“We Die Here!” – Meet the Last Breed of Patriotic Anti-Japa Nigerians

“The idea of settling down abroad has never appealed to me”. You sef no believe am, abi? E shock me too. Speaking with a couple of anti-japa Nigerians over the past few days has checked what I thought was a universal reality of young folks in Nigeria. A little backstory, on the inspiration of this piece, to set you in the mood – the way you like it. 

It was a cool evening; the kind you call a weather for two. The rains had just subsided and the orange-clad sunset was gradually disappearing below the western horizon. And as per say NEPA dey flex their muscles with an overstretched power outage, my friends and I sat outside our compound discussing… (you guessed wrong, not women or money) ‘Nigeria’. 

We talked about the usual: the constantly rising prices of commodities; corruption in the public and private sectors; insecurity – remember the harrowing video of torture the Abuja-Kaduna victims are going through; the recurrent university strikes; lack of jobs, among others.

Omoo, it got to a point that we could not can anymore. The discussion became laced with gloom and helplessness, so much that one of us said, “No cap, anybody wey dey discuss Naija matter at length for this Buhari era dey play with hin mental health”. We knew it was time to stop when a closing remark rang out from somewhere in the circle. It went “only those with sufferheads will not see the urgent need to japa from this country. And not just japa, but for good!

Read also: I want to Japa but Sapa dey worry me

So what about Jeremiah 42:10 (NLT)?: Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to bring upon you.

As I dragged myself up from the circle that evening and checked the WhatsApp group chat of the secondary school I attended, I realised how wrong my friends and I were. Indeed, there is a last breed of young Nigerians who still believe so much in the Nigerian dream and what she has to offer. Many of these people had one thing in common. They don’t mind travelling abroad for business, education, and vacation, but they maintain they will never settle down there, they will always come back home at the expiration of their itinenary. 

On code, as is in Romans 11:5, in the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 

I was impressed, so I left a few of them messages, asking if they would like to speak with me about these patriotic convictions, which my friends – like many others  – consider as reckless optimism. Here is what they had to say:

Oluwaseun, Oyo State.

According to Oluwaseun, “settling down abroad has never appealed to me for many reasons, but the most important is this simple fact: it’s not home. 

“Does this mean I have ruled out travelling in its entirety? Of course not. Education, vacations, and international business dealings are things I want to explore. But staying abroad for extended periods isn’t for me. 

“I agree that we do not have systems that work and even I want to experience better systems than what we have in Nigeria. However, I see Nigeria as a place with immense potential. We have a lot of the richest people from Africa here, and with our population, there are so many opportunities to make something for oneself, right here at home”. 

Davida, Ogun State.

“Lemme nur lie, I have been tempted to consider permanently japaing. Especially whenever really terrible events happen in Nigeria – like the Lekki Tollgate shooting that is still being downplayed, or Deborah’s killing in a higher institution due to an allegation of blasphemy. After all, who Nigeria epp? I am a mere pilgrim on this earth. LOL. 

“However, after the initial gra gra and I reflect deeply, I am convinced that a change is coming soon. The same conclusion that I have had since childhood. I think I just love this country too much despite its flaws.

“While I plan to further my graduate studies in the UK, I know I would still be drawn back home because first and foremost, I love the people of Nigeria – Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Tiv, all the 250+ ethnic groups we have. I acknowledge that we have our issues, but there’s just this thing about the Nigerian people. Perhaps, it is our resilient spirit. It takes a lot to break the Nigerian spirit.

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“Also, there are just too many young people doing well around me, and this gives me so much joy. Although ASUU is on strike, as always, many young Nigerians are making the most of the opportunity to be enterprising. The government is bad, we lack even the most basic of amenities… but we remain unquenchable. 

“Then there is the Nigerian culture, which I like to call the “Naija flavour.” From our food (this one is especially important) to the music, the dance steps and the movies, Nigeria is just different. Nigeria is alive! There’s just this vibe that I don’t think exists anywhere else.

“This is why I am here to stay. With the Nigerian people, I know that greatness is only a matter of choosing the right leaders and time”.

They Have Spoken Well, But What Does The Data Say?

In God We Trust, Everybody Else Must Bring Data

While it is true that Nigeria has a number of rich people, the Forbes Billionaires List mentions only 3 Nigerians among the 15 richest people in Africa in 2022. Fairs sha as e no easy to make billions especially if you no be OBO. 

Also, I am not sure that other Nigerians can see the opportunities Oluwaseun was referring to sha, because this survey, conducted by Pew Research in 2018, showed that almost half (44%) of Nigeria’s adult population plan to relocate to another country within five years. God, abeg.

Another, carried out by African Polling Institute (API), revealed that more than 7 in 10 Nigerians (73 per cent) would relocate abroad with family members if they had that opportunity. This one muzz me.

Left to me, I wouldn’t want to say anything about Davida’s helpless romantic relationship with Nigeria because it is good for us all to have that same energy. Especially in today’s Nigeria where patriotism is gradually going extinct. Some will even look down on you if you claim to be a Nigerian patriot. Before now, I could have said that she should mind the thin line between patriotism and Stockholm Syndrome. 

As I don grow up, I would rather say we should always respect the choices of people when they say they still believe in Nigeria, regardless of the happenings. Don’t guilt trip people when they choose to stay. Place them on the same pedestal as those who choose to japa. That way, everybody go dey alright. No be everybody go japa and if some people japa, dem go still come back. 

Borrowing from the words in Asemota’s bio, my own is sha that (in case everyone decides to leave Nigeria eventuarry) the last person leaving should kindly switch off the generator.

Stay guided, Comrades! 

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