In recent decades, Nigeria has maintained a poor record of negative net migration rate year on year. This means that each year, the number of emigrants have exceeded that of immigrants. But while we can afford to worry less about the immigrants, the profile and demographics of the people relocating out of the country is quite an issue to be apprehensive about. Several surveys have shown that skilled youths, technocrats, academicians, and business experts form a large quota of this emigrating population. This only begs the question; what is the situation in Nigeria that warrants this mass departure? And more importantly, what do the other countries offer that keep these emigrants in the diaspora? In a bid to provide answers to these burning questions however, one must carefully examine the multifactorial nature of Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape.
Hands down, any Nigerian would say that the principal cause of this exodus is the poor governance the nation has been subjected to over the years. Inconsistent and unsustainable government policies have led to gradual debilitation in many sectors across the nation. It is incredible that the cost of living of an average Nigerian has become so high yet the standard of living, so low. There is such a drastic reduction in the people’s purchasing power that millions of households have been thrown into multidimensional poverty. These harsh living conditions are definitely enough reasons to make anyone resort to other countries for a better life.
The heightened insecurity in the country is also a contributing factor to this exodus. Activities of kidnappers, gunmen and bandits have caused fear to grip the hearts of many Nigerians. We have lost more lives than ever to the wicked hands of these criminals and as the days pass by, the death toll rises. Unquestionably, the perennial insecurity crisis in Nigeria is a drive for people to flee for dear life to countries where their safety can be guaranteed.
Tens of thousands of graduates are turned out of tertiary institutions yearly with no better career opportunities available for them. As a result, the rate of unemployment in the country has skyrocketed to levels which are worrisome. To worsen matters, the decline in growth of sectors which are key drivers of the economy has even made the so-called ’employed’ to become underemployed as their proficiency is below par. Consequently, professionals are forced to seek for other countries where their potentials can be fully maximized.
With the mass exit of our think-tanks to other countries all over the world, there exists a huge deficit of human capital factor in the educational sector. This shortage of labour has led to inefficiency, understaffing and overburdening of available workers in the sector. The ripple effect of this brain drain paints a grim picture of Nigerian students who study for the sole sake of getting a degree to earn a living abroad. With their minds made up and no plans of return, the hope of a youth-driven rebirth of Nigeria is gradually dashed.
In essence, if Nigeria as a nation is truly ready to harness the limitless potential that lies in her human capital, it is high time we collectively brainstormed on government policies that would create an enabling socio-economic environment for growth and development across all boards. Starting with the recent clamour for an upturn in the minimum wage of the average Nigerian worker, I believe that the new scheme would go a long way in alleviating poverty and improving the standards of living. Also, combating insecurity is key to not only preserving the dignity of lives and properties, but furthermore to restore foreign investors’ confidence in Nigeria’s safety.
Similarly, the government should be intentional about creating more job opportunities by implementing policies that would enable small and medium-sized enterprises to thrive and promote the home-driven solutions that they offer. Diversification and restructuring of our economy is crucial for economic stability. The onus is therefore upon the government to explore sectors of the economy that can but are not presently contributing significantly to our GDP. Sectors like the green and blue economy, if properly harnessed, are capable of bolstering the economy, facilitating foreign partnerships and ultimately reducing our unemployment rate.
When all is said and done, good governance alone is not the panacea to this challenge. Multidisciplinary intervention from Nigerian citizens is likewise imperative in complementing government effort. For me, it starts with positively changing our outlook on Nigeria as citizens. We should be more concerned about what we can do for our nation rather than lamenting over what she hasn’t done for us. Ultimately, the hope of a better nation would never be renewed if we all don’t play our part in changing the narrative.
Shukurah Adeniyi
