This is 2023 and the japa syndrome is still trending in Nigeria like an emerging pandemic. Japa, a Yoruba locution which means to leave for greener pastures, is still consistently running errands in the frustrated minds of Nigerian youths. Not long ago, another batch of close friends left the shores of Nigeria to Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Sadly, they left because they can no longer bear the distressing issues we have always fussed about; issues of neglect and oppressive government, calling the bluff of the weak citizens and treating them with disdain.
Pathetically, the Nigerian “japa” situation is expanding. A recent survey from the Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey revealed that seven out of 10 Nigerians are willing to relocate to other countries for various reasons, with a good number of them recording success. Today, there is still the increasing rate of an emerging urge to leave Nigeria by the old and the young. Now, the current net Nigeria migration rate is -0.273 per 1000 population, indicating that more people are emigrating from the country. It’s depressing that Nigeria is currently sinking deep in brain drain, and it probably needs a call for emergency.
Last month, a senior bank worker friend told me how the Nigerian banking industries have been facing a mass resignation of employees, which has been affecting service delivery. She lamented how this has been slowing down banking processes, most especially in her bank, leaving many people frustrated as it affects important transactions.
Also, recall that sometime last year, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors revealed that about 50 per cent of Nigerian doctors had already found their way out of the country. The University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, also noted that more than 600 of its clinical workers have resigned their appointments, while the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital disclosed that more than 150 nurses resigned their appointments with the tertiary hospital.
Today, it is disheartening that most of our friends who left the country are mostly highly skilled individuals with abundant talents across different sectors. I can’t agree less as two of my friends are brilliant minds who left the county for great exploits overseas. In July 2022, the Association of Nigerian Students in Europe revealed that Europe alone has more than three million Nigerians enrolled in different higher institutions of learning. A survey also indicates that 89.87 per cent of Nigerian youths prefer to study in a university outside the country. Seventy three per cent of Nigerians, 60 per cent of doctors, and 89.87 per cent of students want to leave the country. They want to flee the country. Tell me, what are they really seeing that the government appears not to be seeing?
First, Nigerian youths are frustrated with socio-economic challenges fuelled by unfulfilled government promises and bad leadership marked by absence of transparency and accountability. The situation brought about cold development, siphons scarce resources that could improve infrastructure and hinder education growth, public health and stack the deck against the poor masses.
In 2022, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is estimated to reach 33 per cent in 2023. This figure was projected to 32.5 per cent in the preceding year. Chronological data show that the unemployment rate in Nigeria rose constantly in the past years. Nigeria’s youth population eligible to work is about 40 million out of which only 14.7 million are fully employed and another 11.2 million are unemployed.
Also, Nigerian youths are completely out of the picture. Rather than being empowered, they have been reduced to a bunch of frustrated citizens with many of them becoming political tugs and agents of destruction in the hands of the enemies of the country, and while the children of these politicians study in prestigious institutions abroad and graduate in time, Nigerian undergraduates struggle with incessant strikes and worrisome teaching aids.
Yes, Nigerian youths aren’t frustrated because the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) failed to create his three million jobs per year. They aren’t frustrated because Buhari called them lazy. Nigerian youths are frustrated because of the basic issues.
They are frustrated by the lack of basic amenities, electricity and the distorted academic calendar that springs up every year. They are frustrated by the lack of an enabling environment for good business.
Why won’t they leave when they see that the level of insecurity in Nigeria has continued to worsen over the years? Before, the country battles only the Boko Haram insurgency, but now herdsmen crisis, aggressive kidnap attacks by known and unknown gunmen, and the needless bloodshed in the country are provoking signals. Now, who will really want to stay behind? Who?
The country is dangerous for its dwellers as it can be invaded by anyone and lives will be taken anyhow and anytime. Worse still, the perpetrators are never really brought to book which is more reason for anyone to flee this country. Besides, the economy remains poor. The masses are daily confronted by forex, naira redesign, rising food prices and fuel crises.
Even for business, from harsh economic policies to questionable government and bank policies and high unsustainable cost of doing business.
Right now, I do not think that the Nigerian government has realised how the japa issue can have a bad effect on the country. What happens to the quality of health of the citizens? Who and what are replacing the services of nurses and doctors who left the country? Many good hands are forsaking the Nigerian dream on a daily basis.
When many of the citizens want to leave the country, what would this translate to logically? Moved by the exploits of friends who just left the country, it takes a lot not to obey one’s heart to leave the country for better opportunities once the chance emerges. Not long ago, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group projected the unemployment rate in Nigeria to rise to 37 per cent in 2023 while the United Kingdom is offering a good annual pay to Nigerians willing to migrate there and work as teachers.
Finally, maybe we should no longer blame our leaders for neglecting the Nigerian dream. Perhaps, they see it as a mere fantasy despite the foresight of the country’s forebears. Maybe someday Nigeria will rise again and its dream bold enough for everyone home or abroad to treasure.
