A young Nigerian woman living in Burkina Faso has made a blunt appeal to Nigerians considering leaving the country (“Japa”) to relocate there. In a video that has gone viral, she cautioned that life abroad may not match the rosy expectations often painted on social media.
The video shows her walking through a poorly maintained road leading to her residence, urging individuals dreaming of relocating to step back and consider reality. She said, “You want to come to Burkina Faso … keep in mind that this is not London, this is not America. Can you bear this shame?” while pointing out the deplorable condition of her street.
Her note was especially aimed at people asking her to connect them for relocation (“Japa”) to Burkina Faso. She questioned whether they could cope with the challenges they might face, implicitly warning against idealizing life abroad.
The video has drawn many comments. Some Nigerians agreed with her, saying infrastructure and other amenities in Burkina Faso are less than in many parts of Nigeria, while others argued that challenges are everywhere and relocating doesn’t inherently solve problems.
