Japa: Nigerians are realising US, UK not filled with gold – Femi Rogers

Houston-based real estate developer Femi Rogers has said that Nigerians are beginning to realise that the roads of Western countries are not filled with gold.

Mr Rogers stated this while speaking on the migration wave locally dubbed Japa during a recent appearance on Frankly Business Podcast.

“There is a lot of misconception by a lot of Nigerians about the Western world. They think the roads are filled with gold, things are easy, and that’s wrong. I think a lot of people are realising that now,” he said.

Rogers said many Nigerians in the diaspora misuse credit and end up being imprisoned by debt.

He noted that Nigerian authorities must make the country business-friendly to attract investments from countrymen in the diaspora.

“Diasporans have money. We’ve not tapped in. The reason why they are not investing is because they don’t trust. There’s no clarity in the way you do business; everything is shrouded in secrecy,” he said.

“As of 2025, diasporans remitted almost $23 billion; that’s a lot of money. Foreign direct investment was only about $900 million. So you can see the difference.”

“If I were developing in Nigeria, I would be looking for N1 billion cash to build one house. In the US, that my N1 billion cash will build five houses,” he added.

Rogers revealed that when he moved to the United States, he began as an Uber driver despite having over 100 staff working for him in his various businesses in Nigeria.

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