15 Things Nigerians In Diaspora Miss while Living Abroad

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There is no doubt that living abroad is one of the desires of most Nigerians, it is one of the most unforgettable and incredible experiences that anyone will love to partake in.

However, there are quite a few things that you may miss outside Nigeria. Yes, you may have taken these things for granted, wait till you have spent few months abroad, by then, the excitement and fun of the new city must have worn off. This is when you may start missing the some things about Nigeria and you’ll shockingly be longing for them.


Here are 15 things Nigerians miss while living abroad:

 

1.Visitation from friends, neighbours and families

 

There is nothing as unique as the visits we get from our friends and neighbours in Nigeria, especially from our families in the village or our home town. During these visits, food is served and stories are shared. It is one experience that brings oneness and bond between people. Most people living abroad do not enjoy this luxury and they miss home badly when they are lying alone in their apartments.

2. Free car parks

Photo Source: Sunnewsonline

You don’t need to worry about traffic tickets when you are in Nigeria. There is no police ticket for you when you default in your parking space, it is either you are called out to re-park your car or warned. When you park wrongly abroad, you pay the penalty fee. In Nigeria, you can park an airplane on the street without stress.

3. Street shops

 

You would definitely miss the street shops in Nigeria when you travel abroad. The reason is, these street shops provide you with everything you may need early in the morning or late in the night when the markets are closed. On every street, you will find Aboki with small kiosk selling a variety of household items or a pharmacy store right at the corner of the street.

4. Street Jamz

You must have realized that most developed countries are noise free, sometimes; you can feel a pin drop because making a noise is regarded as an offence. Come to Nigeria and experience something that will blow your mind, the jamz that comes from different shops can be exciting because it is one avenue where you can know the hottest tracks in the music industry without surfing the internet.

5. The TV shows

 

Nigerian TV soaps and reality shows are like no other, you can’t compare them with American or British TV shows because they are have been uniquely produced. Some of the TV soaps have good story and once you start viewing them, you will get hooked. Most Nigerians living abroad miss these shows because they tell a lot about our lifestyles and how to tackle most problems we encounter in our daily lives.

6. Lagos bus conductors

Photo Source: Bankole Oluwafemi on Flickr

Even though, bus conductors in Lagos can be annoying, you can’t but miss the way they behave especially when they have a disagreement with someone in the bus. It’s always an interesting and memorable scenario.

7. Speaking daily vernacular – Pidgin English

Pidgin English makes communication very easy among Nigerians. Nigerians living abroad miss speaking their favourite slangs such as ‘How far?’, ‘Wetin dey happen?’, ‘How you dey?’.

8. Owambe Parties

Photo Source: Precious Olivine Ventures

Nigerian parties are famous for some reasons – the fashionable clothes, foods, friends and families. They are the only massive weekend parties in the world and also the grooviest. Owambe party is a norm in Nigeria and if you like it or not, you will find yourself in one, celebrating with friends and families, dancing, eating and drinking with them. After all, a great celebration reveals itself wherever there is food, music and of course, Nigerians.

9. Market haggling

 

You may never know what you have until you have travelled abroad and discovered how difficult it is to bargain on some items because they come with price tags. In Nigeria, everything is very affordable and you can easily buy things without price tags. You have the freedom of down pricing every product with the sellers which is what you may never experience in malls and supermarkets abroad.

10. People who do everything for you

You can not get free labour outside Africa which is one thing you would definitely miss. There are a lot of relatives, friends and neighbours who would love to wash for you, cook and clean for you without asking for anything.

11. Affordable housing

 

Life in Nigeria may not be so rosy when compared to the life outside the shores of Africa, but when you calculate how much you are spending abroad and what half of that money can fetch for you in Nigerian housing, you would love to jump the next air plane to live in Nigeria again.

12. Cool weather

The weather condition in Nigeria is beautiful. There is no need to worry about snow, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. The sun may be scorching but it is better than the fear of unfriendly weather conditions outside the country.

13. Nigerian hospitality

The Nigerian police may not be your friend but the people in Nigeria are always out to help you in one way or the other. Nigerians don’t mind their business when things happen and this is what makes them unique. We bet you would miss this hospitality if you’ve ever experienced it once in Nigeria.

14. Street foods

 

Many times we have heard people say that they can also get Nigerian foods abroad especially in London but we’re sure it can never be like it is back home. Nigerian foods found in London are either overpriced or packaged to make it look like it is ‘made in London’. Naija street foods have a unique flavour that you can’t find anywhere. For instance: Akara has a local taste that you won’t trade for anything, its delicious and smells good.

15. Daily Lagos Scenes

Photo by Eve Andersson

There is nothing as interesting as Lagos city’s daily scenes. It’s been said that, “If you can live in Lagos, you can live in any city in the world”.

 People living abroad miss the daily scenes of Lagos – the traffic jams, the street vendors, Lagos transport hustles, Agbero shouting destination names – “Oshodi Oshodi’, the odd feeling they get when people push past them without saying sorry, the fights, street dance performances and many more.

