When holiday seasons come around in Nigeria, you might think you walked onto a movie set. People hug and cry at airports. Fancy clubs pour champagne like water. Top Afrobeats stars play to packed crowds all over the country.
These scenes happen when Nigerians living abroad come home to visit. Everyone calls them IJGB or "I Just Got Back." They bring more than just full suitcases with them. Their accents switch between Western and local Pidgin. They spend money freely because of the great exchange rates. The economy thrives because of them.
But this creates an uncomfortable reality for many. Nigerians who live at home and earn the local naira currency feel pushed out of their cities. This happens especially in Lagos and Abuja when prices shoot up during festivals. Locals say December celebrations make Lagos almost impossible to live in. Traffic becomes awful. Prices skyrocket. Businesses ignore their regular customers.
One radio personality from Lagos shared these thoughts with BBC but asked to stay anonymous because some might find these views controversial. Many others agree with this view. As Easter approaches and summer vacation season nears, people wonder if returning Nigerians can help fix the class divide or make it worse.
Nigeria has serious class problems despite being rich in oil and having one of the biggest economies in Africa. The country faces massive challenges. Limited chances exist for its more than 230 million citizens. Early this year, charity group Oxfam warned that the wealth gap reached crisis levels.
The numbers from 2023 tell a shocking story. World Inequality Database shows over 10% of Nigerians control more than 60% of the wealth. Among working people, 10% take home 42% of all income. The World Bank counts 87 million Nigerians living below the poverty line. This makes Nigeria second only to India for the most poor people.
Sociology professor Martins Ifeanacho from the University of Port Harcourt explains this gap has grown steadily since Nigeria became independent from Britain in 1960. He studied in Ireland during the 1990s before returning home. He blames greedy political leaders at both federal and state levels for these problems.
The professor says politicians focus on gaining power and building wealth just to grab more power later. Regular citizens are left out completely, which causes widespread hardship across the country. But money represents only part of the issue. Real or perceived wealth determines access, status, and opportunity. When diaspora Nigerians return, they make class differences even more obvious.
Lagos restaurants show this system clearly. People arriving in Range Rovers receive immediate service, while those coming in Kia cars might wait forever. Social climbing becomes nearly impossible when wealth stays locked within a tiny elite group. With everything stacked against anyone trying to move up, many Nigerians see leaving as their only realistic path forward.
The World Bank points to weak job creation and few business opportunities. These problems prevent the economy from absorbing 3.5 million new workers every year. Many choose to emigrate, looking for better chances elsewhere. Middle-class Nigerians have sought opportunities abroad since the 1980s. Recently, this trend has accelerated among younger generations.
People call this mass exit "Japa," from a Yoruba word meaning "to escape." A 2022 survey found that at least 70% of young Nigerians would leave if they could. But leaving costs serious money. Studying abroad, the most common path out can cost tens of thousands of dollars. That price tag excludes travel costs, housing expenses, and visa fees.
Lulu Okwara, a 28-year-old recruitment officer, says Japa creates an aspirational culture where everyone wants to leave. In 2021, she went to the UK to study finance. Since then, she has returned to Nigeria at least three times. Okwara notes that Nigerian culture demands success. The message seems clear: succeed or face failure.
This deeply rooted belief pushes people to do anything necessary to succeed. Those from working-class backgrounds feel extra pressure. The returning visitors need to prove something. Professor Ifeanacho explains that immigrants dream of coming back as heroes during Christmas or other festivals. They love reconnecting with missed family members.
They treasure the welcome they receive and the children running to greet them. Success matters at any cost. Even faking a foreign accent helps climb social ladders in Nigeria. The professor says people who sound more British gain higher social status. He remembers a radio pastor whose American accent seemed perfect.
Someone told him this preacher never left Nigeria. He refused to believe it at first. American and British accents work like different forms of currency. They smooth paths in both work and social settings. Some social media critics suggest certain returnees lack actual money despite acting wealthy. They play heroes but have empty wallets.
Bizzle Osikoya runs The Plug Entertainment, hosting music events across West Africa. He told BBC about visitors attending his events then disputing charges after returning home. They went back to America or Canada and claimed refunds on their payments. This behavior reflects desperate attempts to maintain success illusions in a society where people analyze every wealth display.
