Over the past few years, one of the biggest trends in Nigeria remains the ‘japa’ trend. Many dream of leaving Nigeria for other climes where they can enjoy life’s benefits otherwise unavailable here.

While most Nigerians will jump on any opportunity to japa, not everyone considers the implications that comes with it. Don’t get it twisted, traveling abroad is such a beautiful thing and I think everyone should experience it. But like everything good, it comes with its challenges, especially in the first few weeks.

Here, in this article, I’ll try to review six of the most popular challenges most Nigerians face during their first few weeks abroad. A prior knowledge of these challenges can help you navigate them when you finally decide to move. 

1. The Weather change phenomenon

Nothing they say can kill an African man, well except weather. Once you land in your dream country, one of the first things that will greet you is an entirely different weather from what you’re used to.

Imagine landing in Europe in the extremely cold months of winter. You’d definitely want to run back because the cold is nothing like you’ve ever experienced in Nigeria. 

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2. Adapting to new prices

You’re definitely used to taxi fares and road side food prices in Nigeria. Imagine moving to somewhere where these things are far more expensive.

It’ll have you missing home really quickly. But don’t worry, you’ll soon get used to the new prices in a few weeks and you’ll be the one advising other newcomers. 

3. Diet change commotion

While in Nigeria, you’re used to walking into any roadside buka to order amala and egufe or any Nigerian food of your choice. But hey, you’re a completely new terrain now and there’s no road side bukas like you’re used to.

It might take a while to get used to popular “oyibo” foods and restaurants, but you definitely will. 

4. Constant electricity

This one’s not supposed to be a challenge, but considering where you’re coming from, it is. We’re not used to constant electricity in Nigeria, and that’s a fact.

Imagine the hike in electricity bill when you suddenly begin to enjoy 24 hours electricity. Trust me, most flatmates will not care that you just arrived, so get ready to be paying extremely high fees for energy from your first week abroad. 

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5. Getting used to the quiet lifestyle

I mean, we’re all used to the fast life, especially if you live in Lagos; jumping on and off moving buses, evading street touts, etc. Now imagine the stare you’ll get if you forget you try to pull any of these stunts abroad. Trust me, irrespective of how composed you want to be, you’ll definitely forget you’re no longer in Nigeria at some point. 

6. The Nigeria slang comedy

This is one show we often see Nigerians put up during their first few weeks abroad. Imagine a Nigerian screening “conductor owa” at the top of their voice when a train reaches their designated stop. The stare and embarrassment when it finally clocks that you’ve “messed up!” 

Don’t be embarrassed when you begin to face these struggles. Many other Nigerians have been there. Don’t worry, you’ll get around it after a few weeks and you’ll look back and laugh at how uncomfortable they made you feel. 

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Growing up in Nigeria, people’s demeaning disposition to learning a skill (handiwork) is very clear. Folks often underrate it because they either believe it’s too tedious or it translates to dirty work.

Unfortunately, they fail to see the glaring benefit of having hand work – it is a cash farm. Statistics even show that most hand workers make more money than salary earners.

So, while you’re eagerly waiting to get your salary at the end of the month, a hand worker might have raked in twice your salary within the week.

But then comes the question; what are the most profitable handworks in Nigeria? Let’s go! 

1. Fashion designing

The fashion industry is big and has continued to grow over time. If you’re skilled enough, you’ll have customers begging you to make the latest designs for them. I remember my friend dumping a very lucrative salary work to go full-time into fashion designing, and he’s never regretted his decision since then. 

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2. Carpentry

Looks like dirty work, right? Well, wait until you know just how much you can make from designing one furniture. Now multiply that amount by the number of furniture you can make in a month and you can tell why many carpenters are ballers by the night. 

3. Hairdressing/barbing

Making 500 – 1000 from barbing each person doesn’t seem like a lot and that’s why people underrate this work. But a good barber will cut the hair of an average of 20 people every day. Same goes for hairdressers. So, next time you see anybody in this line, give them the respect they deserve. 

4. Phone/laptop repair

With the increased use of smartphone over the past few years, comes a new market in the phone repair niche. If you can learn and master how to fix phones and laptops, you’ll definitely be making so much money from this. 

5. Auto Mechanic

Auto mechanics are one of the most underrated handworks in Nigeria. You’ll be surprised by the amount mechanics make from each repair. These mechanics may look pretty dirty in their work overall, but it’s definitely worth it, if you look at their paycheck. 

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6. Electrician/House wiring

With electrical engineering ranking high as one of the most studied courses in Nigeria, you can tell that it’ll be a very lucrative skill. There’s no limit to the aspects of these skills you can learn, same way there’s no limit to the money you can earn. 

7. Tiler

This skill is not as saturated as other vocational skills, so there are high chances of making more money in it. A contract of tiling a story building can change your financial status. If you’d love a skill that generates you steady income, you may want to consider this area. 

ALSO READ: Most profitable skills to learn to earn six figures in 2025

Like most people around the world, Nigerians have different habits unique to them. Some of these habits may seem strange to non-nigerians, but as Nigerians, we easily understand them and even use them to define how Nigerian or non-nigerian a person is.

Since traffic hold-ups are a common sight in Nigeria, it’s easy to see Nigerians showing some strange habits in traffic. So, don’t be surprised if you see someone cursing loudly at other drivers or jumping out of a slowly moving car. It’s just a normal traffic habit for many of us.

For the fun of it, let’s talk about all the traffic habits that define a Nigerian. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a driver or a passenger, you’ll often find yourself doing some or these things when traffic comes to a stand still. 

1. Buying from street hawkers

Because people are hawking all sorts—food, clothing, household appliances, and even pets—in hold-ups, you’ll often find yourself buying and eating until you can’t buy again. Don’t be surprised if you’re too full to have another dinner by the time you get home. 

2. Insults galore

Are you even a Nigerian if you’ve never insulted anyone on the road? Nigerian traffics are a hub of insults, so you’ll either insult or be insulted by angry drivers, passengers, and hawkers.

3. Complaints and endless murmurs

Nigerians are always complaining about one thing or the other, from how slow the traffic is, to how quickly the economy is deteriorating.

4. Storytelling

There’s always a storyteller in every public bus in Nigerian traffic. This set of people know about everything happening even in the strangest of places. Don’t be surprised if someone tells you the life story of your village king. 

5. ‘Phone Pressing’

From binge watching social media videos to reading long Twitter threads, you can expect Nigerians to keep themselves busy with their phones in traffic. Just be careful while using your phone to avoid someone snatching it from you. 

6. Sleeping

Tired workers (read: Lagosians) who barely get enough time to rest before the next day’s work will often find themselves dozing off in public buses and tricycles. Don’t get irritated when a co-passenger begins to snore – they’re simply tired and can’t wait to jump on their beds.