There is no place like home. What do you miss most about Nigeria? Share with us in the comment below:

Source: TravelStart

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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NATO Plots Defense Against Russia

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A freight car loaded with self-propelled howitzers is seen at a railway station in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov region, near the border with Ukraine, August 24, 2014.

The 28 NATO members are preparing for their summit meeting in Wales in early September. The main topic of discussion: the notion of collective defense in light of Russia’s recent actions against Ukraine.

Simply put, NATO’s collective defense posture means that an attack on one of its 28 members is an attack on all of them.
 
In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance “must remain ready, willing and able to defend its almost one billion citizens.”
 
Rasmussen went on to say NATO leaders must take steps to make the alliance “fitter, faster, and more flexible to address future challenges from wherever they come.”
 
NATO's collective defense
 
NATO’s collective defense doctrine is in the spotlight, given Russia’s recent actions against Ukraine: its annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its backing of Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
 
Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive behavior will backfire.
 
“President Putin’s strategy is going to be a strategic failure. In effect it is strengthening NATO, it is instilling more resolve in the alliance and will create even more cohesion than was the case before the events in Ukraine,” he said.
 
Russia’s behavior has also instilled apprehension and even fear in some countries – such as those in the Baltic States – that Moscow might try to invade a NATO country.
 
Sean Kay, a NATO expert at Ohio Wesleyan University, assessed the balance of forces.
 
“In terms of defending the NATO allies against Russia – the NATO allies have an overwhelming military advantage in terms of their combined capabilities,” he said. “The structure of power singularly is in the hands of the West. So it’s a question of how they want to best leverage the future relationship with Russia given its recent behavior.”
 
Stavridis agreed, saying: “I don’t stay up at night worrying about Russia’s ability to invade a NATO nation."
 
NATO asked to stand firm
 
But to allay the fears of those countries who feel threatened by Russia’s behavior, Stavridis said NATO summit leaders must take firm action.
 
“There should be an enhanced number of aircraft patrolling the borders of the alliance,” he said.

“We should have larger and more robust maritime deployments both north in the Baltic and south in the Black Sea. We should, in my view, support the Ukrainian armed forces with equipment, training, cyber support advice and help them prepare in case Russia takes the next step which would be an overt invasion of Ukraine," Stavridis added.
 
Looking ahead, Stavridis sees increased tension between NATO and Russia – but not a return to a Cold War era.
 
“During the Cold War, six million people faced off against each other across the Fulda Gap,” he said. “Huge navies patrolled the world and we were on a hair-trigger alert. We had nuclear weapons cocked, aimed, loaded and ready to fire, he said. “There were proxy wars around the world – it was the dominant political and military activity of 20 to 30 years. No, we are not headed back to that.”

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Whoopi Goldberg Reportedly Leaving ‘The View’ Due To Ongoing Feud With Rosie O’Donnell

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Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell only have a few weeks until they are due to premiere on The View. However, it seems that all is not peachy back at the ranch. Rumors have been sparked in the media which suggest that Goldberg might leave the show due to her ongoing arguments with O’Donnell.

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Radar Online reported late last week that, even though Goldberg has occupied the moderator seat for a while now on the show, Rosie wants it back.

An insider told the publication: “It doesn’t matter to Rosie that Whoopi has sat there for the last several years. Rosie doesn’t want to be sitting anywhere but back in her old spot.”

In addition to that little bit of gossip, the insider went on to reveal that in Rosie’s mind she is the matriarch on the show and not Whoopi:

“In Rosie’s mind, this is once again her show. Whoopi won’t be giving it up, and Rosie even suggested they trade seats every other week. It’s all a power trip for Rosie, which is resulting in tension on the staff.”

According to another report, even though Whoopi Goldberg just signed a four-year contact with ABC, she allegedly already wants out.

A source close to Whoopi told reporters that the show is, in fact, holding her back from other aspirations she has: “Whoopi regrets roping herself in like that and is trying to figure a way out. She wants to do other projects and feels network honchos are holding her back.”

Apart from the feud with O’Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg reportedly dissed the show’s executive producer Barbara Walters, who retired in May. In an outburst, Whoopi was reported as saying: “I’ve been working with a cranky 85-year-old woman who’s been mad about everything for two years, and I need a break.”

Perhaps Whoopi’s comments that she “needed a break” were more loaded than originally thought and that, despite signing a contract with ABC, she can’t take the ongoing arguments with Rosie O’Donnell on the show.

Sometimes, in the world of media hype, it is difficult for the outsider to know if the feuds which erupt from time to time between celebrities are genuine, or a just publicity ploy to improve ratings.

Best to stand back and see how this plays out

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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China To Pope Francis: Don’t ‘Interfere’ With Our Country’s Religion

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VATICAN CITY (RNS) China has reacted cautiously to a bid by Pope Francis to open new dialogue with Beijing, with some officials quick to warn the Vatican not to “interfere” with the country’s religion.

On his return flight from a five-day tour of South Korea, Francis said he was ready to go to China — “For sure! Tomorrow!” — after receiving a positive response to two goodwill telegrams he sent to President Xi Jinping as the pope flew over Chinese airspace.

