By Adeola Badru
FOR more than a decade, Taiwo Kazeem believed South Africa offered the opportunities he could not easily find in Nigeria. He left home in search of a better life, armed with ambition and the determination to build a future abroad.
But after more than 10 years, his journey took an unexpected turn. Having established businesses, built professional relationships and earned recognition in South Africa’s creative industry, Kazeem has returned to Nigeria following an incident of hostility that he says affected his business, damaged his property and raised serious concerns about his safety.
His experience highlights the uncertainties confronting migrants who invest years building livelihoods in foreign countries, only to find themselves questioning their security and future. For many Nigerians who chose South Africa, the reality became stark.
The search for greener pasture
“I left Nigeria about 10 years ago with the intention of knowing what was happening in other parts of the world. As we all know, we believe that going to another country abroad is always a better opportunity,” Kazeem recalled.
His expectations, however, were quickly challenged. Rather than finding employment, he encountered a difficult job market, where unemployment was also a concern among South Africans.
He admitted that he had not fully understood the economic realities before travelling and said his experience taught him the importance of adequate preparation before relocating abroad.
With limited employment opportunities, Kazeem explored other means of survival. He ventured into the beauty industry, learning nail and eyelash services despite having no previous experience in the field.
What began as a survival strategy eventually opened doors to other creative pursuits. He moved into modelling, subsequently explored acting and later became involved in film production.
From banking and finance to the creative industry
Before relocating, Kazeem had studied banking and finance and worked in the hospitality industry. However, his experience in South Africa helped him discover a different professional direction.
Over the years, he received recognition for his contributions to community service, creative arts and leadership. He was also nominated for South Africa’s 40 Under 40 recognition and undertook activities connected with the country’s arts and cultural institutions.
His growing involvement in the creative industry helped him establish professional relationships and build a reputation beyond the Nigerian community.
“South Africa gave me opportunities. They shared the platform with me initially, from the beginning. I was able to navigate deeply into the creative industry. I got recognition,” he said.
His achievements represented a significant transformation for someone who had initially travelled abroad hoping to secure conventional employment. Through determination and the willingness to explore unfamiliar opportunities, he had built a professional identity in an industry he had not previously considered.
When xenophobic hostility became personal
Despite these achievements, Kazeem said concerns about xenophobic hostility towards foreign nationals, including Nigerians, remained a recurring feature of his experience.
He recalled that authorities and community organisations sometimes organised engagements involving African migrant communities to promote peaceful coexistence and discourage xenophobia.
According to him, such engagements provided opportunities for dialogue and reassurance, although he remained concerned about the recurrence of tensions.
He said he initially believed the hostility would eventually subside and that he would not personally become a victim.
However, his perception changed following an incident he said directly affected his business and livelihood.
Kazeem explained that he had maintained relationships with several organisations and individuals in South Africa but became increasingly concerned about his safety after the experience.
He also said he had withheld some videos relating to the incident from social media because of security concerns, explaining that his identity and professional activities were known within sections of the country’s creative industry.
For him, the experience changed the way he viewed his future in a country where he had spent more than a decade establishing himself.
Business losses and the price of insecurity
The financial consequences, according to him, were significant.
Kazeem operated a salon and owned Unlimited Concert International, a creative production company. He said some of his professional equipment, including cameras and production gear, as well as other business property, were lost or left behind when he decided to return to Nigeria.
He estimated the value of the unrecovered property at more than tens of thousands of Rands.
He also claimed to have video footage showing people entering and looting his business premises during the incident. He said a case was opened with the relevant authorities and that he had subsequently made enquiries about it.
The losses were particularly painful because the property represented years of investment and professional development. His production equipment, for instance, was central to the creative business he had painstakingly established.
For Kazeem, however, the experience went beyond financial losses. He said it had undermined his confidence in the security arrangements he had previously relied upon.
“If we feel that we are no more safe, it’s because we’ve lost trust in some areas that we believe we can be secure. They might try their best, but eventually the best might not be enough,” he said.
Nigerians abroad and the burden of negative perceptions
Kazeem also acknowledged that the conduct of some Nigerians abroad could sometimes attract negative attention. However, he argued that individuals should not be judged solely by their nationality.
According to him, many Nigerians in South Africa were making positive contributions through business, professional activities and community development, and their achievements deserved recognition.
He maintained that the actions of individuals should not become a justification for hostility towards an entire nationality.
His position reflects a broader concern among migrant communities: how to address legitimate concerns about criminal conduct without encouraging discrimination against innocent people.
For Kazeem, the contributions of Nigerians living and working in South Africa should receive as much attention as the negative stories that sometimes dominate public discussions.
Giving back through film and community projects
Beyond his commercial activities, Kazeem said he had also used his creative experience to support other people and communities in South Africa.
One of his projects was The Unexpected, a film production he said he helped finance and produce after a South African creative approached him with a script but lacked the resources to bring the project to life.
The production also involved a South African director, reflecting the professional relationships he had developed within the country’s creative industry.
He also produced a film focusing on the deaf community, an initiative he said was motivated by the need to give greater attention to people whose experiences and challenges were often overlooked.
The project earned him a Best Newcomer recognition at the Towers Film Project, according to his account.
These contributions, he explained, were part of his effort to give back to a society that had provided him with opportunities to develop professionally.
His involvement in such projects demonstrates that his years in South Africa were not defined solely by the challenges he encountered. They also involved collaboration, community engagement and efforts to create opportunities for others.
Returning home with experience, not defeat
Kazeem’s decision to return to Nigeria, therefore, is not one he considers the end of his creative journey. Rather, he sees it as an opportunity to transfer the knowledge, experience and professional networks he developed abroad into the Nigerian economy.
“I’m not going to start afresh. It should be a continuity of what I’ve been doing,” he said.
He believes Nigeria can benefit from the experience of citizens returning from abroad, particularly those who have acquired skills, established businesses or developed professional relationships in other countries.
He called on the Federal Government and state authorities to create practical opportunities for returnees to contribute to national development, stressing that their international exposure could help introduce new ideas and initiatives.
He also expressed appreciation for efforts by government authorities to support returning Nigerians, urging that such initiatives should translate into sustainable opportunities.
According to him, returnees should not be regarded as people who have failed abroad but as professionals and entrepreneurs whose accumulated experience could be useful to the country.
A different meaning of greener pasture
His experience offers a sobering perspective on the popular belief that opportunities abroad automatically guarantee a better life.
While South Africa provided him with platforms to develop his career, establish businesses and build professional relationships, his account also illustrates the challenges migrants can face, including unemployment, insecurity and xenophobic hostility.
After more than a decade, Kazeem has returned to Nigeria with losses, but also with professional experience spanning banking and finance, hospitality, beauty services, modelling, acting and film production.
His journey raises an important question about how Nigeria can harness the skills and international exposure of citizens returning from abroad.
For him, returning home is not an admission of failure. It is an opportunity to continue building on what he has learnt and to contribute to an environment where his experience could create new possibilities.
His hope is that Nigeria will recognise the potential of returning professionals and provide them with the support needed to turn their international experience into meaningful contributions at home.
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