Mass emigration has become a norm in Nigeria. Everyone is seeking “greener pastures”, especially the youth and if their country cannot give them the ample opportunity to thrive, then the only logical option is to leave. Daily, people are leaving home, in hundreds, and relocating to foreign lands to find a stable life and a reliable economy. According to data from the Gallup World Poll, the desire to emigrate among Nigerians has surged 29 percent over the past decade. This phenomenon has come to be tagged “Japa” overtime.

What Conditions Could Have Birthed This Situation of Things?

1. Lack of Implementation of the Rule of law and Protection of Human Rights—The Rule of law has become more of a theoretical phenomenon to be taught in schools in line with education curriculum than an actual existing practical and visible concept in the society.
   The human rights of citizens are disregarded, trivialized and constantly infringed. The right to life, freedom of speech, right to education, dignity of human person, freedom of association, and other rights and liberties, have all become fragments of imaginations rather than protected human rights. On the 20th of October 2020, youths who led a peaceful protest at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State, to get the government to stop police brutality were massacred. That is how bad it has gotten!
2. Harsh economy and low job availability—Unemployment rates are so high that you would find a university graduate doing menial jobs just to survive. In fact, the National Bureau of Statistics reported that 53.4% of young people in Nigeria were unemployed as at 2020. A family of four can barely feed even once a day, and three-square meals seems just like a fantasy straight out of a television show to them. The cost of a bag of rice has tripled within three years, so much that its cost would be a cumulation of half a year’s salary of a worker earning the minimum wage. All these hardships push people to japa, even if it means migrating illegally and following dangerous routes.
3. No hope in Electoral Processes—The power of franchise has been devalued. Votes which are supposed to convey the citizens’ choices has been bastardized. Politics has become a game of poll-i-tricks as one too many times, ballot boxes snatching, election violence and voting at gunpoint has become a worrisome norm. In fact, election results are swindled and announced out of the blues at 2:00 am when voters have most likely retired to bed and are therefore less expectant of what is about to hit them.
4. No hope in the Judiciary—In a country where the Judiciary has gone from being the last hope of the common man, to being the first hope of the commanding man, random citizens cannot thrive oe seek redress. When an average citizen is aggrieved by the actions of a political figure, the response is always “Go to court” because the conscience of the Judge has been bought over by crisp bundles of naira notes, or even dollar notes thereby crippling the chances of attaining justice.
5. The Rising Insecurity—The country has seen many security threats, ranging from the Boko Haram insurgency and the Fulani herdsmen threats in the far North, to the Niger-Delta Militants unrest in the Middle-belt area, and the onslaught of the “unknown gunmen” saga in the East, Nigeria has gone from one national peace and security threatening event to the other. Some persons might have been victims of these or they can’t stand what living in fear of the possibility of being the next victim does to their mental health and wellness, so they would rather leave sane and whole, than take chances.

What is the Impact of their Departure in the Country They Left Behind?

Sadly, there has been no positive difference in the quality of life since 2020 when the japa tendency escalated. If anything, the economy is always on the decline, and policies implementation in the country become even lesser.

Most visibly, there is the brain drain effect. With many skilled workers and professionals leaving the country, all sectors have been negatively impacted, like the healthcare services because doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners are leaving to work in countries where they are valued and paid much better, bankers are leaving, lawyers are leaving, skilled craftsmen are leaving, graduates are leaving to further their education overseas, and even teachers and lecturers are leaving, so who would raise the next generation?

What is the Way Forward?

Better government policies, national peace and security, upholding human rights, provision of infrastructure and social amenities are all essential ingredients for any thriving economy and country, as a whole. Therefore, the government has to do better in ensuring the realization of these necessities.

However, to achieve this, it is important to tackle the root cause of all the factors influencing the urge to japa—corruption. As Prof. Attahiru Jega stated,

“There is phenomenal corruption in our country only because there is a profound failure of leadership generally and in the fight against corruption in particular.”

Therefore, the fight against corruption must be intensified, to enable a working economy. Maybe, one day, citizens in the diaspora would wish to return and the rate of emigration would significantly reduce.

Olachi Angel Iwehee