Thread by @teinyeboyle

#JAPA - my side of the story (A thread)

My name is Teinye Boyle, a creative writer, classical musician, Events and Tv producer now pursuing a career in Filmmaking in England, United Kingdom.

For as long as i remember myself, i had been Pro-Nigeria / Anti-Japa up until 2020….

I believed relocating from Nigeria would truncate my destiny as i felt all people do abroad was just pick shifts and pack sh*t - i wanted to be more, i wanted a life of purpose and impact, i wanted to leave a mark and touch lives as many possible

I was building myself a career path and easily morphing into many aspects of my ingenuity just to find balance and of-course, financial sustainability. i had fairly built a name for myself in the event’s industry especially in Pageantry which would enable me author this book 👇🏽

In the pursuit of dreams and harnessing my gifts and skills i would realise that chasing ones dreams in Nigeria is not for the faint hearted, especially if

I was getting paid to write show scripts for events (Fashion, Lifestyle, Tech etc) and/or Produce these events with my over 10 years experience as a ‘Show Man’

but i wanted MORE

i feared that i would not attain certain heights as i lacked the financial war-chest to shoulder

… my events and TV projects, i was faced with one hand trying to make money and survive and the other hand, keep chasing my dreams.

but pursuing a creative career in Nigeria is no mean feat and i saw immeasurable amounts of SHEGEs whiles at it.

I even at some point delved into corporate communications which seemed at the time a smart move to financial prosperity as i took my media and communications acumen into corporate corridors and soared but… i was barely making enough!

i was earning grossly roughly N400-N500k monthly from my many remote jobs, you may call me insatiable but what could that do for anyone in todays economy? if you will be honest, that is a joke fee if you wish to live an average life in Lagos.

I took moments to rack my head, think and choose things between what i was passionate about and what fetched money and one thought was looming - SWITCH CAREER.

everyone is a Tech bro/Tech sis and seemed to be excelling relatively but would i abandon a career with over 10 years

under my belt to start a Tech career? i follow a certain life principle of consistency and growth and quickly knew that had i switched, i would have to invest roughly 5 years too to earn what i thought to be an Okay salary (N2m monthly) so i stayed in my lane…

I also know writers whose writing charge was within the range of N600k per article and event producers too who charged over N5m production fee and i told myself, i did not need to switch careers but to work and position smartly, and that gave rise to my JAPA thoughts.

This is me revealing a cheat code but i have seen it work crazily, i knew i had to better my best but i also knew the environment to do so and alas, the UK!

Nigerians or Africans accord more respect to foreign trained or foreign based talents and that my vim.

the 2020 #ENDSARS then magnified this thought as i feared to (i still do) die poor and without leaving a mark, i fear not to be worth-knowing before i die, these were my motivations and by the Lekki Massacre event - i knew as a young Nigerian man that the Govt cared little for

my life.

i knew that if anything happened to me today, justly or unjustly i will never get the justice i deserved, i did not feel safe again after encountering crazy police incidents by just being a seldom bolt driver with my car.

Operation JAPA officially started…

I also met my wife (btw we met on twitter) who was also mid-way into JAPA, she had mentally relocated and could not settle with anyone who wasn’t ready to leave and with that we started the plans…

as una like amebo reach, see how we met 👇🏽

Anyways, back to the main topic.

for me, JAPA was beyond just the frenzy, it was for me to meet up fast, to take the fastest way up, to find a centre point between passion and hustle, to easily feed fine while chasing my dream, it was for me the safety of myself and aspirations

I am still no where close to where i want to be but BOY!!! make them no deceive you - JAPA if you can! especially if like me, it is for a career boost and to launch into the international market - JA - the f*ck - PA !

Today, i can choose to self-fund my event projects…

i do not need to pursue any yeye company for a miserly N5m.

i currently work away from my main field but boy, the joy of being able to afford life on your terms whiles you can still chase your dream is HEAVENLY!

i can choose to do a masterclass in Nigeria and charge

N50k and trust me, the fact that i am in the UK - Nigerians will pay that money, who dash me that kind levels when i been dey Naija😀

i billed one Nigerian man some good pounds when he wanted me to handle his real estates corporate communications - he did not price me sef…

how dare he price an ‘International Media Consultant’ 😀 he would not have, had i given him a +234 number for negotiations.

de play! be thinking everyone Japas for the same reason… i still de boot, i de plan and i de position..

when e set, una go see!

i pray this thread inspires someone to PURSUE their dreams with whatever strategy they can and do so shamelessly!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a JAPA BY FORCE thread but my own story to inspire or un-inspire someone.

Una do well 🫶🏾

If given the chance - you go JAPA?

Addendum:

i am currently building a community of African creative entrepreneurs in the UK via @AfroCreatorsUK if you are in the UK and a creative, give a follow - something hoooge is coming!

#Japa #sundayvibes