Japa: more young people are selling assets and seeking fortune abroad

DAMILOLA AINA examines why some Nigerians sold their distressed properties to raise money to migrate in search of greener pastures

Ms. Sola Seun, a woman in her 30s, had always planned to migrate overseas with her family, but the loss of her job during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated his plan to pursue graduate studies in supervision.

She finally got her wish at the end of 2020 after her student visa application was approved; and in no time she was out of the country for greener pastures.

But as is the case with many Nigerians living abroad, loneliness crept in and the idea of ​​relocating her family - husband and two children - became necessary .

That shouldn't be too difficult, she thought. But to his surprise, the funds needed to relocate his family exceeded his budget.

Recounting her experience with our correspondent via WhatsApp, she said the only option was to raise more money by selling her household goods and furniture and renting out her three-bedroom apartment in Abuja.

She said, "The relocation planning process was smooth and it was done through a student visa. I traveled out of the country in late 2020 after lockdown related to COVID-19.

"We spent 4.1 million naira to process our visa. I was about to lose my job. And for the sake of my children, I had to look for other options.

"We needed more funds when my husband and two daughters were to join me as we had exhausted our initial savings."

According to her, the amount raised was meager but it saved her second daughter from being stranded and left alone in Nigeria.

She said: "After running we had to rent out our property but we sold all the furniture and household items to raise the necessary amount of 350,000 naira which was to cover the ticket plane. for my youngest daughter."

Having spent two years in the UK, she described moving abroad as the best decision of her life, but would return to the country for a holiday in the future.

"This decision was the best I have ever made, although I would still like to come back to Nigeria."

Mrs Olayemi Alademola didn't know she might need to sell properties to complete her Japa project until it was time to show proof of funds to the Embassy .

Yemi, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the trip, chose to use the academic route to move abroad.

The whole process gobbled up 20 million naira, but the entire family savings was only 8 million naira when the process started in early 2022.

Speaking with our correspondent, she said the process was smooth and not overwhelming until it was time to show proof of funds.

According to Wikipedia, proof of funds is a document proving that a person or company has the financial capacity to carry out a transaction.

Although the plan has been in place for two years, it was nerve-wracking to sell household items, furniture and other properties to raise more money, she said.< /p>

"The planning process wasn't overwhelming at first, as I was actually considering moving to another country.

"We had been working on the plan since 2020, but when the slot for the UK presented itself, I applied via student visa in April 2022.

"The total money needed for the project for a family of three was around 20 million naira, although we only budgeted 8 million naira.

"It was at proof of funds that we decided to seek more funds and it was coincidentally that the price of dollars rose sharply.

"Our previous calculations didn't work, so we had no choice but to sell some of our properties to achieve our goals.

"We sold our household utensils, our furniture, our electronics and even our car and the amount we sold was not equivalent to what we expected because it was an urgent sale."

She said she didn't regret selling her properties in Japa.

"This place is worth more than any regrets. Assuming I knew about this plan earlier, I would have sold a lot of stuff and probably completed the process sooner in 2020 .

"Yes you have to work but you get your money at the end of the day unlike in Nigeria where wages are due.

"However, anyone who wants to go through a student visa should not do so if they have no family. It is very expensive for a single person," she concludes.< /p>

Although migration is a global phenomenon, in the case of Nigeria, the best minds such as doctors/nurses, technicians and recently teachers have left the country in droves to escape the situation difficult economy. They are looking...