Popular Nigerian comedian, Ali Baba, has shed light on the growing trend of Nigerians relocating abroad, citing frustrations with the country’s infrastructure, security concerns, and financial burdens as key reasons behind the migration.
Speaking on the Outside The Box podcast, Ali Baba shared a personal anecdote about a friend, an Assistant General Manager at a bank, who spent N130,000 monthly on fuel and an additional N1 million on diesel to power his home. He explained that these expenses, combined with high education, security, and housing costs, amounted to a staggering N22 to N23 million every quarter.
Ali Baba recounted, “He had three cars—the one the office gave him, his personal car, which the Madam uses, and one for the house. The office takes care of the official car, including fuel and driver, so he has to take care of two cars. The driver will take two children to one school, then the madam will take the other child to the other school. Every month he was spending N130,000 on fuel, and then at home, he was doing about a million naira on diesel to provide electricity.”
The comedian continued, “The wife had a confectionery business at the back. Feeding for the family, his drivers, and the siblings living with them. Security was also very important. Education was expensive, two were below twelve, and the other one was about 13 or 14. He has to pay the house rent every year. Mortgage is not something we’re used to here, I think it’s just beginning to grow on us. When he totalled all of this, it was running into N22-N23 million every term, about every quarter.”
Ali Baba went on to highlight the stark differences between living in Nigeria and abroad, particularly regarding children’s education and security. He pointed out that in many countries, children attend public schools with reliable transportation, eliminating the need for private school fees and the expenses of employing multiple staff members.
“Then he said if I convert this, can I be doing it as a mortgage to a house I have overseas?” Ali Baba shared. “If he does that, would he still be paying school fees for the children? He may not be paying school fees, they’ll go to public schools. There, school buses will pick up and drop them or the distance to school is walkable.”
He further emphasized the better security and job prospects abroad. “What is the security for children? Will anybody kidnap two of his children and come and say bring money? No. When the children graduate what are the chances that they would find work there and what are the chances that they would find work here?” he said.
Ali Baba added that overseas, parents do not need to employ drivers, security personnel, or house staff, which is a significant cost-saving factor. “It is true that when you are in Nigeria, the chances and opportunities that come to you to make a lot of money increase. Some of them don’t pay taxes. You can just be named Commissioner for Finance and your economic trajectory has changed. Would that happen overseas? No!”
He also touched on the challenges of living in Nigeria, such as the constant threat of kidnapping, police harassment, and the lack of infrastructure. “But would somebody kidnap your children overseas and demand something and they can’t find the people? No. Would you get a call one day and they say your son was carrying dreadlocks and they’ve picked him up and said you should come and bail him?”
Ali Baba concluded by pointing out that the disappointing state of Nigeria’s government and infrastructure often leads people to seek better opportunities abroad. He also criticized the country’s unreliable national registry, citing issues with database management and the population census as further signs of systemic failures.
