By Ngozi Nwoke
It is no longer news that every year, thousands of Nigerians migrate out of the country. It is called ‘japa’ in local parlance.
So, to address the alarming concerns of the ‘japa’ phenomenon, a lecture was organised by the Catholic Confraternity of Christian Fathers, (CCCA) and Confraternity of Christian Mothers, (CCM) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.
The theme of the lecture was, The ‘japa’ Phenomenon: Implications for national development and the Christian faith. It was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Martins, noted that in examining the implications of the japa phenomenon for national development, Nigerians must first recognize that migration, whether internal or external has been a recurring feature of human history.
He said: “The theme for this year`s lecture aptly titled: “The japa phenomenon” is one that has captured the imagination of our nation in recent times. The word `japa` a Nigerian slang , signifies the act of leaving one`s home country in search of better opportunities abroad. It is a phenomenon that has been both celebrated and criticized depending on ones’ perspective. People move in search of safety, prosperity and a better life for themselves and their families. In many cases, these movements have contributed positively to the development of nations, as migrants bring them diverse skills, perspectives and experiences.
“However, the japa phenomenon raises important questions about our nation’s ability to harness its human capital and provide opportunities for its citizens. It challenges us to reflect on the factors driving this phenomenon, such as economic hardship, insecurity and the quest for a more comfortable life.
“It is call for action – policy makers, community leaders, and civil society to address the root causes of this migration trend and create an environment in which Nigerians can thrive at home. We are tasked with the responsibility of rescuing our nation from the precipice upon which it teeters today Our response to the japa phenomenon and its implications should be rooted in a commitment to the common good, reflecting the Christian values of compassion, solidarity, and justice.”
The keynote speaker, Prof. Chris Ogbechie, noted that factors which have caused Nigerians to migrate to other countries are because they feel the government have failed them, as they do not have any voice in governance, with high level of unemployment, insecurity, tough living conditions and increasing poverty becoming pervasive.
He said: “Nigerians leaving the shores of the country is not a new phenomenon as international migration has been a thing in the country since far back as the pre-colonial era. During this period, Nigerians only moved to other countries for religious, commercial, or educational/skill acquisition purposes and returned once their missions were accomplished.
“Factors driving this phenomenon are: the rule of law, regulatory quality, government ineffectiveness, voice and accountability. Nigeria seems to be retrogressing. The jaja phenomenon is not without its impacts on every aspect and member of society.
“It has both positive and negative psychological, financial, emotional, and cultural implications on individuals, families, and communities. The degree of the impact varies greatly among the affected and across different levels. Individually, migration imposes psychological, emotional, and financial strain on most migrants.
“It also imposes a heavy strain on family and cultural ties. It leads to dilution of native language and family values. There is an increase in the number of children of migrants that cannot speak their native language and those that use non-respectful tone or behaviour with elders.
‘Our aging population faces increasing risk of being left alone to cope with the health challenges that come with old age. This is not in line with the family-care setting we inherited and grew up with.
“One negative implication of the japa phenomenon is that it places a fiscal burden on the originating country. This happens when the country loses out on the skills and employment of a publicly trained and educated workforce.
“This is what we see in Nigeria’s case where professionals, especially those in the healthcare sector after being trained at a subsidised rate in public universities move out immediately after graduation to live and work in other countries. As the financial burden keeps increasing, the country experiences a loss of earning potential as well as a simultaneous loss of tax revenue. Although the actual value of the fiscal losses cannot be calculated, it is certainly huge and leads to a reduction in development prospects.
“In an increasingly borderless world, with an unprecedented movement of economic migrants, coupled with declining birth rates and ageing populations in wealthy economies of the world, it is inevitable that a country like Nigeria, which has a young, vibrant, educated, and ambitious population should take advantage of the economic immigration pathways that currently exist in search of a better life.
“We must stop considering ‘japa’ as a phenomenon, which suggests that it is an unusual occurrence which must be ended and begin to think of it as the new normal in global evolution of demand and supply of human resource. We must begin to connect and actively network with Nigerians in diaspora to create familiar structures that will serve as an extension of Nigeria to meet their needs for spiritual guidance and formation and regular worship.
“Different groups of medical practitioners living in the diaspora organise planned visits to Nigeria in collaboration with local institutions and state governments to provide free healthcare services to local populations in the country. We must institutionalize these efforts to enable us to galvanise the entire spectrum of Nigerian professionals in diaspora as a veritable resource that can be tapped into when needed to contribute to National development.
“We must change our mindset about the concept of location and focus more on access to our nationals wherever they may reside on the globe for outreach for spiritual guidance and intervention to Nigerian communities in need across the globe and as resource or subject matter experts in areas where their input or intervention may be required in Nigeria to contribute to national development. The impacts of diaspora members on development are often multifaceted and multileveled. We must establish wide-ranging programmes aimed at promoting relations and incorporating diaspora populations in a variety of domains.
“Let us always remember that international emigration can have both positive and negative implications for personal and national development as well as for the Christian faith. For national development, it’s essential for governments to carefully manage migration by formulating strategies that balance the benefits of mobility with the needs of the country.
“For sustainable development, Nigeria needs to develop comprehensive policies that address the root causes of ’JAPA’ and maximize the benefits while mitigating the challenges associated with it.”
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr. Emeka Amango, said: “This lecture was instituted in honour of Cardinal Anthony Okogie, to support the education of children from indigent homes in secondary and tertiary institutions, which aligns with the cardinal’s concern for the poor and his passion for education.
“The challenges facing us as a country is enormous and daunting, as we continue to hope from week to week, from month to month and from year to year, what do we see, a worsening situation. Cost of living has hit the roof with many households struggling to afford daily meals, cost of transportation to work and place of trade or hustle, companies closing and children dropping out of school due to inability to pay school fees or even transport themselves to school.
“From inception, a total of 130 young peoples have received or are currently benefitting from scholarship awards by the foundation. Nineteen students received the award in the current academic year.
“The acceptance rate for new applicants is very low due to limited funds available to the foundation. The scholarship is need based, but applicants are selected on competitive basis determined by aptitude tests. It is our hope that more applicants will benefit from the scholarship scheme.”
Sir. Lawrence Ojemen, chairman, planning committee, said: “The purpose generally is to bring out a topic that suites the present condition of our country we heard what happened today from the guest speaker talking about japa phenomenon how it affects national development and also the implication of Christian faith. Generally, the main purpose is to talk about national issues and how it affects individuals and the society. A pet project is being carried. Also the foundation primarily organized to help people who cannot afford to pay their school fees this is being carried out by the Cardinal. So, these are the three main aims of this event.
“Yes,bI will say so because if you listen to the guest speaker the way he addressed the issue of japa syndrome where most people believe that once they move out of the country it’s a bed of roses, when you go there you enjoy your life now we get to understand its not all roses sometimes it gets difficult we also got to realize that the implication could be both sides where it is negative when it comes to our human resources.
“It is also positive on the other hand for the economic benefit where you begin to hear about the remission by those who have left the country and are making their donation. In a nutshell, the lecture has really achieved its purpose. Aside the lecture, we received donations from people who felt it was necessary to support the pet project and we believe the donations made today will help train more students.”
