A Japada Story

What happens when you’ve built a life abroad… then realize you want to go home?

In this episode, we sit down with Desola to talk about her journey from Nigeria to the UK... and eventually, back home again. She takes us through why she left after secondary school, how education and career ambitions shaped her time in the UK, and why, even then, she never quite saw herself staying forever.

We get into the realities that eventually made her reconsider life abroad: immigration pressure, a changing political and economic climate, and the growing feeling that the life she was building in the UK wasn’t fully aligned with who she wanted to be.

After getting permanent residency, Desola took a year to step back, travel, and really think about what she wanted. That freedom gave her the space to consider a question that many immigrants eventually face: what if going back is actually the move?

Her return to Nigeria happened gradually, with her work with Fatherland and My Father’s Shadow becoming a major turning point and giving her both a professional anchor and a reason to come home.

Now living in Lagos, Desola talks honestly about the joy of being back, the feeling of being grounded, and the realities that come with readjusting to life in Nigeria.