“I Thought I Was Coming to Paradise”: Expectation–Reality Discrepancy among Nigerian Migrants

Abstract

There is an increasing hunger for migration in Nigeria. The urgency and desperation to emigrate without a clear path and adequate information about the host country can be disastrous for migrants after arrival in the host country. Most intending migrants have untrue, exaggerated views of life in the West, leading to discrepancies between pre-migration expectations and post-migration experiences. Discrepancies between expectation and reality may affect migrants' life satisfaction, regret and overall well-being in the host country. This study investigated expectation–reality discrepancy among Nigerian migrants in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), two major destination countries for Nigerian migrants. The study documented different aspects where Nigerian migrants experience discrepancies between pre-migration expectations and post-migration reality. I showed how Nigerian migrants deal with the initial disappointment. Data were drawn from the qualitative study of the author's PhD research, comprising 31 interviews (17 from the US and 14 from the UK) and migrants' responses to two Instagram posts on expectation–reality discrepancies. Data were organised and analysed thematically using NVivo (version 12). The study found that 21 participants reported negative expectation–reality discrepancies across four major aspects: finance/occupational mobility, health, aesthetics and sociality. Comments on the social media posts supported these areas of discrepancies. Nigerian migrants reacted to each of the aspects of discrepancies in a unique way. Notable differences were observed between participants' experiences in the US and UK. The study argued that migrants' comparison of home and host countries shaped their expression of expectation–reality discrepancy and subsequent reactions.