Why I Said “I Regret Moving Back To Nigeria” – Idia Aisien

Nigerian actress Idia Aisien is most popular for playing the role of Nneka in the Nollywood remake of Nneka: The Pretty Serpent. Outside of that, Idia is also a journalist and media personality. Idia Aisien didn’t live all of her life in Nigeria. In fact, she moved to America many years ago, and before coming back to start a career in Nigeria, Idia already had a good job, apartment, and stable life in the United States.

During a recent interview that Idia did with Chude, she actually said the regretted moving back to Nigeria.

Now, during a new interview with The Will Downtown, Idia Aisien is clarifying what exactly she meant by that statement, and explaining why she said she regrets moving back to Nigeria. Here is what Idia Aisien said.

Speaking about why she said she regrets moving back to Nigeria, Idia Aisien said:

IDIA AISIEN: Basically, the regret was how I moved to Nigeria. Many people don’t know that at the time, I was living in America and had a very stable life, a great job, and a great apartment. I wasn’t necessarily close to my family because, obviously, they were in Nigeria and the UK, but my future was very well planned. Then I came to Nigeria when two of my sisters were getting married, and I met somebody, fell in love, and thought I was going to get married.

So I talked to my company for them to include me on a project they were doing in Nigeria, it was a private equity firm, and they were investing in banks across Africa. So they started a project at the time in Union Bank, and my supervisory boss invited me and I was like “Yeah.” I was supposed to be in Nigeria for three weeks, and now I’ve been here for seven and a half years. I left everything, my comfort, life and job, even though I was able to save a lot on accommodation thanks to my dad, a lot of people don’t get that kind of headstart. After that relationship didn’t work out, I just kind of felt like my life took so many twists and turns and did some little things that were very unnecessary.

The interview (with Mo Abudu) happened around the time that my dad died, so I realised that he wouldn’t get to see me fully blossom in my career, and he was one of my biggest cheerleaders, like when he would see me on TV and watch my shows. At the time, I just felt like—I don’t want to say regret—what am I doing, where am I going? That was why.

Source: Jide Okonjo

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