An entrepreneur from Edo State, Aigbe Omoregie, has advised youths to seek greener pastures in Nigeria rather than through illegal migration to other countries.
He said this during a town hall debate in Benin City, the Edo State capital on Thursday, while addressing issues around migration, human trafficking and jobs.
Omoregie believes it is possible for youths to become successful in their home country Nigeria, regardless of their backgrounds.
Sharing his personal experiences, he said it is better off to work hard in Nigeria than choose to face the hardships that come with illegal migration.
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He said, “There Is no hope anywhere, other than the one you create for yourself. There is no greener pasture anywhere than the one you create for yourself. Whatever your life will eventually become is what you want it to be.
“The Europe and America we are talking about, I have travelled around these places but each time I go out there, our people living there end up serving me for the period I’m around. I didn’t make my money there.
“As a matter of fact, after graduation from school, I travelled abroad to relocate but three weeks after, I discovered that the place was not meant for me. I could not see myself running from pillar to post because of the police.
“I could not subject myself to the level of dehumanization and humility that was associated with the fact that I was a foreigner so after three weeks, I came back home and started all over again. I started a company called intercontinental paint with just N18,000.
“From N18,000 in 2006, we’ve been able to grow the company to where it is today, to the extent that last year, we were recognized by the United Nations, we have branches in a lot of states in Nigeria. We have a branch in Uganda to serve the whole of the East Africa region and we are still busy expanding.
“Now the question is, what is the difference between me and you or every other person who wants to go to Europe today? There’s no difference.
“The only difference is that I decided to stay put and build something. There is no free meal anywhere and Europe is much more difficult than Nigeria. America is much more difficult than Nigeria”.
