‘I thought I was patriotic,’ PhD graduate regrets leaving UK to earn N250k in Nigeria
A PhD holder, Usman Isyaku who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom (UK) out of patriotism has shared his regret with the experience, describing his decision as “foolish.”
Isyaku expressed regret after comparing his salary in Nigeria to the allowance he earned while studying abroad.
The academic, who had been receiving a monthly stipend of £1,550 (equivalent to N3.4 million) as a PhD student in the UK, accepted a job in Nigeria that paid N250,000 per month.
Reflecting on his decision, Isyaku noted that his initial motivation stemmed from a desire to give back to his home country.
“My monthly allowance as a PhD student in the UK was 1,550 GBP per month (3,400,000 Naira),” he wrote on his Facebook page.
“I finished and returned back to a job that pays today’s equivalent of 250,000 Naira per month. I was patriotic until I realised how foolish I was and I left.”
He went on to criticise the working conditions and salary levels for highly educated professionals in Nigeria, adding that the country’s current economic realities make it challenging to provide for basic needs.
“The foolishness was my assumption that Nigeria needs my expertise and that somehow I can be able to feed my family with such an unlivable salary,” he continued.
“Anyone with a job offer who decides to stay back abroad is only responding to the realities of life in Nigeria today.”
Isyaku added a stark warning for those considering a similar path: “Nobody cares even if you are Albert
Einstein. Where people are struggling to eat 3-square meals is not a place PhD graduates will be willing to return to unless if you just want to be politically correct and lie to yourself!”
