Is Nigeria really serious about reversing the Japa syndrome

Adetiba

By Muyiwa Adetiba

It is natural to want to go where the grass is figuratively green and lush.

It is natural to seek water and pasture, preferably around the same place. These, in our world, signify food, nourishment, shelter and therefore, growth. The more there is lush, green grass to go around, the more the feeling of contentment and thus development. The less there is, the more the bickering, restlessness and strife. Only the hardy or the very weak remain in arid lands. Only the fearful or the very hopeful are content with sparse vegetation. The strong will get up and go. The adventurous will seek fame and fortune in more conducive climes. There is a caveat here though and it has to do with one’s perspective; one’s attitude. Sometimes what is seen as sparse vegetation might be enough to feed the flock if there is enough discipline. And what a dry, browning grass needs might be some water and a little manure to the roots. On the other hand, what is seen as a greener pasture in a distant land, might be the result of a famished body playing mind games. What is seen as a life-saving pool of water across the desert, might be a mirage induced by dehydration. So staying has its risks while leaving for uncharted lands is also fraught with its own dangers.

I had written a couple of articles in the past on the ‘Japa’ syndrome where our people, largely youths, pack up and leave, literally burning their bridges as they do. I had assessed this syndrome from the prism of an elder who knows a bit of the other side and knows the grass is not always that lush and green there – in fact, there are lots of dry, brown patches. I had taken the view of someone who has survived some of the contradictions that keep Nigeria down and believe they are not insurmountable. I had written as a patriot who believes in the potentials and therefore, the future of the country – I still believe the future belongs to Africa, with Nigeria leading the pack. I had argued, with history as my defense, about the future of ‘Japa children’ who will struggle for cultural identity and acceptance in their adopted countries where they are regarded as a ‘bat’ – never truly a ‘mouse’ or a ‘bird’. I had lamented about professionals, especially medical doctors, whose education has been largely subsidized by the State, leaving the country’s parlous health care system without as much as a backward glance talk less of giving back. In all of these, I had worried about the consequences on the State and even on the individuals concerned without leveraging on man’s innate desire to better his lot. After all, just as Nigerians are making a detour for Britain, some British citizens are trickling to Australia in search of a better life. Just as Nigerians are selling all to move to America, some Americans are leaving for Western Europe – I know some African Americans for example, who vow not to raise their male children in the US because they simply believe that cards are stacked up against them. There was a time, although it seems so long ago now, when Nigerians who went abroad for the proverbial Golden Fleece’ couldn’t wait to come back home. There was a time when Europe was ‘too cold’ and home was the place to be. So what changed?

The choices we made over the years, including the policies our respective governments have pursued, have led to the change. Our desire for wealth over hard work; our disdain for meritocracy; our preference for foreign goods contributed to the change. We chose consumption over production and watched as industries disappeared and Nigeria became a dumping ground for all manner of substandard goods. The ‘Nigeria First’ policy of the current government should have been pursued with vigour some fifty years ago when we attempted to indigenize our industries through the Indigenization Decree of 1973. Even now, I doubt whether the government has the will to follow through because it should ideally mean that everything, from cars to utensils, which are made in Nigeria, should be patronized by all of us starting with the political leaders. It means the Escalades of our leaders should make way for the Innosons and the like. Outside quality control and power, the other elephant in the room are the hidden charges which make entrepreneurship frustrating and Nigerian goods uncompetitive. Every arm of government has a revenue target which ignores the well-being of small scale enterprises. A small hospital which is still struggling with its overdraft facility was suddenly given a power bill of two Million Naira for example. It still doesn’t stop the hospital buying diesel at over a thousand Naira per litre. How much can this private hospital pass on to its struggling customers? Tell me why some of the professionals there would not Japa? Speaking of professionals, there was a time when there was a large buffer of Middle Class in the country largely made up of professionals. That buffer is gone as the Middle Class has withered to a near extinction. There was a time when our University professors, even senior lecturers. were comfortable enough materially, and otherwise, to want to retire at their posts. That era is long gone.

As things are today, there are only two types of lucrative vocations in Nigeria if we want to be honest with ourselves. They are politics and crime. Both are leeches. The well-connected choose the former fixing their children and dependents in lucrative positions, while those without godfathers choose the latter. The rest of us who still can, vote with our feet and choose to wash plates and dead bodies among other less dignifying jobs in foreign lands. Leadership must rebuild the Middle Class if it wants to arrest Japa. It must reduce the gap between the very rich and the very poor. It must cut the excesses of governance and give true recognition to professionalism and enterprise. It should stop paying lip service to the oft talked about ‘ease of doing business’. Entrepreneurs have to be encouraged and not stifled.

A system where a local government councilor is better remunerated than a university professor is a dysfunctional system. One takes years to nurture, the other does not. One is easily employable outside the country, the other is not. Until we give proper regard and remuneration to whom they are due, the country will continue to lose some of its best brains to the ‘Japa Syndrome’.

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