A move to prevent young Nigerians from leaving the country was unanimously rejected by the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Rep. Philip Agbese (APC-Benue), a Nigerian lawmakers who was raised in the UK before moving to Nigeria, brought up the motion in the plenary during the session.
The lawmaker who made the motion said that the “Japa syndrome,” of young Nigerians abroad, should be declared a national emergency.
Statistics from the Nigerian Economic Summit, in Agbese’s opinion, indicate that a growing number of young Nigerians are leaving to the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada in order to establish permanent residence. This portends a serious threat to the country’s economic, intellectual, and social well-being.
He said the recent reports by African Polling Institute indicated that 69 per cent of young people would opt to relocate if given the chance.
According to Agbese, the number of young Nigerians leaving the country has increased by 40% since 2019, as indicated by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
He added that the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs reported that 1.7 million people left Nigeria for other countries in 2020, an alarming increase from 990,000 in 2010.
The motion was unanimously rejected by the parliamentarians when it was put to a vote by Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House.
Ada Peter