“We respect the Chinese people,” Francis told journalists on the return flight Monday (Aug. 18). “The church only asks for liberty for its task, for its work.”

That is still a huge challenge, as the Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with China since 1951. The Catholic Church in China is divided between an “official” church known as the Catholic Patriotic Association, answerable to the Communist Party, and an underground church that swears allegiance to Rome.

The state-run Catholic Patriotic Association was quick to respond to the pope’s overtures for greater dialogue, albeit with a warning.

“China will always safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and it never allows foreign forces to interfere with religion. The Vatican should respect China in terms of the personnel of a diocese,” Liu Yuanlong, vice president of the association, told the state-run Global Times in a report also published in English.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unhappy with the Vatican’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, while the Vatican is unhappy with Beijing’s strict control of religious institutions, particularly the appointment of bishops.

Zhuo Xinping, director of the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told another state-run outlet, China Daily, that he welcomed the pope’s move, saying Francis had been active in improving Vatican ties with Beijing since he was elected in March 2013.

Zhuo described the 77-year-old Argentine pontiff as “a friend of developing economies” with “special feelings” for people in those countries due to his Latin American origins.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Zimbabwe’s Mugabe Visits China Seeking Aid

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Beijing: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe meets his counterpart Xi Jinping in China on Monday after being invited to visit, weeks after he was snubbed by US President Barack Obama at a summit of African leaders he hosted in Washington.

Mr Mugabe, 90, may use Mr Xi's invitation to seek economic aid and a rescue package as his country's economy slows, as well as infrastructure funding for the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, a regional bloc that he is now chairman of.

Leader of Zimbabwe for 34 years, Mr Mugabe's seizure of land owned by white farmers and a series of elections marred by violence and irregularities have made him a pariah to governments in the Western world. It's also undercut the country's ability to borrow from global institutions. Yet China has long maintained close economic and diplomatic links, with Vice Premier Wang Yang visiting the country in May 2013 on a two-day official visit.

"Mugabe's trip to China is to seek a last financial lifeline for his regime," said Martyn Davies, chief executive officer of Johannesburg-based Frontier Advisory, which provides research on emerging markets. With China reforming its state- owned sector, Mr Mugabe's party would be "naive to assume that Chinese capital is as easy to get as it has been in previous years."

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Mr Mugabe will seek a $US4 billion rescue package to stabilise its faltering economy, the Zimbabwe Independent reported on August 1, citing unnamed sources. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa visited China in January and was told to come up with a fundable working plan to present to the authorities, it said.

Zimbabwe's economy is threatened with recession as factories shut, consumer spending slumps and deflation takes hold. Economic growth, which averaged 10 per cent between 2009 and 2012, is forecast at 3.1 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Mr Mugabe, who is subject to US sanctions, was one of four African leaders not invited by Obama to the Africa summit earlier this month. The others were Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and leaders from Eritrea and Central African Republic. In April, Zimbabwe boycotted a European Union-Africa summit after Mr Mugabe's wife, Grace, was denied a visa to enter Brussels.

Still, Mr Mugabe won an endorsement from his fellow Southern African leaders this month when he was named head of the 15- nation SADC, the main political bloc in the region. Mr Mugabe will "discuss infrastructural projects" with China that "add value" to regional products, he said last week at the end of the group's annual summit in Zimbabwe's resort town of Victoria Falls. He is also in line to lead the 54-nation African Union from 2015.

"Since countries in the region and the regional organisations endorse Mugabe and his legitimacy, China certainly does not stand alone or feel vulnerable," Yun Sun, a fellow with the East Asia Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said. China has long viewed Mr Mugabe as an African liberation leader for his role in Zimbabwe's independence and supporting Western-style democracy in Africa is not a goal for China, she said.

Mr Mugabe's chairmanship of SADC means he has great influence over the agendas of regional organisations, which China would like to participate in as much as possible, she said.

"Mugabe is a good friend of China," He Wenping, director of the African Research Section at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who visited Zimbabwe in May, said. "In Zimbabwe they are talking about a 'Looking East' policy. They're not only looking for money, they're also looking for development experiences and for friends."

Zimbabwe has the world's biggest reserves of platinum after neighbouring South Africa. China Power Investment Corp. may buy a Rio Tinto coal mine in Zimbabwe and build a thermal generator that would double the power-starved country's capacity, Chinamasa said in March.

Trade between the two nations has more than doubled to $US1.1 billion between 2010 and 2013, China's ambassador to Zimbabwe, Lin Lin, said in an editorial published on August 22 in Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper. China's investment in 2013 was $US602 million, he said.

South Africa has in recent years replaced Zimbabwe as Beijing's key ally in southern Africa, said Mr Davies.

"Geopolitics may underpin the relationship but Chinese firms are also increasingly risk averse," said Davies. "But considering Mugabe's chairmanship of SADC and China's intention to gain access to regional infrastructure build projects, this may bolster his hand somewhat.

 

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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