“Nigeria is home.”
We say it with pride, with love — sometimes even with longing. But for many Nigerians living abroad, home has become both a memory and a question.
For some, going back isn't as easy as booking a flight. Visa issues, work commitments, or even fear of instability in Nigeria keep them from returning. Others simply haven’t had the chance — maybe it's been five, ten, or even twenty years. And for those who left young, Nigeria feels like a place they know but don’t quite belong to anymore.
There’s also the tension of evolving identities. You now navigate life with two cultures inside you. You laugh in pidgin but type emails in perfect English. You eat pounded yam one night and Thai curry the next. You’ve changed — and so has “home.”
Some say, “You’ve been abroad too long. You’re no longer one of us.”
Others say, “You sound too Nigerian to be fully British/Canadian/etc.”
So where exactly is home?
Home should be a place you return to with ease. But for many in the diaspora, home is a complicated love story. You want to go back, but you fear what’s changed. You feel connected, but also out of place.
Still, the memory remains — the smell of rain in Lagos, the buzz of Abuja traffic, the warmth of your grandma’s food. That feeling? It never leaves.
🟢 We’d Love to Hear from You:
Do you still consider Nigeria your home, or has “home” become where you are now?
Let’s talk about it in the forum here.