Every December, the IJGBs descend. The airports are full of accents that didn't exist in January. The restaurants are booked by people who "don't do local food." The clubs are packed with people comparing London weather to Lagos heat. The IJGB (I Just Got Back) phenomenon is a seasonal migration. Nigerians abroad return for Christmas with dollars, pounds, and attitude. They complain about everything. The traffic. The heat. The "lack of customer service." They forget that they survived here for two decades before japa. And the local resentment! The prices inflate for IJGB season. The restaurants they "discover" become unaffordable. The clubs they frequent become inaccessible. The locals watch as their city is temporarily colonized by people who claim it but left it. But the remittance! The dollars that flow. The gifts that arrive. The family reunions that happen. The IJGBs fund Christmas for entire extended families. They are annoying, but they are necessary. Are you an IJGB, or do you endure them? And what's the most IJGB thing you've said or heard?
