Why Nigerians Abroad Can’t Let Go of Nigeria

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:01]Can I say something controversial?

[00:00:03]Nigeria is addictive.

[00:00:06]And I know some of you watching this will think what's she talking about. But if you've lived here long enough, especially those that live abroad, you understand exactly what I mean.

[00:00:16]Nigeria can frustrate you in the morning, but somehow make you laugh by evening.

[00:00:22]Hello and welcome back to my channel. I am Madam Chomzy.

[00:00:26]Um and on this channel we talk about relocation. We talk about life in Nigeria.

[00:00:31]Um the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between.

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[00:00:51]Have you ever noticed that um Nigerians that live abroad complain about Nigeria non-stop?

[00:00:58]But the moment they come to visit, suddenly they don't want to go back again. Why is that? Why is it that Nigeria is so addictive?

[00:01:07]Nigeria will frustrate you in the morning, stress you in the afternoon, and somehow by evening you're laughing, eating suya with someone outside, gisting, and saying, "You know what?

[00:01:17]There's just something about this country." And that's what I want to talk about today. Why is Nigeria so weirdly addictive?

[00:01:25]In Nigeria, the human connection is addictive. In the West, you can live beside your neighbor for years, but barely know them. The max that you will do is just hello, hi, and you go about your your business. But in Nigeria, people [laughter] are in your business.

[00:01:41]But sometimes that that creates warmth.

[00:01:44]The random con- conversations, neighbors checking up on you, um family culture, community feeling, market banters, and just general familiarity.

[00:01:55]Here in Nigeria, people talk.

[00:01:58]You will a total stranger and you guys end up talking about having long discussions about politics, the economy, fuel price, marriage, and somehow you don't realize how much you miss human interaction until you experience it again.

[00:02:14]Yes, Nigerians can be too involved in your life, but you know what? There's comfort in knowing that people care.

[00:02:22]Nigeria feels alive. There's an energy to Nigeria. The noise, the movement, the people selling, the street life, the music playing, conversations everywhere.

[00:02:33]Even ordinary errands can become a story. You go out to get one thing and you come back with a whole experience.

[00:02:42]In Nigeria, even stepping outside can become entertainment.

[00:02:46]In the UK, life is organized. In Nigeria, life feels alive.

[00:02:52]The freedom in Nigeria is addictive.

[00:02:55]Many returnees would say when they come to visit that they feel a sense of freedom that is less restricted socially more spontaneous. People would visit without appointments. Life in Nigeria is less scheduled.

[00:03:12]And of course there's a downside to this because the things that frustrate you or frustrate us about Nigeria is the same thing that makes it feel human.

[00:03:23]Nigeria gives you stories. Every day something happens.

[00:03:28]>> [sighs] >> Funny arguments, unexpected dramas, funny transport experiences, random wisdom from a stranger, market encounters. You'll never run out of stories.

[00:03:44]Nigeria will stress you, but Nigeria rarely bores you.

[00:03:49]Nigeria runs heavily on relationships.

[00:03:53]You need help, know somebody. You want something fixed, you call somebody, electrician, the carpenter, the plumber, even family support.

[00:04:03]Um it's frustrating sometimes because systems don't work perfectly. So, these relationships fill the gap.

[00:04:10]And sometimes that can create um a strange dependency.

[00:04:15]The hustle energy in Nigeria can be addictive.

[00:04:19]Nigeria pushes ambition. Everyone is trying something.

[00:04:23]Selling, building, creating, starting business. There's a survival um um culture or energy that that is um inspiring.

[00:04:36]Um sometimes it can be um unhealthy pressure, but sometimes it's motivating.

[00:04:43]The food in Nigeria is not just food.

[00:04:46]It's It's emotional. And this is huge for um Nigerians in diaspora. The food here is not just about the the taste.

[00:04:56]It's the memory, the comfort, the smell, the identity. Eating here is not just eating.

[00:05:05]It's It's It's an experience.

[00:05:07]It's the smell. There's a memory attached to it. You remember buying um roasted corn um on the streets, um fish and um and bole.

