Veteran highlife musician Bright Chimezie has cautioned Nigerians against the growing trend of relocating overseas in search of greener pastures, describing it as a misguided pursuit.
Speaking during an interview on The Honest Bunch Podcast, Chimezie, fondly known as Zigima Sound creator, said that while many Nigerians view foreign countries as lands of opportunity, the reality is often very different.
According to him, most people who move abroad end up starting from scratch, taking on menial or low-paying jobs just to survive.
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He noted that the challenges of migration are often overlooked by those dazzled by the idea of a better life outside Nigeria.
“Our problem is right here. We keep helping people over there because we think the grass is greener on the other side. But it’s not. I’ve travelled quite a bit, and I can tell you there are no more opportunities there. When you get there, you start from the bottom, sometimes even washing toilets just to survive,” he said.
Chimezie, who rose to fame in the 1980s for promoting cultural pride through his music, urged Nigerians to look inward and invest in local opportunities instead of seeking success abroad.
He argued that Nigeria holds vast untapped potential that can be developed through hard work and innovation.
The African Style crooner also linked Nigeria’s persistent “grass-is-greener” mindset to the lingering effects of colonialism, which he said distorted people’s perceptions of self-worth and progress.
“When the white people came, it affected our mentality and development. If we studied biology and mathematics with the same passion we use to read the Bible, our society would be far better,” he lamented.
Chimezie further stressed that true development begins with valuing homegrown opportunities and shedding the colonial mentality that glorifies everything foreign.
His remarks come amid a continuing wave of Nigerian migration, popularly called japa, driven by economic hardship, insecurity, and unemployment.
While many Nigerians abroad share success stories, others have publicly recounted their struggles to adjust to life in foreign countries.
Chimezie’s message, therefore, serves as both a caution and a call to action for Nigerians to rebuild the nation from within rather than relying on external validation.
