Germany Is Different

4 October 2026 · by Holly Mohanye · ⏱️ 4 min read

Let me just say this first:

Germany 🇩🇪 is different from Nigeria 🇳🇬.

And I think this is something many Nigerians need to understand.

You cannot compare the 2 countries as though they are at the same stage of development, because they are not.

Nigeria 🇳🇬 became independent on 1 October 1960 and just turned 66 years old this year. The Federal Republic of Germany 🇩🇪 was established in 1949, making the present-day German state 77 years old, although the history of the German territories and states goes back many centuries. Germany was also divided into East and West for decades before reunification in 1990.

So, yes, there is history behind what you see today.

But honestly, numbers alone do not explain the experience.

You have to experience it.

The first time I came to Germany, I was shocked.

From the airport, to the immigration officers, to the transportation system, to the buses, to the way information was displayed, everything felt incredibly organised.

I remember the immigration officers speaking to me with so much professionalism.

I remember getting on the bus and thinking, “So this is how public transportation can work?”

😂

And then there was Google Maps.

My God.

I could literally look at my phone and know where I was, where I was going, which bus or train I needed, where I would get off and approximately when I would arrive.

I remember travelling from Munich Airport to the city centre and just looking around like a child discovering something new.

The bus was clean.

The roads were organised.

The information was clear.

The system made sense.

And somewhere in my head, I thought:

“Ah. So this is what people mean when they say they are abroad.”

😂

But living here has taught me something even deeper.

It is not just about beautiful buildings or clean streets.

It is about systems.

It is about laws that people are expected to follow.

It is about processes.

It is about public transportation.

It is about knowing what to expect.

It is about being able to navigate a system without constantly wondering who you need to call, who you need to know, or who you need to beg.

Is Germany perfect?

Absolutely not.

There are frustrations here too. There are slow processes, bureaucracy, expensive things, difficult rules and plenty of things Germans themselves complain about.

But there is something beautiful about seeing what happens when a society invests in order, structure, accountability and functioning systems.

And honestly, that has changed the way I think.

Because when you come from a place where you have become accustomed to certain things, you sometimes start thinking they are normal.

Then you travel.

You see another way of doing things.

And suddenly you realise:

“Wait. It does not have to be this way.”

That, for me, is one of the greatest gifts of travelling.

It expands your imagination.

It makes you realise that development is possible.

It makes you question things.

It makes you dream differently.

And this is not me saying Germany 🇩🇪 is better than Nigeria 🇳🇬 in every single way.

No.

I love Nigeria. Nigeria is home. Nigeria has incredibly intelligent, hardworking, creative and resilient people.

But I also wish Nigeria could experience this level of organisation, infrastructure, accountability and respect for systems.

I want a Nigeria where things work.

Where you can enter a bus and trust the system.

Where public spaces are maintained.

Where laws are respected.

Where institutions work for the ordinary person.

Where development is not just something we read about, but something we experience every day.

Because if I could experience this as someone visiting Germany 🇩🇪 for the first time, I genuinely wish that every Nigerian could experience what it feels like to live in a society where many things simply work as they are supposed to.

Every day I am still discovering something new here.

And every time I do, I find myself thinking the same thing:

“God, I wish we could build this kind of Nigeria.”

Not a Nigeria that becomes Germany.

A Nigeria that becomes the best version of Nigeria. 🇳🇬

Because travelling should not only make us want to leave home.

It should make us want to go back home and build better.

“Sometimes, seeing what is possible somewhere else is the first step towards believing it is possible at home.”

Germany 🇩🇪 has given me more than beautiful memories.

It has given me perspective.

And for that, I am grateful.

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