From Inbox: US Relocation or N750k New Offer with Conditions and Benefits in Nigeria?

Good morning sir,

I have been following your submissions on national discourse over time, and I believe you might be able to help me at this crossroads.
I have been hustling in Lagos for about eight years while trying to travel abroad. I have been applying for visas with the discipline of saving up for travel costs, and I now have up to 10 million saved.

Now, an uncle just set up a new company and wants me to be the manager. It comes with a basic monthly salary of N750,000.00, alongside targets and additional benefits. One of the conditions is that I must commit to managing the company for a solid four years before I can decide to move on, should I choose not to remain with the firm.

He is a loving uncle whose children all live abroad.

I want to keep this brief. Please guide me and let your audience share their thoughts as well.
Should I continue with my relocation bid or take a break for this—at least for a four-year commitment?

That was an entry received from one of our readers. It is a touching dilemma that requires both strategic handling and utmost sincerity. While we strive to offer both, the public is encouraged to digest this further.

First, why are you actually trying to relocate to the United States? Are you doing so for leisure? Are you seeking greener pastures? Are you going for medical reasons, education, or something else entirely?

If your purpose for relocating to the US is the usual pursuit of greener pastures, remember the Yoruba adage: "what you are traveling to Sokoto to find is right here in your Sokoto pocket."

If you tune out toxic influencers and avoid frivolous spending habits, a basic monthly salary of N750,000.00—even if you are married with children—is enough to help you navigate the Nigerian economic terrain, get yourself established, and achieve the very same milestones you would struggle for in the US.

Before taking up the offer from your uncle, prepare your mind for the reality that you are stepping into a new business whose survival is just as critical as your initial dream of leaving Nigeria. The success of that enterprise must be treated as sacredly as your plan to start over in a foreign country.

You can choose to wisely invest the N10 million you saved for the planned US trip, or simply leave it untouched in case you lack immediate investment ideas or proper supervision. However, never let anything—not even your proposed investments—distract you from your core role as manager entrusted to you by your uncle.

This piece is not necessarily urging you to permanently abandon your travel plans, but rather to embrace a lucrative opportunity that your uncle must have seen the capacity for in you before holding you in such high regard.

Friends may ask, "Don't you know the exchange rate? Don't you know how much the hourly wage is in the US?" and all of that. But do not forget that every economy has its own peculiarities. The discipline you used to save up N10 million under the very economic climate your friends complain about is the same resilience you will apply to earning an additional N750,000 monthly. Just make sure you stay focused, realistic, and prudent.

At the right time, buy a plot of land—an affordable one! Build a house, get a car, bring your immediate family along, and continue building your future. That way, in later years, even if you still choose to travel abroad, it won't come with the crushing pressure you would face if you walked away from this offer to embrace the uncertainties of life as an immigrant.