many others, had travelled to the UK with her husband in August 2023, searching for a future that would provide more for their family.

She reportedly made the painful decision to leave her law profession behind in Nigeria, stepping into the challenging role of a carer in pursuit of a new beginning abroad.

The tragic incident, reported by The PUNCH in February 2024, struck while Chidimma was caring for Ian Hale, an elderly woman, in her home on Scott Road. It was there, in the midst of her selfless work, that she collapsed, her life slipping away while on duty, doing the very work that was meant to secure a better life for her loved ones.

Chidimma had cared for the elderly woman alongside her husband, Friday, as they both laboured tirelessly to provide a brighter future for their toddler daughter, Mandy. Their sacrifices, driven by the purest of intentions, were tragically cut short, leaving the family shattered and dreams unfulfilled.

“She (Ezenyili) was driven there by her husband with their three-year-old daughter as she wasn’t feeling well but didn’t want to let my dad down,” the report quoted Hale’s daughter, Catherine Segal, as saying.

Segal added, “Naturally, her husband started shouting for help. The neighbourhood raced to help. I and my husband ran outside along with our next-door neighbour and our neighbour from across the road. We had two GoodSAM first responders arrive shortly after to assist.

“The community first responder, along with several ambulances, police, and the critical care team, arrived to take over attempts to save her life and were successful in getting her on life support in the ambulance.”

Similarly, the Nigerian community in South Africa was thrown into mourning following the tragic deaths of two citizens, Jeremiah Okoye and Julius Chukwunta, in separate incidents.

A fifty-year-old Jeremiah Okoye, a long-time resident of South Africa, died on January 13 while in police custody in Limpopo Province. Okoye, who lived at 71 Magazyn Street, Polokwane, had resided in South Africa for 22 years before his death.

He was a native of Ezinifite, Nnewi, in Anambra State. Circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, raising concerns among members of the Nigerian community.

In a separate incident, 37-year-old Julius Chukwunta, a native of Aninri Local Government Area in Enugu State, was also reportedly attacked and killed in December 2024. On December 7, while driving to his home in Midrand Protea Estate, Chukwunta was ambushed by four men near his residence.

According to reports, the attackers inflicted a severe head injury on Chukwunta, leading to his death on December 13, 2024 in South Africa. The incident sparked outrage and calls for justice within the Nigerian and broader African communities in South Africa.

The UK ‘graveyard’

Other Nigerians expressed concern over the health conditions of their countrymen abroad, with some Nigerians attributing the deteriorating health condition to the strain of balancing work and survival in a high-cost environment.

A UK-based Nigerian, Afeez Adeniyi, in an interview with our correspondent, described the night shift job as a “graveyard,” noting that the “stress that comes with it” is taking a toll on Nigerians in the country.

“We call it a ‘graveyard shift.’ People fainted or fell ill and even died on the train or bus to the house from the night shift. So, many people have landed from night shift to Accident & Emergency,” Adeniyi said, adding, “I have personally fallen ill from the night shift.”

Samuel Oyeleke, another UK-based Nigerian, corroborated Adeniyi’s assertion, adding that most Nigerians settled for night shifts because of the pressure from home.

“I have not seen anyone who likes the night shift; however, people take it because of their situation such as family dynamics, how challenging night and morning shifts could be in their company, or what is available or what the company/job requires,” Oyeleke said.

“The pressure abroad is too high, and if you aren’t careful, you may fall victim,” Joshua Kwado, another UK-based Nigerian, said.

UK-based Ethel Chinedu, said both “day and night shifts are very dangerous,” while hoping that “our country would be fixed to prevent citizens from becoming exploited as tools of modern-day slavery in developed nations.”

He further described the situation some Nigerians found themselves in as “increasingly unbearable.”

A Nigerian migrant, Nnadi Chika, shed light on the challenging realities many Nigerian immigrants face in the UK, citing high costs, relentless work schedules, and immense pressure as key factors contributing to distress within the community.

