Nigerians in the US narrate their ordeal in the hands of their hosts while trying to settle down
For many Nigerians, the lure of the “American Dream” and the desire to achieve success in “God’s own country,” as the United States of America is fondly called, is the reason why many people choose to go the extra mile to travel to and live in that country.
This desire to travel abroad reached a crescendo in recent years, with many Nigerians opting to abandon their country for Europe and America, owing largely to the frustrations they face at home. The migration, as it concerns Nigerians, assumed higher momentum in the mid 80s. Many Nigerians still recall the TV advert in the 80s imploring the country’s citizens not to check out of Nigeria but to stay and work towards realising a better nation. Not many people heeded that call.
Chris Ikeakonam was one of them. He left Nigeria in 1988 for the United States in search of a better life. Although Ikeakonam was a film editor in Nigeria, he decided to relocate to America because that was what many people were doing at the time. “At that time, things were difficult in Nigeria. A lot of people were leaving because they felt there were more opportunities abroad, especially in the US. Like everybody else, I came to improve myself and live the American dream, as it was said.”
Ikeakonam was not the only one who left Nigeria in search of the American dream. Sunny Ofili is another. He left Nigeria in 1993 with the resolve to become successful in that country. A former journalist with the African Guardian, Ofili said he decided to relocate to the US when it became increasingly obvious that his salary as a journalist in Nigeria could not sustain him.
Today, many years after they first came to live in America, Ikeakonam and Ofili are happy men because of the achievements and heights they have attained. Both men can today, lay claim to having achieved the American dream. They each own their own houses in America, apart from being accomplished professionals, given their current status as IT professionals and businessmen.
But the road to success was not easy. In separate interviews with Newswatch, both men said they had to do menial jobs to sustain themselves when they first came to the United States. “When I first came here, I had to get a job as a security guard. I just had to do that because I didn’t have the legal requirements to get a better job. I was a security guard for a long time before I later set up a cleaning business which I was personally involved in," said Ikeakonam.
Reflecting on those early days, Ikeakonam said it was a difficult moment of his life. “ It was rough. It was as rough as it can get. It was like coming to a country to meet some of your friends who were going through hardship. So, you joined them because you didn’t want to quit. And because you didn’t want to quit, you stay and continue searching for what you came for.”
Then he met a guy who allowed him to live with him and his wife. "They had one bedroom apartment – one room and a living room, and he allowed me to sleep in his living room. So I went and bought a sleeping bag and a pillow. I would get up in the morning, take my bath, and come to the living room. When they are in the living room, I can’t come out to sleep, so I had to wait for them to get back to the bedroom, to be able to sleep.”
Ofili narrated his own experience: “Looking back today, I can say it’s been very fulfilling, but initially, things were difficult, adjusting to the new environment, the weather and job situation. It was never easy. I worked menial job, menial jobs that a lot of people dread. I worked at a fast food restaurant cleaning plates. I washed plates while I was in school here. I got a degree in journalism and lots of certification in information technology. During that period I had to go to school, I worked at night as a bar man.”
Ofili and Ikeakonam’s experiences are not different from that of many others who relocated to the United States.
Chuka Onwuemene had a similar experience. Onwuemene, a resident of Maryland, came to live with his parents in the US after his father won the US visa lottery in 1994. “ I had three jobs at a time. I first worked at a fast food restaurant, from Monday to Friday. I later decided to get a week end job and I did, working as a concierge. I did the two jobs for four months before I later got another job in a research facility. I did all these jobs before I later went to the university. I was working 44 hours in the research facility. When I got the research work, I told my employers at the fast food restaurant that I wanted a night shift and they agreed. I was working forty five hours there. At weekends, I would go for my concierge work on Friday night, come back Saturday morning, go back Saturday night, come back Sunday morning and go back Sunday night, then come home to rest and I’m off to the research facility in the morning.”
Onwuemene now works for IBM. Like Ikeakonam and Ofili, Onwuemene admitted that the beginning was rough but that he was able to surmount the challange through perseverance and hardwork.
The experiences of the three Nigerians offer a glimps into what many immigrants, including Nigerians, go through in the US. Newswatch investigation showed that even many who possess the relevant papers to work in the country, are not immune from doing odd jobs at some point in time. This is because of the need to earn more money.
As one American citizen put it, "there is no free lunch” in America, and so, to survive, many Nigerians and Africans, including Ethiopians, Ghanaians, Sudanese and Tanzanians, whether in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, New York or other parts of America are forced to take up menial jobs.
Atimes, because many people do not have the legal requirements to work, they end up being exploited by their employers who choose to pay them low wages for their services. This category of people are classified as illegal immigrants. But there are countless Nigerian professionals who work in different sectors of the American society whether as lecturers, doctors, nurses, IT experts and others. This is aside the many Nigerian students in different schools and higher institutions across America, some of who work to sustain themselves and augment what they get from their families as living allowance.
Chinonso Opurum, an Economics student at Howard University, in Washington DC, said he had to source for a job, even as a student. “It is tough here. You have to work hard to survive, even as an international student. Coming here as a student, I didn’t want to be idle. I know I needed a job and I went for it. I do some summer job.”
