Japa

By Salim Marafa

It extremely itches my heart, mercilessly punish my soul and sometimes make me even feel like crying, whenever I hear a story of people that are running away from their problems rather than facing and solving them.

On this earth, the category of people I hate to the core, are those people who excel in nagging about their problems without making even a slightest effort to solve them. After them, then come those that are running away from their lives’ challenges and pretending all is well while is not, may be just to have a temporal peace of mind. Why the running? Why the pretention? Such kind of questions always wander in my head whenever I come across the story of such people.

Life on this earth, is naturally full of ups and downs. Therefore, people should know this and be courageous, bold enough and fearless to face those challenges. Running away from a life problem is never an option. We should understand that, like mathematical equations, problems are meant to be faced, confronted, balanced and solved.

Like human beings, problems have legs, hands and can move. Therefore, whenever one runs away from his share of life predicament, those problems will be running after him to wherever he goes. May be, up to his final home: grave. So, it will be much better, if we learn to dealt with our problems instead of running away from them.

And people, should understand that, God does not create problems and throw them into the life of his creatures just to punish them. No, its not like that. Creatures are beloved and dear to their God, and He is Loving, Caring and Merciful as His names signify. Therefore, definitely God creates problems for purposes; to test our faith, creativity, wisdom, sense of judgment and to make us learn from our previous mistakes. And most of the problems we encounter are just the consequences of our actions and inactions.

For instance, running away from problems is among the reasons Nigeria is at its current situation. For, it is in Nigeria one can find uncountable group of people who complain about the problems bedeviling them and the country, but they are not ready to make even a little effort to solve those problems they always talk about. And complain does not solve a problem, action does.

Nigeria, as a giant of Africa, has all it takes to be a great and developed nation. But the habit of “running away from problems”, “pretending all is well while is not” and ” excelling in complain than swinging into action” that beclouded the mind of its citizens are the obstacles that stand on her way and made the country “progressively stagnant”. It is high time Nigerians shun away from these negative habits.

Nigeria, is naturally enriched with human resources that can drive the country to the hill of success and development; ranging from, creative people, outstanding academia, technological gurus that have invented amazing things, successful entrepreneurs whose names echo through every mountain within the international business arena and what have you! Yet, the country is here languishing in the valley of problems such as bad governance, insecurity, high cost of living, not phone snatching which lead to killing of innocent citizens e.t.c., why?

The answer is that simple, Nigerians are good at complaining about problems than swinging into action. And not every Nigerian is ready to give all he has for his country to breathe a fresh air of development and freedom. Hence, the big dream of our people now is, let me gather a lot of money through whichever means and fly away abroad and enjoy my life. But I am not saying that all Nigerians abroad, run away beacause of the problems associated with the country.

There are few patriotic Nigerians that are abroad but their heart is here with us in Nigeria. They have unshakable love for the country and dream that one day everything will be alright. We have seen their patriotism through their social media; Facebook Posts, tweets and articles they write, it is all about Nigeria. May Allah bless them in abundance.

But to some, Nigeria is their main problem. So, once they get visa, that’s all. You will never hear from them again. They have forgotten their origin, pride and identity.

Running away from problems is never a good option. Nigeria is the only home we have, the nest where our biological eggs are hatched. So, If we see a good country in our dream that resembles a paradise, I think it is Nigeria that we should build to be that country of our dream. Not to run away to somewhere that will never become a home to us. Wise people say “if your home is broken, the responsibility of mending and fixing it is on your shoulder not on stranger’s shoulder”.

We should not cause our problems ourselves and expect someone to come and solve it for us. Our problems are created by us and therefore, we must solve them all by ourselves.

Nigeria is our home where we find shelter, an oasis where we find solace and we have nowhere like it. It is our pride, origin and identity, if we run away from it due to the heavy problems on her shoulders, who do we expect to come and solve those problems? Problems are meant to be solved not to be run away from.

May Allah bless Nigeria.

Salim Marafa writes from Bauchi, Nigeria.

By Umar Yahaya Dan’inu

Mass migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that affects individuals, communities, and entire countries. It is driven by factors such as economic opportunity, political instability and natural disasters as people seek to improve their lives.

In Nigerians, many people are driven to migrate for better lives, education and healthcare, and job prospects. Political instability, such as conflict, insurgency and human rights abuses, also contributes to a mass migration of Nigerians.

The term “Japa” refers to the migration of Nigerians to foreign countries, especially Western ones, in search of a better life. A lack of quality leadership in the country at all levels often causes this phenomenon. Several reports and writing has shown that despite their love for their home country, many Nigerians have lost trust in their leaders and feel compelled to leave in search of a better future. Moreover, the decay in leadership has caused division within the polity; every tribe or region is suspicious of one another, and there is fear of domination and marginalisation.

In the 60’s and late ’70s, Nigeria was a country that commanded respect in the global arena. Our passport is a thing of pride at any entries and departure level. The Nigerian currency and economy were in good shape. However, the challenges facing Nigeria, such as insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, corruption and political violence, have led to the decline of the country’s economy and international standing. This decline has driven many young people, skilled and unskilled, to leave in search of a better life.

