Tech entrepreneur Mark Essien has stirred debate by claiming that Nigerians earning about £3,000 a month would enjoy a better quality of life living in Abuja than in the United Kingdom.
Essien made the assertion in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he compared living standards between Nigeria’s capital and the UK, suggesting that income levels could stretch further in Abuja despite some persistent infrastructural challenges.
“If you earn about 3000 pounds a month, you can live a better life in Abuja than in the UK (as a Nigerian). Yes, there will be inconveniences, but overall it’s probably a better, more comfortable life,” he wrote in the post.
His contention has now sparked an animated online discussion. Supporters of the view argue that lower housing costs, cheaper domestic help and generally lower living expenses in Nigeria’s capital can offer greater comfort for middle-income earners. Others, however, have stressed the persistent challenges of inconsistent power supply, security concerns and limited healthcare services, which they say can significantly affect one’s quality of life.
Recent cost‑of‑living comparisons show that everyday expenses such as housing, transportation and even dining out costs are considerably higher in the UK than in Abuja, with the United Kingdom generally more expensive across multiple categories of household expenses.
The exchange of views reflects broader conversations among Nigerians in the diaspora about the pressures of living costs abroad versus the potential benefits of relocating back home, especially for those earning strong foreign currencies but bearing the realities of high rents and everyday costs in developed economies.
As the debate continues online, it underscores how perceptions of economic opportunity and quality of life differ widely among Nigerians at home and abroad.
