How long have you been in Canada?

I came to Canada as an undergraduate in 2012 and got my PR three years later. 

Wow! That’s a decade.

Yes!

How has staying in Canada been?

It’s been great. 

I have enjoyed building my career and growing my family here. The exposure and opportunities are endless.

Did you always know you were going to study abroad?

I grew up as an only child who had financially comfortable parents. My dad worked at an oil and gas firm while my mum worked as a dentist in a private hospital. We usually spent our family holidays outside Nigeria. My parents wanted me to have my primary and secondary school education in Nigeria to understand our culture. In my mum’s words, I had to become a proper Naija boy. We, however, always spoke about the family relocating after my secondary school.

Soft Life!

*laughs.

I have my parents to thank. They took care of me even in death.

I was going to address that but I didn’t want to be too direct. Are you okay with me asking how it happened?

It’s fine.

 I have made peace with it. My parents died in a car accident back from a wedding. They were travelling back to Lagos from Ibadan. I still believe they could have survived if we had fast and reliable healthcare in Nigeria. It’s one of the reasons I knew I had to leave. 

So sorry to hear that,  but how were you able to even after their death?

I was already done with secondary school and had gotten admission to study in Canada when the accident.

I had to defer cause I wasn’t emotionally stable.

During this period, I got a call from an Insurance company informing me that my parents had opened an education plan right from when I was born. When the firm’s representative told me how much I had as a claim, I couldn’t believe it.

Why did that shock you? I would have expected that your parents left you with enough.

Sadly, they didn’t have a will. Hence, my dad’s family members took advantage of this and took everything. I was living with my mum’s younger sister when I got the news. It was just perfect timing. I was already planning to apply to a school in Nigeria cause I could no longer afford to study in Canada.

Talk about planning for the unforeseen, it feels like your parents saw the future. 

Yes, I could say that myself. I’m grateful for how they were intentional about planning for my future. I have extended the same to my children. I set up an education insurance plan for all of them.

That’s nice! Thank you for talking with us.