{"id":3144,"date":"2026-07-18T08:53:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T07:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=3144"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:03:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:03:49","slug":"the-nigerian-youth-and-the-politics-of-leaving-why-japa-has-become-a-national-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=3144","title":{"rendered":"The Nigerian Youth and the Politics of Leaving: Why Japa Has Become a National Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Anastacia Omoneh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many young Nigerians, the question is no longer simply, “What do I want to become?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasingly, another question has entered the conversation: \u201cWhere do I want to become it?\u201d That question captures the growing significance of migration among Nigerian youths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, “japa” has become part of everyday Nigerian vocabulary. It describes the desire to leave the country, particularly in search of better economic, professional and social opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some young people, leaving Nigeria is a carefully planned career decision. For others, it is an escape from frustration. The reasons are numerous. Unemployment and underemployment remain major concerns. Graduates may spend years searching for decent employment, while those who find work may struggle with inadequate salaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also concerns about infrastructure, insecurity, healthcare, education and the general quality of life. For professionals, migration may offer better working conditions and opportunities to develop their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare workers, academics, engineers, technology professionals and other skilled workers increasingly consider international opportunities. Migration, however, is not a simple solution. Leaving home can be emotionally difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A young Nigerian who migrates may find himself thousands of kilometres away from parents, siblings, friends and familiar cultural surroundings. There can be loneliness, discrimination, cultural adjustment and the pressure to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet these difficulties are often overlooked when people at home see photographs of migrants enjoying what appears to be a better life. Social media has made this phenomenon even more complicated. Online platforms frequently showcase the success stories of Nigerians abroad while hiding the struggles behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A migrant may post a photograph of a new apartment or car without explaining the long working hours, financial obligations and emotional sacrifices required to achieve that lifestyle. This can create an idealised picture of migration. For families, however, migration can represent both loss and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents may make enormous sacrifices to support a child’s relocation. Families may borrow money or sell property to finance migration. Once the child settles abroad, remittances can become an important source of financial support. Nigeria itself benefits from the money Nigerians abroad send home. But the country also loses skills when professionals permanently leave. This is particularly troubling when the people leaving are trained at significant public expense. The challenge is therefore to understand migration not simply as a personal decision but as an indicator of national conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People leave countries for many reasons. But when large numbers of young, educated and economically active citizens consistently believe that their best opportunities are elsewhere, policymakers should pay attention. The solution is not to condemn young Nigerians for wanting to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people have the right to seek better opportunities. The more important question is: what can Nigeria do to make staying a viable choice? That requires improving economic opportunities, strengthening institutions, creating decent jobs, improving security and making professional environments more rewarding. Young Nigerians do not necessarily need luxury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many simply want a fair chance. They want to work and be rewarded adequately. They want to establish businesses without facing unnecessary barriers. They want functioning hospitals, reliable electricity, safe roads and educational institutions that prepare people for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They want to believe that their country has a place for them. Migration will always exist. Nigerians will continue to study, work and settle abroad. The real problem emerges when leaving becomes the only future many young people can imagine. A country cannot afford to lose the confidence of its youth. Nigeria’s greatest resource is not crude oil or mineral deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is its people. If the country wants its young people to stay, it must give them compelling reasons to believe that the future can be built at home. Until then, the question “When are you japa-ing?” may continue to define an entire generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Anastacia Omoneh For many young Nigerians, the question is no longer simply, “What do I want to become?” Increasingly, another question has entered the conversation: \u201cWhere do I want to become it?\u201d That question captures the growing significance of migration among Nigerian youths. In recent years, “japa” has become part of everyday Nigerian vocabulary. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":2,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[313,61,156],"class_list":["post-3144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viewspoint","tag-japa","tag-nigeria","tag-youths"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3144"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3145,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3144\/revisions\/3145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}