This lady was born in the UK, see why she returned to Nigeria

2 weeks ago 2

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, a Nigerian lady decided to find her way back home to establish a business. At a time when the japa syndrome is in full gear among young people in Nigeria, Uzoamaka Ozumba decided she was going to come back home to her roots. People who have watched videos of her journey online are saying they are amazed she had the courage to take the step.

But in an interview with Legit.ng, Uzoamaka said the decision to return home was not difficult because when she first visited Nigeria in 2018, she felt more at home in the country than in the UK.

She said:

"I visited Nigeria for the first time properly to soak up the real experience of what home should really feel like and I wasn’t disappointed. The university I went to had several international students from Abuja, so they would always hype up how lit Nigeria was, and I always doubted them. With much persuasion, I decided to go in December 2018 with my sister and friends. I networked with so many people that year, and ever since then, I knew my heart was here. I met incredible people, enjoyed incredible food, relaxed in the gorgeous sun and saw real life. It was amazing to see how real the community is over here because London can be depressing whether you were born there or not."

The decision to return to Nigeria

Despite her UK citizenship and the perks that come with possessing a British passport, Uzoamaka said her heart has always been in Nigeria.

She is a law graduate from Aston University, but obviously, she has always been drawn to business, which is why she now runs a beauty shop in Lekki, Lagos.

She told Legit.ng:

"I was born and raised in England, precisely North London, with my parents and my two siblings. I am the youngest out of the three of us, but for some reason, I was just always so independent from an early age. Growing up in England had its challenges as I faced a lot of racism at an early age in my school years; however, I loved England growing up. I went to a grammar school where I passed my GCSE and Alevels then went on to study Law at Aston University in Birmingham graduating with a 2:1"

Establishing a salon in Nigeria

When asked to mention what gave her the courage to move to Nigeria despite her family living in the UK, she said people should learn to follow their hearts.

Her words:

"I always wanted an investment in my own country and I eventually hope it works for me. My response is to go where your heart leads you. My heart led me here, it wasn’t a Plan I had, but something was always drawing me here. I had so many negative opinions, but I just prayed and trusted God. Whenever I visited Nigeria I would make another connection and another connection, it was a domino effect so I just knew it was Gods doing."

Uzomaka said after studying the beauty industry in Nigeria and Lagos in particular, she decided to give it a shot. She said she hoped it would work for her since she has put in a lot of effort.

She told Legit.ng:

"My business was an idea that came from boredom.. as I mentioned earlier I have always been independent. I learnt how to save at an early age, my Mum instilled the importance of managing money and I just knew I never wanted to be broke because I hated the word no. I was in university feeling idol because I wasn’t working and wanted to pick up a lifelong skill that I could monetise from. I paid for a lash course, got certified, and started practising on my mother and sister every week. In the beginning, it would take me 7 hours to complete a lash set, then it became 5, and now it takes me 2/3 hours max to finish a set depending on the style." Again, my business wasn’t planned. I just randomly made a page and started posting content of strip lashes I was making; I then started to take clients and charged £20 a set. From £20 my price grew to £60 and I would save everything but only use the money to buy stock or invest in other skills. My portfolio grew and grew, I started introducing more services and charging more in return saving more. This became my baby and everything I had ever dreamed of, being my own boss. However, I always worked remotely, so I was able to save my money."

When asked if she has encountered any challenges doing business in Nigeria, the CEO of Beauty Place, Lekki said:

"The challenges are that artisans can be quite dishonest. I found that a lot of the times people would try to take my kindness for a weakness and overcharge, a lot of the times I was addressed as sir which highlighted how women are treated quite indifferently to men and they are hesitant to fix an error they created."