5 Reasons Why Every Nigerian Under 45 Should Japa

With Nigeria’s economic and political tussle, the Japa syndrome is now a regular phenomenon to all and sundry. This has further increased the number of people migrating to other countries hoping for greener pastures. From the research conducted by Pew Research Center, one of the reasons Nigerian adults want to Japa from the country is the high rate of conflict.

This mindset saw a large number of people leave the country in 2021. From the data released by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), passports issued in 2021 increased by 38% due to Nigerians looking for ways to relocate from the country. In the same year, NIS issued 1,041,537 standard passports, 2,811 official passports, 895 diplomatic passports, 14,214 ETCs and 150 refugee passports. The immigration service gave approximately 2,081 and 2,853 passports every 24 hours in 2020 and 2021.

One of the countries most relocated to was the United Kingdom and Canada. From the report of UK immigration, Nigeria ranks second in the number of visas granted for the skilled worker — the ‘Health and Care’  category with 13,609 (14%). Also, in 2019, according to Canadian immigration, 12,595 Nigerians relocated to Canada. Permanent residency by Nigerians increased by 214.9% (15,595) in 2019 compared to 4000 in 2015. 

With the current trends in the country, more people are planning to leave the country. If you are sceptical about fleeing from the country, here are some reasons, as a Nigerian, you should Japa.

No political leader can transform Nigeria overnight

The truth is that even if the right person is elected into the presidential position in the forthcoming 2023 general election, the needed infrastructural change cannot be seen yet. This is because the country’s political and economic issue has eaten into every institution. It will thus involve overhauling and reconstructing every institution.

With the magnitude of work needed, no certain transformation can happen in Nigeria within four years, not even with a second-term service. Though the new leaders might inspire hope, the fact remains that the hope might not be experienced by you but by generations yet unborn.

In an interview with Olisa Agbakoba with Business elites Africa, he said that the problem Nigeria is experiencing today could be traced to her leadership. He said, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely failure and absence of leadership.

With regard to the upcoming election, “The best man may win or may not. You need to look at how to break down the establishment structures because they are powerful. I’m not sure that parties are relevant to this, it’s a political class that is relevant, and the political class will like to hold on to power.

There will be massive control of votes, which doesn’t mean buying them. It simply means canvassing votes and targeting them. Even in America, part of why Obama won was because of the extensive canvas network, which means money. Money is an essential tool in this political process. What I’m not sure of is whether there is sufficient momentum to pull down the establishment.”

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Nigeria is becoming more dangerous for the youths

The EndSars saga reflects the extent to which Nigeria is no longer a haven for the youths. This is coupled with police brutality towards youths who are seen possessing electrical gadgets such as laptops. In turn, the lack of security for personal property and life increased the number of youths applying to travel out of the country.

This is also compounded by the constant activities of kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, and other forms of criminality. With about 8,281 and 3,490 people kidnapped in 2021 and the ongoing ASUU strike, Nigeria is not a country to raise your children.

Poor human capital development

Despite being one of the developing countries with prospects in Africa, Nigeria has a very poor structure for human development. This has seen the death of many talents and the migration of many talented people out of the country. People employed are either underpaid or managing their jobs by planning Japa-ing out of the country.

With no necessary institutions to provide jobs, the unemployment rate in the country continues to increase. The rise in inflation further makes it unbearable for many people.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), poor human development has also affected the educational system. In the ranking, Nigeria was ranked 169 in 2019 for human development. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also reported that the country had the world’s highest number of out-of-school children.

Better career opportunities

The propelling factor motivating people to travel out of the country is the need for a better standard of living. The flexibility of work, pay, and immense opportunities have seen people with skills such as  IT, Engineering and Medicine migrate out of the country.

From a report, this is the most significant movement of young talented people out of the country. This includes talents such as doctors, nurses, IT engineers, University lecturers and technicians. It also covers individuals who have completed their studies with no intentions of returning to the country.

Increased earning

With the depreciation of the Naira, everyone is looking for how to earn in dollars. This is with the hope of improving the standard of living.

According to the World Bank, in 2018, about d 82.9 million Nigerians were impoverished. Due to inflation, it increased to 90 million in 2021. With the state of things, it is predicted to increase by 11 million by the end of 2022. Currently, the inflation rate is 20.52%.

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