From Lagos Traffic to London Tubes: How He’s Navigating Life in the UK

Relocating to the UK is a dream for many Nigerians, but the reality of settling down, finding work, and adjusting to life abroad can be both rewarding and challenging.

In this exclusive interview, Zik, a Nigerian who moved to the UK, shares his journey—from the Nigerian airport to navigating the cultural differences and the surprises he encountered along the way.

If you’re considering a move or just curious about what life is really like for Nigerians in the UK, this candid conversation offers valuable insights and practical advice

The Decision: What made you wake up one day and decide, “You know what? I’m moving to the UK”? Was it love, career, or just japa vibes?

Hahaha, well, if I’m being honest, I will say it was unplanned, just as many decisions that are made in Nigeria. It is not like I woke up one early morning and decided that I have to leave Nigeria.

I will say the idea started creeping into my head when I realised that the course I was studying at the University had a clear pathway to travel outside Nigeria, most especially to the UK.

I studied Medical Radiography and at some point, we (radiography students) started seeing our senior colleagues leaving Nigeria to practise in the UK.

So it became apparent that the goal is to graduate with good grades, get a little bit of experience and then Japa if you are lucky to secure a job abroad. 

So that is how it happened. Hahaha, from deciding not to study Medicine and Surgery due to low JAMB score, to choosing a lower-score course which was Radiography, and then realising I can actually travel abroad with it. Now here I am in His Majesty’s land staying very close to the real hustle.

The First Shock: What was the first thing that made you think, “Ah, I’m not in Nigeria anymore”? Did the weather slap you first?

Hahaha you are funny. I get better gist for this your question shaa. So I entered London in November 2022 which like you guessed is an early winter month.

First I flew from the Lagos airport, which at the time was very hot. Prior to the day of my flight, I already bought a fur sweater. The Nigerian in me suggested that I may not even need it so I just packed it with my other clothes.

From the Lagos airport to Heathrow was just a flight of under 6 hours 30 minutes. As we landed in Heathrow, everywhere was very hot, so I said to myself, Ha, I knew it. Is this the cold everyone is always saying is in the UK?

I went through the whole process from passport control to baggage claim and went to the departure lounge to find my way out of the airport and that was when it hit me that I was no longer in Naija, ahahahah.

The cold wind kept brushing past me and I saw myself shivering. My first thought was to rush and go back into the departure lounge so I can bring out my sweater but that was impossible because the departure area is an exit-only door. 

Man, I had to stay outside in the cold, and when I say cold I meant chilling cold. I stayed there, opened my luggage, quickly ruffling through my clothes until I was able to put on the sweater. It still was not enough because I only had Jeans trousers on, which did not help.

As if the cold wasn’t enough of a shock, I later learnt another lesson—getting around in London is not like hopping on an okada in Lagos.

Waoh, That must have been hell of a day for you. Abeg continue this tori, tell us how the rest of your Journey went.

You know as Naija be? Most people, when they want to Japa, may not even tell their families or friends. It was the same thing for me. I did tell my parents but most of my friends and family members were unaware even my friends in the UK. So I be wan surprise everyone.

With that kind of attitude, I entered a country I have never been to with no much knowledge of where to start and stop.

 I did not know that every trip in the Western world had to be pre-planned, you have to know when the public transports will be available, the stations, arrival and departure times, Well I was unaware of all this until I stepped out of the Heathrow airport.

With the cold, I first followed the directional signs to a carpark where the cold was bearable then I put the shame behind me and started approaching white people who wanted to enter their cars. And here was another shock, they kept smiling at me. 

It was weird at the time but also made it easy for me to approach them and ask questions. One of the white people I asked was very helpful, she took me to the train station just a walking distance from the airport and handed me to one of the station workers.

The train station people showed me how to navigate my journey, and how to use my phone to check train and bus schedules. So from the Heathrow Train station, I took a train to one of the underground stations. 

The London stations are just like Lagos, filled with all sorts of people but a bit cleaner. I was carrying big bags and then I found out I had to use the elevators and there was another shock. 

While using the elevators, it appears there is an unwritten rule that if you want to be stationary and wait until the elevator gets to the top you have to stay by the left side, while those who are in haste that want to run will use the right side. 

Well as you can guess, I went and blocked the right side with my bags. People were looking at me differently but no one said a word to me. I realised this later on while settling into the culture.

Food Chronicles: Be honest, What’s your biggest food betrayal story so far? (Fish and chips? Bland stew?)

Well, it was not any of those two. I mean I can confirm that most British foods are bland. It is either sweet as in the taste of sugar or not spicy at all. I tried fish and chips, the most famous of all and all I could ask was, why the noise about this crap? 

Then there is the Roast Dinner that everyone kept talking about. Roast dinner to them is eaten the same way Nigerians eat rice on a Sunday or Christmas. So, a colleague suggested I visit the Toby Carvery and try the Roast dinner. Well, I did try it, took my wife (who later joined me from Nigeria) on a date, expecting to be wooed, and behold it was still below my expectations. 

However, the English breakfast meal was fantastic. I ate it with our Naija tea; they call it hot chocolate. I expected to be disappointed because, let’s be honest, no food beats Naija food, but to be honest, I loved it and it still remains my fav British meal today.

Money Matters: How did you react the first time you saw rent prices in pounds? Are you one of those whoconvert every price they see to naira first before buying?

The first 3 months of my stay in the UK were rent-free because my employer provided accommodation for me during that period. I became more self-aware towards the end of the 3rd when I had to start looking for a new place to stay. 

Let us just say that it was another shock. I was earning around 1900 pounds monthly after deductions of pension and National Insurance, I was not being taxed because every new employee is exempted from tax until they have earned up to 12,000 pounds.

