Queen Nwabueze
The chairman and chief executive of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has claimed that abroad may no longer be as tantalizing as it used to be as many Nigerians in the Diaspora are actually racing back to Nigeria.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSpeaking at a press briefing at the state house in Abuja on Thursday, August 25, the NiDCOM chief said it is underwhelming to consider the popular Nigerian parlance, ‘Japa’, used in describing emigration as a one way street.
According to her, “We speak of “japa” as a one-way phenomenon, but we also have Nigerians constantly returning home. There are examples of Nigerians returning home, occasionally or permanently, to do interesting things, in agriculture, healthcare, etc.
“The hospital where the VP was recently treated was set up by diaspora doctors. I’m not saying Nigeria’s not a challenging environment, but we must also acknowledge those who are coming back home to do impactful things.”
Recall that the first of wave of ‘’japa’’ (Nigerian slang for emigration) in Nigeria was in the ‘70s/’80s. Faced with an uncertain future owing to military interregnums and a volatile economy, the Nigerian young journeyed to the West — the US and UK — while some left on a limb to Ukraine. Over the years more Nigerians have departed the country in pursuit of their dreams abroad. Some of these Diaspora Nigerians have distinguished themselves in different human enterprises. And they constitute a financial bulwark for the country, reportedly remitting about $25 billion annually.
It will also be noted that Nigerians have not been the only ones ‘’japaing’’, the Chinese have been leaving their country in stupendous numbers since the ‘80s. In fact, prior to the 1980s when liberal emigration policies were enacted, China had witnessed an exodus of its citizens in the 19th century. These emigrants left the country owing to poverty, corruption, war and general societal malaise. The government had to enforce laws to curb mass emigrations. But in the 1980s, it relaxed these laws in line with its vaunted but convoluted ‘’laisser-faire’’ approach to governance. Since the ‘80s more Chinese have left their country.
In a 2014 article, ‘The Great Chinese Exodus’, The Wall Street Journal reported the why and wherefores of the Chinese emigration. It said: ‘’Today, China’s borders are wide open. Almost anybody who wants a passport can get one. And Chinese nationals are leaving in vast waves: Last year, more than 100 million outbound travellers crossed the frontiers. Most are tourists who come home. But rapidly growing numbers are college students and the wealthy, and many of them stay away for good. A survey by the Shanghai research firm Hurun Report shows that 64% of China’s rich—defined as those with assets of more than $1.6 million—are either emigrating or planning to.’’
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