[00:05:18]Um even akara. So, there's there's a lot These things are memories. And we also have a um um food sharing culture.

[00:05:26]Remember all of that. You can just eat together. Sit with your friends and or family. You're eating together. So, these are the things that that um that make our uh food or or that process to be an experience. It's not just eating. And most times you don't really um know how deep this can be till you you travel out and you don't really have easy access to these things. And I think that's why most Nigerians >> [laughter] >> most [snorts] Nigerians are professional food smugglers.

[00:05:59]You carry all your foodstuff. You You don't People traveling abroad don't joke with their foodstuff and that's the truth.

[00:06:06]So, and even at that, we don't still when you can get our food abroad and it's very expensive and we don't still get the the quality. Let's say like vegetables, they are not really fresh by the time they are they've been cargoed to to to the west. So, these things make people miss Nigeria.

[00:06:27]Our food because it's not just food as I said, it's the whole atmosphere, the experience surrounding the food that people miss.

[00:06:37]You don't realize how meaningful these social experiences that you have when you're sharing a meal, how meaningful they are until you leave the country.

[00:06:48]Life in Nigeria can feel less controlled, less robotic, um sometimes chaotic, but the best times in life happen unexpectedly and Nigeria is full of unexpected moments.

[00:07:03]Nigeria makes you sing.

[00:07:06]Um This will sound slightly controversial.

[00:07:12]Um Nigeria feels more emotionally warmer.

[00:07:16]And I'm not saying that people in the west are cold before someone people misunderstand me and come to the comment section to attack me.

[00:07:26]That's not what I'm saying.

[00:07:28]Um I've met people in the UK um they are very kind um they are warm, respectful people, but culturally, there's a difference between um and the West.

[00:07:44]In Nigeria, people notice you sometimes maybe too much, but they will notice you. If you've not been around, people have not seen you for days, they would notice it.

[00:07:54]But in the West, to be honest, your neighbor most times might not even notice you're not around.

[00:08:01]Nigeria, people Someone can just turn up on uh announced and to just make sure that you are okay. To to check out that you're okay, but you you It's rare to find that in the West.

[00:08:14]There's something comforting in living in a place where people know your name, somewhere you feel familiar, somewhere people understand your jokes, your slangs, your culture without needing explanation.

[00:08:30]You don't understand how comforting familiarity is till you become the outsider somewhere else.

[00:08:38]Many Nigerians only um realize what they miss um after relocating. The family closeness, the family culture, um family humor, um shared um um experiences, everyday um interaction and the feeling of being understood.

[00:09:00]You don't realize how much a place shapes you until you leave it.

[00:09:06]Maybe what makes Nigeria addictive is not that life is easy, but because life feels full, messy, chaotic, complicated, human, alive.

[00:09:22]And sometimes um you don't appreciate um what alive feels like until life becomes too quiet.

[00:09:31]So maybe Nigeria is that difficult family member that stresses you, frustrates you, and makes you um question your life choices. But somehow, you still love them.

[00:09:44]And when you're far too long, you miss them.

[00:09:49]I'm not saying that Nigeria is perfect, far from it. And I'm not saying that everybody should move back here.

[00:09:57]And I'm definitely not saying that life here is easy.

[00:10:01]But what I'm saying is that there's something emotionally magnetic about this place. Something that is difficult to explain. Something that makes people leave and still carry Nigeria with them wherever they go.

[00:10:17]But tell me honestly, is Nigeria addictive or am I being nostalgic? And if you live abroad, can you tell me that one thing that unexpectedly made you miss Nigeria?

[00:10:32]Let me know in the comment section. So that'll be for today. Thank you guys so much if you watched this point. Thank you guys for all of your support. For those of you that have subscribed to my channel, I really do appreciate all of your support. Those who subscribe to my channel, please kindly consider doing so. Also like, share my videos, and click on notification bell so that you get notified the next time I upload a new upload a video.

[00:11:02]Thank you guys so much. See you guys next time. Bye.