Why Nigerians Are Leaving Nigeria 🚪 🚶
Like the culmination of a toxic relationship, Nigerians are breaking up with Nigeria. In 2015, 4,050 Nigerians were issued permanent resident permits in Canada. By 2019, Nigerians accounted for 12,595 of Canada’s permanent resident permits, representing an increase of 25.47% per year. But Nigerians are not moving to only Canada. Countries like England and the USA have always seen a steady influx of Nigerian migrants while Germany is becoming a favourite for Nigerian software developers. The National Bureau of Statistics recently released a report revealing that passport applications increased by 40.25% between 2017 and 2018.
Aside these data, an easier gauge might be to sound out your colleagues; you will probably find at least one acquaintance who has plans to leave the country soon.
Why are Nigerians Leaving?
Abraham Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory is apt here. Maslow posited that peoples’ actions were motivated by their quests to satisfy certain needs. He identified these needs as : physiological, safety, love/belonging (social needs), esteem and self-actualization¹.
In line with this theory, you will find that there are Nigerian emigrants who never felt safe² in Nigeria even though they didn’t have to worry about the source of their next meal.
For others, the achievements³ of Nigerians and persons of Nigerian descent in the diaspora have kindled a belief that Nigeria restricts the prospects of its occupants. They then migrate to seek self-actualization for themselves and their children. Additionally, discrimination based on ethnicity or sexual orientation is rife in Nigeria and it is plausible that there are people who leave in search of a sense of belonging/esteem.
It is better not to think of Maslow’s needs as purely hierarchical or as mutually exclusive. Nigerian athletics presents a good example of how these needs may be interdependent. Athletes who switch allegiance do so to meet their physiological needs, the need for esteem and the need for self-actualization.
The bottom line is that Nigerian emigrants (legal or illegal) have a common denominator: a perception that Nigeria cannot meet their broad human needs.
Can this Trend be Stemmed?
Possibly, but only if Nigeria begins to take care of its own. In 2019, the country’s labour minister shrugged off the brain drain of medical professionals with a claim that Nigeria had sufficient doctors. With the Covid-19 outbreak, the chickens have come home to roost. While the USA entices serving doctors, the Federal Government, in a quiet volte face, is considering calling up retired health professionals.
Detailed solutions will require much more introspection than this article covers. Yet an easy first step may be for the country’s leaders to start showing the citizenry that they matter. Otherwise, more citizens will seek new relationships with other countries, strengthening the possibility that one day, Nigeria may become a mere geographical location.
¹ Maslow later updated these to include cognitive, aesthetic and self-transcendence needs
² Safety ranges from personal security to healthcare access
³ Divine Oduduru, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chimamanda Adichie and Israel Adesanya are some examples
