Summary of The Lekki Headmaster: Chapter 3 - Migration Tales - JAMB Novels Lesson Note

• Bepo’s Decision to Relocate
  • Bepo decides to migrate and gathers insights from others who have relocated.
  • He appreciates hourly payment systems abroad, which offer flexibility for employees and accountability for employers, unlike Nigeria's fixed salary system.
  • Earnings abroad, particularly skilled jobs, are significantly higher than Nigerian wages.
• Tales of Migration
  • Skilled workers, especially in healthcare, are leaving Nigeria in large numbers (e.g., 1,000 doctors annually).
  • Education visas are a popular route for graduates seeking opportunities abroad.
  • Some resort to unethical means to fund migration, such as taking loans or selling assets dishonestly.
• Experiences of Colleagues
  • Sola, a former colleague, shares her migration story to the UK, emphasizing the importance of teamwork between couples in managing work and studies.
  • Families relocate for better education and free healthcare; Bepo notes the stark contrast with Nigeria’s costly private schooling.
• Challenges Abroad
  • Migration stories are not always positive:
    • Jare, a former banker, struggles emotionally with his job caring for the elderly.
    • Hope, an accountant pursuing a Master’s degree, faces marital strain when his wife stops supporting him financially.
  • Bepo reflects on life’s varied outcomes, comparing them to a proverb about sugarcane and bitter leaf deriving different tastes from the same rain.
• Dependents and Sponsorship
  • Opinions vary on supporting relatives after migrating. While some, like Riike, sponsor family members, others are reluctant to take on the responsibility.

This chapter highlights the allure of migration, the sacrifices involved, and the mixed outcomes migrants experience.