Spotlights
JAPA TO HELL: ‘I sold my father’s house for ₦45 million to relocate to Canada, one year after I’m still jobless”
A former student of Lagos State University (LASU), John Chukwudi, has shared a heartbreaking story about his decision to sell his father’s house for ₦45 million to relocate to Canada.
He revealed that the dire situation in Nigeria, particularly the frustrations caused by the government’s policies and mismanagement, drove him to seek a better life abroad.
The student expressed feelings of desperation and disappointment, highlighting how the challenges of living in Nigeria made them feel that leaving was their only option.
His plea underscores the struggles faced by many young Nigerians who feel compelled to abandon their homes in search of greater opportunities and a more stable future.
After the passing of his father, he made the difficult decision to sell the family home, a beloved residence filled with memories, for a significant sum of ₦45 million.
This money was intended to serve as a foundation for a fresh start in Canada, a country he believed held greater opportunities for his future.
With high hopes and dreams, he embarked on this new journey, imagining a life free from the struggles he faced back in Nigeria.
However, as the weeks turned into months, he found himself grappling with the harsh reality of unemployment in a foreign land. A year has now passed since his arrival, and despite his diligent efforts to secure employment, he remains unemployed.
His frustration is palpable, and the sense of helplessness weighs heavily on him as he navigates the complexities of adapting to a new culture while searching for employment.
As he reflects on the tough decisions he made, the emotional toll of selling his father’s house becomes even more pronounced. He contemplates the sacrifices he endured and is faced with the bitter realization of the steep costs associated with seeking opportunities abroad, questioning whether the gamble he took was worth the outcome.
Attacking the Nigerian government, Chukwudi said: “As a graduate, I was struggling to eat, except I relied on my parent, at a point I was ashamed because everything had to come from my parents. The Nigerian government has put people under unnecessary pressure to take some drastic decisions. I left the country due to bad government nothing else.
“After I graduated from LASU in Lagos, I went back to Enugu to learn fashion deigning profession, after few years I returned back to Lagos but the most annoying thing is that I could not see a good fashion firm to get me employed, but one of my cousins whom I used to sew for told me I would be needed in Canada and I would make more money from what I am doing, I told my parents, he told us how much it will cost me and still told us how many months it will take me to recover such money back if I can take such decisions. My dad took a big gamble to sell his house in Anifowoshe and relocated back to Enugu, hoping that after one year, I should be able to buy new house for him. I am already using 13th month in Canada, I am only doing some useless jobs, unfortunately, my cousin has abandoned me.
Speaking further on how much he sold his father’s bungalow at Anifowoshe, Ikeja-Lagos, he said: “Of course my parent had planned to relocate back to Enugu due to demolition of houses in Lagos, so he took that decision when the Canada opportunity came up and hope that I will buy a bigger house in less than a year after getting to Canada. We sold the house N45,000,000 and we took N40 million to process my Canada relocation in 2024.”