Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential election, has stated that Nigeria will benefit from the rising exodus of Nigerians to other countries.
There has been an increase in the number of Nigerians fleeing the country in search of greener pastures.
The phenomenon is commonly referred to as ‘Japa,’ a Yoruba slang term that simply means to flee a problem or trouble.
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Ejes Gist News reported on June 15 that the House of Representatives unanimously voted against a motion to force the Federal Government to address the issues driving Nigerian professionals to migrate to other countries in large numbers.
However, echoing Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, the former Anambra State governor stated on Thursday that the japa syndrome is beneficial to Nigeria.
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During an interactive session with innovators on ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’ in Lagos State on Wednesday, Gates stated that the japa syndrome was good and healthy for Nigeria.
“In some ways, people leaving is a good thing; if you increase the amount of training you do.” So you say, okay, some of our doctors can go earn a lot of money in the UK or the US; some of them will pay a lot of money to their families; and some of them will return.
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“Having a large diaspora that includes people returning to business and government is a very healthy thing.” In some cases, such as medical education, which is subsidised by the government, you almost wish that a little bit of that resource you get from overseas would help the government increase training; otherwise, and we see a significant shortage in some of those skills today,” Gates said.
“But I’m not someone who believes that no one should go away or that completely blocking that is a healthy thing,” he added.
“But certainly India and China, and I’d say Nigeria is third on this list, this idea that people go away and do great work but then come back, if you get that balance and figure out the education funding piece of that, that is a super healthy thing in computer science, health, business, and other areas.”
Obi, who agreed with Gates, stated that “our brain drain today will be our brain gain tomorrow.”
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Obi said, “I read and agree with Bill Gates’s recent comment on the “japa” syndrome, where, according to reports, he stated that the recent surge of Nigerian professionals leaving the country for greener pastures is good and healthy for our country.”
“I have always preached and maintained this same position on the “Japa wave.” For years, and especially during my tours from Canada, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries during the last Presidential election, I have maintained that “our brain drain today will be our brain gain tomorrow.”
“Nigerians leaving the country may appear to be a loss today, but when we start doing the right things and taking our nation’s governance more seriously, their knowledge and resources will be critical in the construction of the New Nigeria, as they have been in China, India, Ireland, and other developing countries.”
“Today, India is proud to be one of the world’s largest tech talent pools, having produced some of the world’s top engineers and computer scientists.” Many of the world’s top technology companies are led by CEOs of Indian origin.
“As a result, India’s success in the technology industry can be attributed in part to its ability to harness the knowledge and resources of Indians in the diaspora for national growth.”
“Nigeria will grow and develop on all fronts as we build the New Nigeria, which prioritises investment in education, health, and small business support, ensures respect for the rule of law, security of lives and property, and national unity.”
“Then our diasporan Nigerians will return home with their global training, skills, and resources to contribute immeasurably to the construction of a New and Better Nigeria.” We will not abandon our hopes for a New Nigeria.”