Obinna Nneji, a Chemical Enginnering student of the same university, also told Newswatch that he works to sustain himself. On September 9 when Newswatch visited Howard, Nneji told the magazine that he was on his way to work. He works as a salesman in a shop and his remuneration, he said, depends on what he is able to sell.
Afolabi Olayinka, another Nigerian student of Social Works at the University of the District of Columbia, in Washington DC, said he has lived in America for four years, but admitted that “life in America is tough,” and that one had to be independent and hardworking to survive. “Many students have no choice but to work to support themselves, especially if you have little or no financial support from your family or government. You have to find a way to do that. Rent is about $700 a month which is one of the cheapest you can find. In my own case though, I’m lucky I have my family here, so I don’t worry about accommodation.”
The stress and hardship many people of African descent go through contrasts sharply with the image most people in Nigeria or Africa have of America: a land of plenty, where life is easy.
According to Omolola Aneni Onojide, a Business and Public Administration student of the District of Columbia University, those who see America in such light obviously “watch too much CNN and other international stations” where fabulous and fantastic images of America are shown.
Onojide, the daughter of a former Nigerian banker, said she used to live in comfort in Nigeria with her family but that things are no longer the same today given the bills her family has to pay in the US. “It’s difficult not having the money to afford regular things that you can easily afford in Nigeria.” Contrary to what many of her compatriots back home feel, Onojide said “life is not always greener on the other side of America,” and that she prefers her country, Nigeria to the US, especially because of the warmth, love, and bond Nigerians exhibit in their daily life which she said is lacking in the US society. “I’m not saying that there’s nothing good here, but I prefer Nigeria. I think it’s only good to come here to study, then one can go back home and get a job.”
Juliet Okeke agrees. The Informations Systems major of Howard University said she looks forward to returning to Nigeria someday to contribute to nation building. On her university experience so far, Okeke said she’s glad for the opportunity to study in a historically black university: “The school experience is great. It’s interesting coming here and having to adjust to different social and cultural changes but so far, I’ve learnt a lot.” On the image of America as an eldorado, Okeke replied: “ From what I have seen here, I can understand why people see America that way. They say it’s a land of opportunity. If you come here and have the right skill and mindset, you can get almost any opportunity you want.”
Such opportunities are the main attractions to many people, inspite of the obvious challenges, including racism, they have to endure in the country. Many who spoke to the magazine, said that, at one point or the other, they were victims of racial discrimination, either due to intolerance, xenophobic tendencies of people of their host nation, past unsavoury experiences, or simply due to ignorance of Africa and Nigeria. “When I first came here, it was not anything funny being the new African girl,” was how Onojide jocularly replied to the question of whether she had been a victim of racism. According to her, “some Americans don’t know much about Africa, they don’t know common geography.”
But, whatever the challenges of living in America, Onoisewealu Osunbor, a Nigerian from Edo State, who currently lives in Maryland, and who has lived in the country since the early 90s, said America ranks head and shoulder above Nigeria in many ways: “ I would choose this society over Nigeria anyday, no matter what hardship I may have experienced here. Relative to the country of my birth which has slowly witnessed a decline from a dream to nightmare for its collective citizenry, the society here is a Godly one, overall. In Nigeria, evil easily thrives, and those who oppose it get ostracised.”
Although many people compare America and Nigeria in terms of infrastructure, Osunbor prefers to look at it from another angle. “ I will compare them on the basis of material condition of man. In America, I can safely tell you, there is no abject poor, except one chooses to be so. Many foreigners, Nigerians inclusive, have found fame and wealth here, and the society assimilates easily.”
Yet, the infrastructure in America is an attraction of its own. The transport system, electricity supply, roads and communication facilities are top class. Those are things Aisha Ozoiya, an accounting student of Howard University, wants the Nigerian government to provide in the country. “In terms of infrastructure, this place is amazing, with the transportation, the internet and communication facilities.”
Tade Fayemi, a 20 year-old Finance student and indigene of Ogun State, agrees: “Some of the things which we consider to be big deal in Nigeria are taken for granted here: things like transportation, internet communication and health care. Whereas you have to have money to access these things in Nigeria, it’s different here. The government here find a way to ensure that citizens of all classes enjoy these facilities. Whatever other challanges there might be, most people here are still able to access these things."
Ozoiya wants the Nigerian government to emulate its American conterpart by creating job opportunities for its citizens. Such a situation will not only ensure that many idle hands have jobs, but will also inspire Nigerians in the Diaspora to think of returning home to contribute to nation building.
Okeke said there is a surprisingly huge African and Nigerian population in America, some of whom are not keen to return home after their studies due to the poor state of infrastructure and lack of employment opportunities in Nigeria.
For Ikeakonam, it is surprising that “Nigerian leaders come here and see the level of development" and yet are not embarrassed by the level of technological and infrstructural advancement. “Given our resources as a nation, what will it take to have similar things in Nigeria? They just don’t care,” Ikeakonam told Newswatch.
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