…As Nigerian graduates recount wasted years and dashed hopes
…Expert warn of collapse in varsities
By Sodiq Adelakun
What began years ago as a quiet stream of Nigerians travelling abroad for greener pastures has now become a raging flood of human capital flight that is shaking the very foundation of the nation’s economy.
The so-called “Japa” phenomenon is no longer a fad; it is a lifeline for millions of graduates who feel betrayed by their own country.
For many young Nigerians, the decision to leave is not driven by adventure but by survival.
Foluke Borokinni, a 27-year-old Mass Communication graduate, spoke with Nigerian NewsDirect on WhatsApp call.
She said: “I studied a four-year course for nearly seven years because of strikes. Nigeria wasted my youth. When the opportunity for postgraduate study abroad came, I did not think twice. I will not waste another decade waiting for this country to work.”
Her reaction is almost the same as Miss Deborah Okechukwu, a microbiology graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria who relocated to Canada earlier this year.
She recalled her frustration at the complete absence of practical exposure.
In her words: “In my entire four years, we never saw a functioning laboratory. Everything was theory on the board. How do you expect me to compete globally with that? I had no choice but to seek a place where research is taken seriously.”
However, The scale of the exodus is alarming, but the reasons are painfully familiar.
Nigeria’s universities, once regional beacons of learning, have been crippled by underfunding, incessant strikes, outdated facilities, and crumbling infrastructure.
The promise of education as a ladder to success has been shattered by a system unable to deliver even the basics.
Dr Bolu John Folayan, an education expert, minced no words in his interview with Nigerian NewsDirect.
Reacting, he said: “When your best talents leave and do not return, you are not just losing people, you are losing decades of development. Universities are bleeding lecturers, researchers, and bright students. This is why Nigeria consistently ranks low in research output, innovation, and global competitiveness.
“The government’s failure is further compounded by insecurity, rising unemployment, and inflation that erode the value of wages.
“Graduates trained in Nigeria find themselves either underemployed or unemployed, with little to show for years of academic sacrifice. Many openly describe migration as their only escape.”
Nigerian NewsDirect reports that the consequences of brain drain are felt across critical sectors.
In healthcare, it was gathered that thousands of Nigerian-trained doctors and nurses now practise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, while hospitals at home are dangerously understaffed.
In academia, universities bleed talent to foreign institutions that pay competitively and value research, leaving students at home trapped in weak systems.
It was gathered that billions are lost as tuition fees and human capital investments are exported to foreign nations instead of strengthening Nigeria.
Yet, Nigeria benefits from the diaspora through remittances, which have averaged around $20 billion annually over the last five years.
These funds provide lifelines for millions of families, cushioning the failures of government policy. Nigerians abroad also enhance the country’s reputation in medicine, academia, and technology, though at the cost of development at home.
Recall that countries like India and China once suffered similar exoduses but stemmed the tide through deliberate reforms and incentives that encouraged returnees.