Former Nollywood actress, Cynthia Amadi has said that most Nigerians who travel abroad for greener pastures do so with the notion that it’s a bed of roses, and have preferences for the type of jobs they would rather do.
Amadi said this in a session with media personality Daddy Freeze as a reaction to a recent video where someone described life abroad as tough and tasking.
She said if an average Nigerian was asked to do the type of jobs she did upon her arrival in the United States of America, they would turn it down.
According to her, although she now works with a Fortune 500 company, it was not a smooth ride as she also had to deal with racism and doing menial jobs.
She listed some of the jobs to include being an Uber driver and taking care of aged foreigners.
“Abroad is different for different people. If you ask me, abroad is the best thing that has happened to me. Abroad has given me back the years that I wasted in Nigeria. Looking back, I experienced some years of stagnation in Nigeria that I have reclaimed now.
“What he said (video) is true to him. He is projecting his experience to the generality of the diaspora.
“I clean oyinbo nyash (aged people’s buttocks). The thing is that so many people come here (abroad) with a lot of expectations. Bring a Nigerian who just arrived and try to show them how it is done and they will tell you ‘no’. Whatever you do when you get here does not define you. See it as a means to an end. See me today, Fortune 500 company. I’m sitting down and working in the comfort of my home. But when I came here I clean oyinbo nyash.
“The first job I did when I got here was the job of a nanny. At the end of the day, we all came here to hustle. One thing is that, as long as you were not a US citizen when you were born, you must hustle. If you come here you must hustle. Forget the stories they tell you,” she said.
The ex-banker further disclosed that she had to venture into ride-hailing services (Uber) when it dawned on her that she had to make ends meet after losing her first well-paying job.
“The reason most Nigerians struggle when they arrive initially is because they came with a mindset and are picky when it comes to getting jobs.
“From being a nanny, I became a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). From there I went into Uber. I had a well-paying job in a furniture company and felt I had arrived. I didn’t last long in that job because I was the youngest in the company and became uncomfortable with the way I was treated.
“I bought a 2019 RAV 4 while at the job that I could no longer maintain, and I had to figure out a way to get by. I’m saying this because a lot of Nigerians like to pretend.” (Vanguard)
