The “Japa” Wave in Nigeria
Everyone is leaving!
If you live in Nigeria in 2022, you know exactly what I mean. One moment, you’re texting with your friend, complaining about Lagos traffic and the next they’re posting flight pictures with the hashtag “I don japa”.
The economic state of the country has been unstable for decades which has prompted people to relocate to other nations. As emigration has drastically increased in recent years it has been tagged, “Japa” syndrome.
Since “Japa” is constantly a trending topic on social media, I think we should explore it.
The History of “Japa”
“Japa” is Yoruba slang which basically means to “cut loose”. In this context, it refers to the people leaving Nigeria for better economic opportunities in foreign countries.
Emigration isn’t a new phenomenon in Nigeria. Since independence, Nigerians have been known to relocate to countries like the UK, Germany and the US, mostly for education and occasionally for work opportunities. But it wasn’t on a large scale and back then these countries were more welcoming of immigrants.
The first notable “Japa” wave happened sometime in the 1980s when the Dollar to Naira rate increased from 1USD – 1NGN to 1USD – 4NGN. This was as a result of political unrest in the nation.
Countries in need of skilled labour took advantage of this like Saudi Arabia that came shopping for medical personnel. As a result, Nigerians seeking better earnings began to move. Furthermore, sometime in the 1990s to early 2000s, the American lottery became very popular in Nigeria with people trying to fulfill their dream of living the American dream. Unfortunately, the large inflow of Nigerians caused the US to begin to exclude them from their lottery list.
As the exchange rate continued to rise, so the Nigerian desperation. People began relocating to other countries; Ireland, Ukraine, Cyprus, Italy, China, Canada, Australia, South Africa, the UAE and so many more. You name the country, there’s a Nigerian.
The Most Desired and Undesired Immigrants
According to popular knowledge, Nigerians are known for two things abroad, criminal activity and international success.
A percentage of Nigerians going abroad began overstaying their visas in these countries. Being so desperate not to return home, they would do anything to survive abroad, more popularly through means like fraud, trafficking, sex work and other forms of illegal activities.
However, a large percentage of Nigerians are also some of the most educated and hardworking immigrants, creating international successes for themselves and developing these foreign economies.
Nonetheless, the good reputation hasn’t seemed to be able to cover the bad, causing many nations to close their borders to Nigeria or at least, heavily restrict her.
Recently, Canada, which has been in need to populate their country, has been a target for many Nigerians. And thanks to COVID-19 and the loss of several of their NHS staff, the UK is in need of health care workers as well. This has caused them to ease restrictions on Nigerians.
But once these countries shut their borders on us too, where next? Japan?
The Brain Drain “Japa” Has Caused
A study showed that over 5,000 doctors have moved to the UK in the last 8 years from Nigeria, a country desperately in need of healthcare professionals and services. The government says that the country needs 363,000 doctors but only has 24,000 who are still living within. The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, says that as of 2022, an average of 50 doctors per week relocate to the UK.
That’s just one country, one profession. What about the lawyers, bankers, content creators and other professionals leaving on a daily basis? Many are even known to take odd jobs far below their expertise to sustain themselves in these countries, completely forgoing their educational degrees and experience from back home.
The Nigerian government has threatened to put policies in place to decrease these numbers and reduce emigration. But with the Naira recently dropping to an all time low, the probability that we will only continue to lose our skilled workforce to the call of a better life is ever increasing.
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