Reasons why people leave Nigeria have been a frequent question many ask, but only a few have answers. While several believe that people go abroad for either study or work purposes, very few understand that there are several other reasons apart from these. And for the benefit of the less informed, this article will highlight several other reasons that prompt Nigerians to leave their home country to stay abroad.
But, before then, it is important to inform you that most of the reasons this publisher will mention in this article are problems facing Nigeria. Read and enjoy!
1. Insecurity:
As the name implies, insecurity is a situation when there is no longer security of lives and property. The issue of insecurity in Nigeria gradually began in 2009 when the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, started carrying out attacks on several parts of the North. This was terrible that thousands of innocent lives were lost during the period the former President Goodluck Jonathan's regime.
It has worsened since 2015 as the country witnessed increasing terrorist attacks orchestrated by the deadly Boko Haram and Fulani cattle herders who killed farmers and villagers by razing their houses in the North.
Unfortunately, the issue of insecurity, as we speak, does not exclude any part of the country. Unknown gunmen have also continued to strike in the Southeast and South-West killing innocent people for no reason. Most recently is the Owo massacre, where more than 40 churchgoers lost their lives to unknown gunmen.
While it appears impossible for the government to guarantee the security of its citizens and can't stop kidnappers, gunmen, and terrorists, this is why rich individuals have continued to leave Nigeria by residing themselves and their families in a more secure environment.
2. High Unemployment rate:
Here is another reason why people are leaving Nigeria to stay abroad. Although unemployment is a problem that has been with us for years, its rate in the last 20 years has grown sporadically.
Hundreds of Tertiary institutions in the country produce thousands of graduates yearly, and the government is not doing enough by creating jobs that can accommodate them. Millions of them are graduates and jobless.
Although the Federal government introduced an employment opportunity like NPower, that gives lucky beneficiaries earn N30,000 monthly, this is not enough to sustain a family. This is why so many Nigerians leave the country to seek better jobs in a foreign land.
3. Poor healthcare:
Health is wealth, is what they say. But the Nigerian health infrastructure is nowhere to be found. The health sector is nothing to write home about, and that is why we continue to see an exodus of politicians and business people traveling abroad for top-notch health care. Poor masses needing emergency treatment are left in the Government facility with no drugs.
This is enough reason why some people have decided to leave Nigeria for advanced countries like the U.K., and the U.S., where they can access standard healthcare. If it were possible for President Buhari, he would rather stay oversea because of their standard healthcare.
4. Incessant strikes in Nigeria's tertiary institutions:
Apart from the earlier listed, strike in tertiary institutions is another reason people, mainly Youth, are leaving the country.
In 2020, Tertiary institutions (Universities) in Nigeria shut down for many months before they resumed in 2021. The tune is not different in 2022 as the Academic Staff Union of Universities has also embarked on an indefinite strike. Government is bothered, and ASUU is also not ready.
The effect of this strike is that a 4-year course could get extended by 1 or 2 or more years. This is why well-to-do individuals, Politicians do not hesitate to sponsor their children abroad to countries where no strike action will disturb their education. In recent news, Rivers State governor Nyesome Wike's son graduated from a U.K university.
5. Unfavourable legislation:
Ordinarily, Nigeria is not favorable for the masses, and the government, through its various agencies, has continued to make life more difficult through tough legislation.
The majority of the Nigerian Youth have tapped from the advantage of cryptocurrency to raise their standards of living. Suddenly, in February, the government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria, ordered that all banks should stop facilitating crypto transactions.
It got worst to the extent that they blocked accounts of individuals found to be dealing in crypto at that time. Apart from that, they also withheld monies in those accounts.
This happens when other countries have already embraced crypto and allowed their citizens to relate to the evolving technology. Because of this, several Nigerians are moving to those friendly countries where the crypto deal is legal.
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