Amid all this I was seeing shared accommodations with rent ranging from 350-650 pounds. The ones with low prices will usually have as many as 12 residents and you all might be sharing the same living room, kitchen and maybe 3 bathrooms. I know as a Naija guy you fit talk say I suppose collect the one with the lowest rent and jungle am. 

But the truth was, you will also factor in the distance from the house to your place of work which is most likely located in the town. And even these low-rent accommodations usually come with their own problems, either say, the residents are care-free tenants or the landlord rarely fixes up things when needed. 

In the end, I chose an accommodation with a rent of 560 pounds. Hahaha, now subtract this from my salary and remember they are yet to tax me which I was expecting at 250-300 monthly. 

On top of that if you wan go buy clothes, you go see clothes ranging from 5-120 pounds which equals worst to best, I usually start by converting the prices to Naira and grudgingly making the payment. At some point, I even had to buy clothes in Nigeria and shipp them to the UK along with other items.

Nigerian Habits Abroad: Have you caught yourself arguing with bus drivers or asking for “small change”? What’s the one thing you do that screams “I’m Nigerian”?

Hahahahahahahahahaha, no be small change ooo. Hahahaahhahah. You no fit bring that Naija habit here bro. You no fit. Even if aliens come here, dem ma go find way integrate, na so e be.

You rarely see people argue let alone with a bus driver. People do not pay with cash as often as we do in Nigeria so the chance of that happening is rare. And most bus drivers have enough coins to go round, so they will definitely give you your change and even if they do not have your balance they are more likely to ask you to ride the bus for free.

As for your second question, I think I will say it is whenever I am gisting with a fellow Nigerian, the loudness of our voice and that high-pitched laughter. The Brits do not like noise, it is so bad that sometimes they misinterpret your words when you speak to them and your voice is loud. They will say you are being rude or shouting at them. 

Another is, sometimes I will be speaking to a white man and I will unknowingly switch to pidgin English and the white man will be like “Pardon, was that English” omo, no matter how you try hide am that green color go still try show face oooo.

Hahaha, now speaking of language, How’s your accent holding up? Have you switched to “innit” or are you still giving them “ehen”?

Omo, like I said earlier, no matter how hard you try that “Nigerianness” will still rear up its head. The truth is you cannot change your accent overnight. During the early days of my arrival, I would speak in my best tone and the Brits would still not understand any single thing I said. 

It was difficult because it was the same English, yet if you say “Come” they may not understand and even think you said “Cup”. So I had to start speaking slowly, raise my voice a bit, and also use sign language to describe what I’m saying. 

Even till date, they may pick one or two things and not understand everything you said. I know my accent is getting better but I do not try to force it because it makes you look foolish when you try to force the English accent. I have seen many of my colleagues do it and the Brits see through it, behind you they will all laugh. So I never switch to “innit” just the normal “You alri” hhahahahaha.

What’s the one habit British people have that you can never understand? (Tea obsession? Queue culture?) Did you try to greet your neighbors and get ignored?

Obsessed ke? The only habit I do not understand is the tea obsession, if I may use your word. I mean, they take tea like more than 10 times in a single day on a twelve-hour shift and this does not include when they are at home oo. The constant phrase I hear every 20 minutes is “I’m gonna go get some tea, do you want some?” 

In Nigeria, when someone offers you tea, it’s either breakfast or you're sick. Here? Every small thing, ‘I’m gonna get some tea.’ Someone dies? Tea. Someone wins the lottery? Tea. 

On the topic of queue, I think that is at the heart of British culture and I love it. We queue for everything and it makes the process faster. No one needs to tell you to queue and trust me, no one will ever jump that queue, like literally no one.

Speaking about neighbours, there is nothing like having a neighbor in the UK. My neighbours do not ignore me when I greet them oo but there is literally nothing between us. They just give you the usual ‘plastic smile’ and that is it. You barely gist with your neighbour or even know what is happening in their own house.

For instance, one of my neighbour’s husband died and was buried. I never found out until I saw her like three months later.

Homesickness: What do you miss the most about Nigeria? And don’t say NEPA! Do you think you’ll ever stop craving suya at midnight?

While I miss Suya shaa, I definitely do not miss NEPA people and their wahala. But mostly I miss two things in Naija: the food and communal spirit. Here you barely see people to talk to, most people just go to work, come back, eat, sleep, wake up and then repeat the cycle.

Everyone minds their business, so I see myself missing the fact that my neighbours, family members and friends no dey mind their business for Naija. I mean, I have seen many cases where an old lady either died and no one knew after many days or they had fallen and they found out after many days have gone. Na life be that?

Advice Mode: If someone’s reading this and thinking of moving to the UK, what’s the one thing they should pack? (Besides Maggi cubes, of course.)

Hahahaha, shebi I should not mention maggi, that one dey important ooo. But I will say forget about buying clothes and shoes in Naija. Do not pack rice and beans as they are too heavy and are easily available here. Buy egusi, ogbono, fish, any biscuit or bread you love. 

Any final words for Nigerians trying to Japa?

I will say, lower your expectations because things in the West are not as they seem. Do not make your judgment based on what you see or read in the newspaper or even the pictures uploaded by your friends.

It's a place that is more comfortable than Nigeria but you have to work for your money, there is no sitting down and expecting money to be coming in. It is hard to have multiple hustles here unlike in Naija where you fit dey receive constant salaries and still have time to do one or two side hustles.

Here you must give your work the 100% concentration it asks for, you cannot work and then say you want to go to the bank, even if you do, it will be regarded as break time and unpaid.

Also once you leave Naija, drop that Naija attitude in the airport because here words, actions, and inactions all have consequences and the law will be used against you for minor mistakes.

It is less stressful than Naija for sure and definitely a good place to raise kids.