Performance matters most in Nigeria. Those who display wealth best will climb fastest up the social ladder. The returning visitors who can show off properly will definitely rise through the class system.
These scenes happen when Nigerians living abroad come home to visit. Everyone calls them IJGB or "I Just Got Back." They bring more than just full suitcases with them. Their accents switch between Western and local Pidgin. They spend money freely because of the great exchange rates. The economy thrives because of them.
But this creates an uncomfortable reality for many. Nigerians who live at home and earn the local naira currency feel pushed out of their cities. This happens especially in Lagos and Abuja when prices shoot up during festivals. Locals say December celebrations make Lagos almost impossible to live in. Traffic becomes awful. Prices skyrocket. Businesses ignore their regular customers.
One radio personality from Lagos shared these thoughts with BBC but asked to stay anonymous because some might find these views controversial. Many others agree with this view. As Easter approaches and summer vacation season nears, people wonder if returning Nigerians can help fix the class divide or make it worse.
Nigeria has serious class problems despite being rich in oil and having one of the biggest economies in Africa. The country faces massive challenges. Limited chances exist for its more than 230 million citizens. Early this year, charity group Oxfam warned that the wealth gap reached crisis levels.
The numbers from 2023 tell a shocking story. World Inequality Database shows over 10% of Nigerians control more than 60% of the wealth. Among working people, 10% take home 42% of all income. The World Bank counts 87 million Nigerians living below the poverty line. This makes Nigeria second only to India for the most poor people.
Sociology professor Martins Ifeanacho from the University of Port Harcourt explains this gap has grown steadily since Nigeria became independent from Britain in 1960. He studied in Ireland during the 1990s before returning home. He blames greedy political leaders at both federal and state levels for these problems.
The professor says politicians focus on gaining power and building wealth just to grab more power later. Regular citizens are left out completely, which causes widespread hardship across the country. But money represents only part of the issue. Real or perceived wealth determines access, status, and opportunity. When diaspora Nigerians return, they make class differences even more obvious.
Lagos restaurants show this system clearly. People arriving in Range Rovers receive immediate service, while those coming in Kia cars might wait forever. Social climbing becomes nearly impossible when wealth stays locked within a tiny elite group. With everything stacked against anyone trying to move up, many Nigerians see leaving as their only realistic path forward.
The World Bank points to weak job creation and few business opportunities. These problems prevent the economy from absorbing 3.5 million new workers every year. Many choose to emigrate, looking for better chances elsewhere. Middle-class Nigerians have sought opportunities abroad since the 1980s. Recently, this trend has accelerated among younger generations.
People call this mass exit "Japa," from a Yoruba word meaning "to escape." A 2022 survey found that at least 70% of young Nigerians would leave if they could. But leaving costs serious money. Studying abroad, the most common path out can cost tens of thousands of dollars. That price tag excludes travel costs, housing expenses, and visa fees.
Lulu Okwara, a 28-year-old recruitment officer, says Japa creates an aspirational culture where everyone wants to leave. In 2021, she went to the UK to study finance. Since then, she has returned to Nigeria at least three times. Okwara notes that Nigerian culture demands success. The message seems clear: succeed or face failure.
This deeply rooted belief pushes people to do anything necessary to succeed. Those from working-class backgrounds feel extra pressure. The returning visitors need to prove something. Professor Ifeanacho explains that immigrants dream of coming back as heroes during Christmas or other festivals. They love reconnecting with missed family members.
They treasure the welcome they receive and the children running to greet them. Success matters at any cost. Even faking a foreign accent helps climb social ladders in Nigeria. The professor says people who sound more British gain higher social status. He remembers a radio pastor whose American accent seemed perfect.
Someone told him this preacher never left Nigeria. He refused to believe it at first. American and British accents work like different forms of currency. They smooth paths in both work and social settings. Some social media critics suggest certain returnees lack actual money despite acting wealthy. They play heroes but have empty wallets.
Bizzle Osikoya runs The Plug Entertainment, hosting music events across West Africa. He told BBC about visitors attending his events then disputing charges after returning home. They went back to America or Canada and claimed refunds on their payments. This behavior reflects desperate attempts to maintain success illusions in a society where people analyze every wealth display.
Performance matters most in Nigeria. Those who display wealth best will climb fastest up the social ladder. The returning visitors who can show off properly will definitely rise through the class system.
