Nigerian engineer building a UK life
The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
After moving to the UK in 2023, Elijah (33) had to adjust to the cold, changing immigration rules and life as a minority. In this story, he tells us about the highs and lows of building a life in Scotland, and why he still plans to return to Nigeria.
I live in the UK now, and I left Nigeria in January 2023.
I never planned to leave, but I saw an opportunity and decided to go for it. I didn’t even know what would happen when I left. I just took the opportunity and hoped for the best.
A chance to seek a better life. I just packed all my savings one day and decided to leave. I lived in Nasarawa State, so the insecurity, lack of jobs, and the frustration of how the country was made me decide it wasn’t worth staying. I had to find a better life abroad.
I was into freelance writing then. I studied Electrical Engineering, but there were no jobs, and I didn’t want to be idle. So, my laptop and internet were my close companions.
The cold. I arrived in January, which is one of the peak periods of winter. I brought a jacket from Nigeria, thinking it was a proper jacket, but when I got to the airport, I realised it wasn’t jacketing. I’d never left Nigeria before, so the cold was one of the biggest shocks of my life.
Not really. I had friends who had been here before me. They kept me company and gossiped with me about their experience, what to expect, how to get things done, and what not to do. So, I was eased into the culture. I also stayed indoors for a while before deciding to apply for a course at one of the schools in Scotland.
Though I had no culture shocks when I came, one thing I noticed was that people respect you regardless of your age. When you get to school, people welcome you and are willing to help you. Unlike in Nigeria, where school registration can be stressful, everything was very straightforward.
I studied Electrical Power Engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland.
I came with some savings from Nigeria, and I used that money to sustain myself before I found something to do.
Emotionally, it was quite easy for me because I had friends here. I stayed at a friend’s house when I arrived, so I didn’t have to deal with much emotional stress. It was actually fun.
Adjusting to life in the UK is alright, but it’s not easy because of the immigration policies and visa regulations.
As a foreigner, you can’t really predict your future here. Sometimes, you can’t even predict what the next one or two years will look like. But I’m in a better place now because I’ve been able to figure out my journey, and everything is going well for now.
I am a project engineer.
There are a lot of differences. The minimum wage system here is a lot better. As a cleaner here, your minimum wage will give you a good standard of living.
Another is the inclusivity when it comes to men and women working. You would see women driving trucks, buses, and trains. You’d see a lot of women in the engineering field here. Even the work culture is different. Companies adjust to your preferences, especially if you’re a worker with a disability or pregnant. There’s not so much of that in Nigeria.
I miss a lot of things: the food, the culture, and the weather. I also miss the feeling of freedom.
Life in Nigeria is so good because you don’t feel caged. Here, you sometimes feel like you’re being watched. You’re always checking whether you’re doing the right thing, especially because you’re a minority.
Every little mistake you make can be blown out of proportion, so you always have to watch your back. In Nigeria, you’re not constantly thinking about those things. You’re free to do things the way you want because it’s your country. Here, you don’t always feel that same freedom.
It doesn’t really affect my relationship with them. I just handle work stuff as best I can, and try not to have issues with anyone.
Yes, on a few occasions, especially while working in places where I interact with members of the public.
In workplaces, it’s often more subtle, but when you’re outside and interacting with people in public, it can sometimes be more direct. It’s not something that happens all the time, but if your job requires you to interact with people regularly, you may encounter it.
I was working as a delivery worker at some point. While walking down the street to deliver the package, a stranger looked at me and started saying some racial slurs. I could do nothing and just quickly left.
Personally, I knew there was nothing I could have done. I knew that wouldn’t ever happen to me in my home country, but I’m in a foreign country. Whatever you do here and however you react can be blown out of proportion. But mentally, I felt bad because I thought people should have passed the stage of racially abusing foreigners.
I was married before I left. My wife joined me 11 months after I moved because I had to sort out my situation first. When she came, she became part of the experience too.
Life is alright. It’s even better when you have a partner because you have someone to talk to after work. You can gist, do things together, and share both the pain and the good moments.
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The UK is a great place to be. When it comes to culture, people are very accommodating. I think the level of racism here is also lower compared to a lot of other European countries. I have been to Spain and the Netherlands. We even see news about racism.
Security is another major thing. You can walk around almost any time of the day or drive without constantly worrying about being ambushed or kidnapped.
Affordability is also okay when you’re working. You can afford food and other things because you’re earning here.
Not necessarily. It’s quite funny that you don’t automatically become rich just because you’re in the UK. The money you make here, you also spend here.
I was recently sponsored by my company, but I’d already spent money I didn’t have. I had to borrow money to pay for my visa application. For my family and me, the visa application cost between £12,000 and £13,000.
So imagine someone who has stayed in the UK for several years but doesn’t even have that amount in savings. You make money and can afford your lifestyle, but you barely have a buffer.
If you lose your job for a month or two, you might not survive because you don’t necessarily have a lot of money saved. Unlike in Nigeria, where you might pay your rent once a year, here you pay rent and bills monthly.
So, affordability is okay as long as you’re working. The problem is what happens when you lose your job.
Yes, it’s different.
Yes, 100%. Maybe after I’ve achieved what I want. One of the major things I want to get from being here is experience in my field.
I’m an electrical engineer working in the electricity sector here, which is one of the areas where Nigeria hasn’t improved. But where there’s a problem, there’s always an opportunity.
I want to have enough experience to be one of those people who can help move Nigeria’s power sector in the right direction.
I play football weekly sometimes, and I go to parties when I’m invited.
I also travel. That’s one of the opportunities you have here that you don’t always have in Nigeria. It’s relatively cheaper to travel to other European countries. You can visit some places for less than ₦300,000 or ₦400,000 when converted.
I’d say eight. The UK has actually been good to me, in terms of opportunities that can offer an affordable lifestyle, experience, and exposure.
Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me here. For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).
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