“I Have to Leave South Africa Before These Xenophobic People Attack Me” — Abroad Life

The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad. 

Tolani* (24) is in Johannesburg on a fully-funded postgraduate scholarship. But while her academic dreams are thriving under a highly supportive education system, daily life is overshadowed by xenophobic violence. In this story, she talks about how she’s trying to make good memories in Johannesburg, and why she can’t settle in South Africa after her studies.

I am currently living in Johannesburg, South Africa. I left Nigeria in 2026.

School. I came here for my postgraduate studies. I always knew I wanted to do my postgrad outside Nigeria, because I think the educational system at home is too limited.

I actually thought of the other locations, too. I was considering schools in the United Kingdom and even the United States until a certain orange man made me change my mind about that.

Then I began to consider opportunities in Asia—specifically China and South Korea—but at the time I was planning to apply to their schools, I received an offer from South Africa. It’s a full scholarship to the University of the Witwatersrand, one of Africa’s top universities. It’s a great opportunity, so I just dropped everything else.

No, I don’t plan to stay here. I actually haven’t thought deeply about what I’ll do after my studies because I still have one and a half years to go. Maybe I will apply for a fellowship, try the Global Talent visa route and move to the UK or somewhere else. But no, I don’t plan on staying here before these xenophobic people attack me.

Yeah, it is a very interesting time to move. At the time I got the scholarship, things were calm. But then, a month before I moved, there were xenophobic attacks all over the news. It was really scary.

Thankfully, it’s quite calm around campus. But I have been seeing things and reading about people’s experiences, and it is really ugly. I’m trying to stay mostly indoors, except when I am going to school. I don’t have any business outside until the whole unrest calms down.

I have not really made many friends. For support, I have a couple of family friends and some friends who moved here before me, so I reach out to them. I’m also making sure to join many communities.

Whenever anyone asks me to go anywhere, I almost always say yes. I’m really trying to enjoy my stay here. And I make sure I take enough pictures, because I want my gallery to be full of memories. Luckily, I’ve met some nice people who have volunteered to go out with me when I’m bored. I can just hit them up, and they are more than happy to accompany me. So yeah, it has been nice, and they have been helpful.

The Naira Life Conference is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria. Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together. Secure your spot here.

I would like to come visit, actually, but the travel costs are really high. We have winter break here from June to July. But I’d rather save the money and come home in December.

I wake up in the morning, do some home workouts, pray, and check my school emails to see if I have anything to do. I work on my assignments, watch movies, do some bulk cooking, eat, and sleep. Sometimes during the week, I also go to church. That’s basically it.

Yeah, actually, it is that and more. They have a proper educational system and really good support for students. It is unlike where I am coming from, if you know what I mean. They think about the students, so a supervisor or lecturer can’t stress you unnecessarily. You have your own voice, you can dictate your pace, and they help you if you are not ready to do something at a particular moment.

Well, it is not anything crazy. Sometimes it could just be a walk, or going to restaurants and events. We might just walk around school while they tell me random things about the country. I’m also avoiding going to certain places because of the whole xenophobia thing.

It was on my first day here. I was stranded in school because I couldn’t find the way back to my apartment. So I walked up to someone and told her I was new and couldn’t find my way to where I was going. She just said, “Oh, follow me.” At that point, I had no choice but to follow her.

She led me some of the way, then gave me very accurate directions. I followed her directions and found myself right in front of my gate. It was really nice to be helped by a stranger like that. That first day was crazy, but that moment was memorable.

No, because they are killing my people.

Yes. But one more thing is how cold it gets here. I’ve been drinking a lot of black tea to cope. But once you pour out a steaming cup, it gets cold within a minute.

I’ll say an eight.

Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me here. For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).

Click here to see what other people are saying about this article on Instagram