Nigerian programmer describes racism, homesickness and language struggle in Lithuania

A Nigerian software developer who has lived in Lithuania for nearly seven years says he has faced discrimination, particularly while looking for housing and online, LRT reported. Olugbenga Adewuyi has learned Lithuanian to A2 level and received a permanent residence permit, but says he misses Africa and sometimes tires of standing out.

Adewuyi moved from Nigeria to Lithuania in October 2019 through an EU project for IT specialists. He had spent his whole life in Nigeria and wanted to try something new, he told LRT.lt. He arrived in Kaunas without knowing Lithuanian or much about the country.

His first surprise was the weather. On the day he arrived, the temperature was just 4 degrees Celsius. Accustomed to temperatures that rarely fall below 20 degrees in his home region, he went outside wearing only a T-shirt to experience a Lithuanian autumn. He quickly realised that was a mistake, he said.

Support from the project organisers helped him adjust, including guidance on transport, healthcare and shopping. His first job in Lithuania was at the international company TransUnion in Kaunas. After the company ended its operations in the country, he moved to Vilnius and joined another large international IT company. He now works as a programmer and says he is satisfied with his standard of living.

Adewuyi said IT specialists can earn good salaries in Lithuania. Although he has considered moving to another country, he has remained in Lithuania so far. He said he misses Africa and sometimes wants to be among people who look like him.

Learning Lithuanian has been one of his biggest challenges. His native languages are English and Yoruba, and he said Lithuanian seemed unlike any language he knew. Its cases and changing word endings were especially difficult compared with English, which uses prepositions, he told LRT.lt.

He began studying Lithuanian soon after arriving. His employer paid for his first courses, and he later took other classes, some remotely during the pandemic. He said his progress picked up when he began studying independently to prepare for the state Lithuanian language exam.

Adewuyi said that, as a dark-skinned foreigner trying to become part of Lithuanian society, he sometimes encounters racism, from offensive online comments to situations that leave him feeling unwelcome.