In a post he shared in the comment section of a post about the death of an immigrant, Chika lamented the growing struggles faced by migrants in the UK as they navigate stringent immigration rules, escalating living costs, and the relentless demands of survival.

He said, “That is how they (Nigerians) die here and there for the United Kingdom. That has been the problem. To renew the visa is £2,800; to pay for school fees is something else. Bills plus £800 for a room every month is another stress. Nigerians keep collapsing now and then.”

According to Chika, the pressure in the UK is overwhelming, forcing many migrants to take on extreme work schedules to meet their financial obligations.

He compared the UK’s work culture to that of Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, where working beyond eight hours a day is considered an offence.

He said, “Our people will be working 20 hours every day. This story is no more news in the UK because it happens so often!”

He further explained that many migrants were compelled to work beyond the 20-hour weekly limit imposed on students, leading to undocumented extra hours. These unregistered shifts expose migrants to exploitation and further financial instability.

Another Nigerian immigrant, Okoro Chineche, shared, in a post on Facebook, a candid account of the realities faced by immigrants striving to balance survival and ambition in the UK. Speaking about the allure of higher earnings compared to the exchange rate in Nigeria, Chineche said, The truth remains that the money here is tempting when you compare it with the Nigerian rate.

“You’ll just see yourself raking in 4-6 million naira in one month. The hope of completing fees and sending money to family and friends back home reignites our light when it’s dimming.”

Despite the financial opportunities, Chineche admitted that the hustle comes with immense challenges. Long hours of work, high living costs, and the emotional toll of living abroad often leave migrants on the edge.

However, he noted that moments of indulgence offer brief respite. “Hustle must continue, but I pause sometimes to go enjoy myself,” he quipped.

Chineche also acknowledged the risks associated with the pursuit of a better life, expressing hope for safety amid the struggle. “We only pray not to die trying to make ends meet,” he added, using a colloquial term to reference the dangers of burnout.

A Nigerian resident in the United Kingdom, Cynthia Chekwubechukwu, shared a devastating account of the demanding work environment faced by many healthcare workers in the country.

In a post about her experience, she described the relentless pressure and lack of rest during shifts, particularly in hospital settings.

“It’s not easy to live in the UK. If you are working eight hours a day or on a night shift, especially in hospital settings, they will not allow you to rest even if there’s no patient to attend to,” Cynthia explained.

She highlighted how workers were closely monitored, often facing scrutiny for taking brief moments to sit down outside of designated break times.

“They query you anytime they see you sitting down during working hours that is not break time,” she said.

To avoid reprimands, Cynthia revealed that workers often resorted to walking around aimlessly to appear busy, enduring the strain just to get through their shifts.

“You will be walking up and down doing nothing, provided that the time elapses without you resting,” she added.

A member of Nigerians in the UK, known as Young Neche, attributed the rising cases of collapses among Nigerians to the strain of “working morning and night,” adding that he “nearly lost myself in June” after starting a schedule of morning and night shifts from February but had to stop due to alleged health issues.

Another Nigerian in the UK, Ani Nelson, supported Neche’s statement, saying, “Trying to keep up with bills can drain you mentally, but people won’t understand what you’re going through.”

This sentiment is echoed by Obinna Dominus (@dominuspapai), who raised similar concerns in a post on X.com, revealing that he had witnessed two additional Nigerians in the UK who collapsed but survived due to prompt medical intervention.

Dominus wrote, “I have two close family friends herein the UK. A lady collapsed at work and was rushed to the hospital. A cardiac-related issue; luckily she survived and got treatment. A guy, on his way to pee at home, slumped. Luckily, his wife was around to resuscitate him.”

Nigerians seeking a better life overseas express hope that the government will invest in essential social amenities to address the root causes of mass migration. They believe such efforts could reduce the need for dangerous journeys abroad and allow citizens to return home, free from exploitation, long working hours, and relentless pressure. (The PUNCH)