I have been reading the posts here, I would like to add to
@Omofar's statement in one of his posts.
Guys, for how long are we going to be doing this? Begging a white man for visas, this is where the lack of respect started.
Let's break things down.
From an Economic Stand Point
We constantly deplete our resources in order to power someone else's.
I read a post here about an applicant's sponsors having access to X million Naira to support him or her.
Why not ask them for an X Million in loan then divide it into 2 lots, try your hands on doing something with the first X, the possibility of making a difference in your community is there if you really put your mind and soul to work and cut down on UEFA league, reading the news, and listening to stupid music.
Or ....
Ask them to invest in your idea for equity in return. How I wish I had someone with those resources.
The problem with us is we will collectively and forever chase the "carrot on the stick", if you're familiar with the saying, you know how the story ends. Blame it on our values.
Education
While I support getting educated, it's not a guaranteed path to success, look around you, there are more educated people than real education in Nigeria, production is at an all-time low. Compare that result to Singapore's, a county 5 years younger than Nigeria.
Is the system of traditional education working? Nigeria is an educated country with degrees from home and abroad but we have been white-washed and brainwashed into thinking that without immigrating to a white man's land success isn't assured.
We have refused to use our minds to create, innovate, and develop ourselves.
The corruption mindset we are known for is largely due to people wanting magnificent results their traditionally educated wired brains cannot produce. Stealing became the last resort, the easy route.
Environment
I understand the environment in Nigeria is not conducive, that doesn't mean a single place/ group of places is the solution, all you have to do is find an environment where you can make things happen, another African country or another city perhaps where a spec of foresight exists.
We are so caught up with these big countries that we end up creating more issues in our personal lives than solving them.
I have an acquaintance who was doing well for himself in South Africa, then went to Germany, he's been in a negative loop for years, I have another with a great entrepreneurial spirit in Nigeria, making things happen legally, then decided to go to South Africa. His spirit got crushed due to lack of options.
Those are evidence of chasing a carrot on a stick. Imagine the potential if they didn't make those moves.
I respect their strength, I hope they overcome those loops but what about the greatest asset wasted.....Time?
To a white man, a melanated man will always be a second class human, you will never be good enough.
Are you ready for subtle discrimination in the work setting and the society at large?
While Canada is promoting diversity and welcoming people now, wait until it's fully developed. History has a funny way of repeating itself.
Entrepreneurship
It's been proven from our results in Nigeria that traditional education is not the solution (though it's good to have), entrepreneurship is.
If Nigeria is too hectic for you, explore the landscape of Ghana, or another country.
If you don't want to help your brothers, great! Help yourself, in doing so you will create things that help others. It's a win-win.
If Nigeria isn't conducive for your dreams, do what I did.
I have always had the dream of getting into real estate investing from a young age, through paying attention, I realised the place isn't for me, long story short, I lived that mini dream in a place where most of you will immediately write off your list, South East Asia.
Due to the tourist attraction and easy entry into the space (if you know what you're doing), I built a portfolio, listed the units on vacation rental sites, we consistently made more every month than if we had rented out on a monthly basis.
It involves a lot of work but it was work I enjoy doing, the company I created sponsored my work permit so I wasn't reliant on anyone.
I humbly do not want to share this but I want you all to start opening your mind to other possibilities, We Nigerians are hard workers, smart asses, we have the good vibes, it irritates me that we are not putting those qualities to work for our own good.
With that on my record, I applied to Canada and Australia to visit and was refused twice in Canada and once in Aussie, I never really liked Aussie anyways, they are hardened British criminals dumped on an island according to history.
While those countries said no, Dubai, Schengen, and Japan said yes (Japan was a free visa, actually). The point is, Canada isn't the only place on earth. Don't let their rejections mess up your head, they are only giving you feedback, it's your job to interpret it.
In conclusion
The way the world learns is starting to change, instead of racking up degrees from traditional schools that teach you nothing but theories and charge you an arm and a leg there are focused courses on Linkedin, Udemy, Coursera, etc. I see people doing those courses then adding those certificates to their profile to increase their job prospects or to move ahead in their entrepreneurial journey.
We need to start rewiring our brains to the right, get over this brainwash and stop being the cogs in other people's economic machines.
Due to the coronavirus, some institutions in Canada are considering running courses online for fresh intake, that's way too overpriced in my view.
I hope you all get the point of this article. There's so much to share in less time.