‘Japa’ and ‘Welcome to New Dispensation’ have been the anthems of many Nigerians as they look to leave the country. According to a Pew Research Centre study conducted in 2018, Nigeria tops the chat of people who plan to move to another country within the next 5 years with 48%, among the 12 countries sampled for the survey.
The survey also revealed that 55% of those who planned to leave Nigeria have gathered information about moving to another country, 34% have saved or borrowed money, 30% applied for necessary documents like a passport or Visa, and 14% have taken all necessary steps.
As more Nigerians are willing to leave through different routes like education and others, the economic impact on a country like Nigeria cannot be underestimated as Nigeria battles a high unemployment rate, inflation, insecurity, and others.
Brain drain
One of the economic effects of migration is that it leads to brain drain; a situation where a country witnesses a high number of its best hands or professionals leaving the country. The crop of individuals leaving the country are youths who have been trained and graduated from university, some are young or in the middle level of their professional careers. According to the African Union, Revised Policy Framework for Africa and Plan of Action (2018-2027), an estimated 70,000 skilled professionals emigrate from Africa each year. According to reports, Nigeria lost over 9000 medical doctors to the United Kingdom, Canada, and the…