In Northern Nigeria, where Islam dominates the culture, people prefer to migrate to Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia and recently Dubai and Qatar, where they share the same religion and beliefs. In contrast, Southern Nigeria is the centre of migrants, as people seek to escape bad governance and poor leadership. Despite the differences between the North and South in terms of access to education, quality of life, job prospects and economic opportunities, many young people still feel compelled to leave.  

However, the skilled and unskilled knows what they can do to navigate their way to leaving Nigeria. In Benin, the state of Edo, people are trafficked in the name of migration to get a better life, and they mostly end up enslaved and sold to work without regard for the dignity and respect they left in their country.  

Furthermore, some skilled migrants bring positive changes to Nigeria; they are doing wonders in their new countries, such as setting up companies that employ Nigerians, impacting the economy positively. In addition, statistics have shown that Nigerians are highly skilled people in the UK and the US, contributing to the economies of the host countries.

The migrations of these groups affected Nigeria negatively because Nigeria is among the world countries with the highest numbers of out-of-school children and increased maternal mortality rates. Nigerian-trained Doctors, Engineers, Scientists, Musicians and filmmakers are all over the world doing great work. Nigerian government needed their services and contribution to help in reducing the numbers of maternal mortality and to help in actualising effective education take place at all levels.     

To address the Japa syndrome, a multi-faceted approach is needed that addresses the root causes of migration and its challenges. These involved improving economic opportunities, promoting stability and security, and increasing access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities can help reduce migration. In addition, strengthening the democratic process, improving wages and salaries, and enhancing the country’s security architecture are also important steps that need to be taken.

Nigeria is ours, and our responsibility is to ensure a bright future for our nation and youth. We must take action to address the Japa syndrome and create a future that is worth staying for.

Umar Yahaya Dan’inu wrote from Hausari Ward, Nguru, Yobe State. He can be contacted via umarnguru2015@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Bishop David Oyedepo has warned young people about the “japa syndrome” (vacating Nigeria for greener pastures).

To rebuild the nation’s lost respect, Oyedepo encouraged the government to invest heavily in its people.

The cleric highlighted that investing more in education is necessary since it is the cornerstone of sustained national development, adding that a conducive atmosphere for youngsters will lessen the rate of Japa.

He was quoted as saying, “Parents need to reorientate their children. We all need to stay in Nigeria to rebuild.

“Everyone has a part to play in the recovery of his nation.”

By Hassan Ahmad

The term “Japa” is slang used by Nigerians to refer to the continuous exodus of young Nigerians to the developed countries in search of greener pastures with the intent of not returning home. Japa is widely accepted in southern Nigeria, with many youths leaving Nigeria in the last decade. The justification for this mass departure is not farfetched. They include unemployment, insecurities, incessant strike actions by university teachers enabled by the government and other social problems cumulatively, among others. But on the other hand, the direct opposites of these push factors are the pull factors that also encourage it.  

The southern region of Nigeria housed the larger percentage of industries available in this country, with a better literacy rate and a better standard of living. 

However, in the North, the story is by far worse. Topping the list is insecurities from the Boko Haram ravaged northeast to the bandits’ taking over of northwestern villages and the ethno-religious conflicts in the north-central states. Don’t forget farmer-herders’ conflicts, too. 

Aside from insecurity, the poverty rate in the North is alarming – constituting 86 per cent as of 2021. In addition, illiteracy is prevalent, and there is high existence of unemployment as well as under-employment.  

From the above, we’ll understand that northern youths have more reasons to Japa and never look back, but that has not been the case. This can be understood to play out this way for obvious reasons: deep kinship relationship, lack of understanding of the evolving nature of the 21st century, fear of the unknown, ill contentment and others. 

The underlying issue is that it’ll no longer take long before the northern youths follow the footsteps of their southern counterparts and get fed up with Nigeria, and look beyond the seas and deserts to better their lives. Oh!  It has started already. Thousands of youths are already risking their lives through the Sahara desert with the hope of reaching Europe or the Middle East. Many others who were chanced to have acquired scholarships overseas ended up staying in those countries to pursue a living. This creates two scenarios.

While the educated northern youths get out of the country legally through scholarships and fellowship, the less educated and uneducated look for their ways illegally and, in most cases, lose their lives or ending as sex slaves. We lose our best brains to the developed world while losing our uneducated ones who can alternatively be a source of labour to the graves.  This means that the youths who are supposed to carry the northern and Nigerian dream (if there is any) are giving up already.

Where is the Northern Governors Forum? Have they provided a roadmap for the development of the North, how to tackle insecurity, unemployment, poverty or even improve education? 

Or the Forum is meant for negotiating power between the ruling elites? So why must it be far away Lagos that’ll have the foresight to partner with Kebbi in producing Lake-rice? Why not Kaduna, Kano or Nasarawa?  

Why is the same Forum quiet while their young people are out of school for an avoidable strike?  North is the most hit by the ASUU strike because 90% or more of her students depend on public universities for their education. Is this too hard for the governors to understand? Have they ever intervened? 

Northern leaders should rise to their responsibilities before it’s too late. The outside world is open to all but cannot afford to embrace us all. So it is either they make the North a home for the younger ones, or we look for another home. There is no sense in sticking to the parents that humiliate you all your life. 

As things are, if there is an opportunity, let’s Japa too, legally. 

Hassan Ahmad Usman writes from Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. He can be reached via basree177@gmail.com.