US Army Veteran, Adeleke Advises Nigerians on Immigration Experience

Sunday Okobi

To reinforce and extend understanding of the immigrant experience to Nigerians who may want to immigrate in other countries, a thought leader and a Nigerian United States Army veteran, Major Adebayo Adeleke, recently delved into the details of the experiences immigrants should expect in any country they might find themselves, in a recent no-holds-barred Twitter conversation with media expert and author, JJ. Omojuwa.

He said according to Pew Research Center, 46 percent of 206 million Nigerians have considered leaving the country, with the United States, Canada, and Australia as their top destinations, “so this conversation was needed to fortify those who are currently nursing those ‘japa’ dreams with what is needed to be successful out there.”

The notion of what every Nigerian should know about what it takes to start out in a foreign country has long been debated, discussed, and deliberated. Every day, Nigerians troop out of the country in search for greener pastures. They often find themselves in a strange new world where the rules have changed, the surroundings are unfamiliar, and the inhabitants speak in strange tongues.

Adebayo, who shared his experience as a teenager, his time in the US Army, as well as insights gained while visiting and working in over 30 countries, argued that Nigerians have much to gain from going out and thriving in other places

He said Nigerians want to immigrate to other parts of the world for a variety of reasons – furthering their studies, pursuing their specialised skilled trades, looking for a better future for their families, searching for career opportunities, and more-advising that authenticity and diligence are some of the hacks needed to navigate in other parts of the world.