Life in the diaspora: The Nigerian experience in the UK
By Mary Opii
One of the things that can take some getting used to when you move to the UK is how normal it can seem to buy something today and pay for it later. A new television, washing machine, sofa, phone or even a holiday can sometimes be purchased without having the full amount sitting in your bank account at the time of purchase.
At first, it can make you pause and ask yourself, “So, I can actually take this home now and pay for it over several months?” That was an interesting part of adjusting to the way everyday purchasing works in the UK.
Credit is woven into many aspects of consumer life here. People may use credit cards, personal loans, store finance, car finance or buy now, pay later arrangements to spread the cost of purchases. For someone coming from Nigeria, where paying for something in full or saving towards a purchase may be more familiar, the range of credit options available in the UK can be quite an adjustment.
I remember noticing how frequently payment options were displayed alongside the actual price of an item. Instead of simply seeing the full cost, you might see an amount showing what you could pay each month. Suddenly, an expensive item can appear much more accessible because your attention is drawn to the monthly payment rather than the total price.
This is particularly noticeable when shopping for household items. You could walk into a shop looking at a sofa, washing machine or television and find several ways of paying for it. You may be offered the option of paying immediately, spreading the cost over a period or applying for finance. The choice is presented as part of the shopping experience rather than as something unusual.
Buy now, pay later services have taken this even further. A customer can purchase an item and divide the payment into instalments, depending on the provider and the terms of the agreement. The convenience is obvious, particularly when someone wants to manage a large purchase without paying the entire amount at once.
This has changed the way many people think about affordability. Instead of asking only, “How much does this cost?” people may also ask, “How much would I pay each month?”
That shift is worth noticing. The monthly payment can make a purchase appear easier to manage, but the total amount, interest, fees and repayment period still matter. Credit can be useful when it is understood and managed properly, but it is still borrowing and therefore creates a financial commitment.
There is also the question of credit history. The way people manage certain forms of borrowing can become part of their credit record, which may be relevant when they later apply for financial products. For someone new to the UK, learning that credit is not simply about obtaining money or an item, but also about building a financial history, can be an important part of understanding the system.
What I find particularly interesting is how credit has become part of ordinary consumer conversations. Someone may discuss the monthly payment for a car in the same way another person talks about the cost of their mobile phone. The idea of paying in instalments is not necessarily treated as unusual.
Of course, this does not mean that everyone in the UK buys everything on credit. Many people save, pay upfront or choose not to borrow. It simply means that the option is widely available and has become a familiar part of the consumer environment.
For anyone new to the UK, understanding the language used around credit is therefore useful. Terms such as APR, interest rate, instalments, credit limit, total amount repayable and promotional period can appear regularly when you are making financial decisions. Knowing what these terms mean can help you understand what you are actually agreeing to.
There is also something quite interesting about the psychology of buying this way. When you see a sofa advertised at £30 a month instead of £1,000, your mind may naturally focus on the smaller figure. Yet the product has not suddenly become a £30 purchase. You are simply being shown one method of paying for the larger purchase.
That is why the culture of credit is not simply about borrowing money. It is also about how prices are presented and how consumers are encouraged to think about purchases.
For Nigerians settling into life in the UK, this is another small but important part of understanding the environment around us. We learn how to navigate the transport system, understand workplace practices, use self-service machines and manage everyday services. Financial habits are part of that learning too.
Credit can offer flexibility, but it comes with responsibility. The important thing is to understand the agreement, know the total cost and make sure the commitment fits comfortably within your circumstances.
The interesting thing about living in the diaspora is that sometimes the differences we notice are not dramatic. They can be as simple as walking into a shop, seeing an expensive item advertised at a small monthly amount and realising that the way people buy things can be quite different from what you were accustomed to.
That, too, is part of learning life in the UK.
