The Trend of JAPA - Leaving Nigeria

The economy of Nigeria has been devastating compared to how it was decades ago. It is so frustrating when you see the living standard of people so low, things getting so cost and many other things. At the end of the day, it looks like Nigeria seems not to be favourable for living again. It got to a point where I was thinking about when things would get better. With the crumbling economy and the government not doing anything about it, people are been forced to relocate outside the country to improve and increase their standard of living.

With the constant stories of people who relocate outside the country which we call abroad to find greener pastures and as that term has been called the JAPA move. Over the past few years, this has been one of the most used words in Nigeria, This simply means leaving Nigeria to other outside countries in search of greener pastures, this has become a trend in Nigeria and it affects the young Nigerians most.

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Since finding a good job in Nigeria has become a near difficult task and with so much responsibility on the ground, so many Financial needs to attend to, and so much pressure coming from families, society and even friends, many youths have opted to leave the country to better their lives financially. Now the big question is why the JAPA-ing? The reason why people japa varies from why person to another, varies from situation to situation which I will be discussing in this post for today.

One of the first and foremost reasons some persons Japa is because they go in search of opportunities that could land them a better job and also a better income. This is one of the primary reasons why so many persons resort to Japa, In the bid to get something to support themselves and their families. At least they want improved pay. In my last post, I was talking about people working so hard but their income didn't equate to the labour they are putting in, this is true and many people are suffering from this in Nigeria. This can't continue that way because there will always be financial needs left to meet and in the end, it leads to another thing differently. People have this mindset that as long as I travel outside of the country, I will have a better opportunity to land a job in which the income will be improved massively than the one in Nigeria and with that, I can sustain my family and be free from the yoke of poverty.

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The second reason I would like to talk about though not always that comes is that many people's Japa earned in currencies that have stronger exchange value when compared to the Nigeria naira, thus when they earn this money in stronger currencies they can now send it to their families in Nigeria to carry out certain projects. As we all know, the economy of Nigeria at the moment is not that steady I will say it is so bad compared to previous years, so many people will prefer Japa to take their money to a more stable economy.

If you are a Nigerian, you will understand what is Popularly called sapa. The origin of Japa is Traced to Sapa. I don't need to break down the meaning, as we all know Sapa comes with a lot of Challenges which cause frustration to the youth and Nigerians in general. Take, for example, the money spent on transportation and logistics out of the country is quite high. it is also quite expensive to get settled in a new place when you don't have an already prepared place or job. Not only that but also the uncertainties that you will face when you travel out of the country, this has landed so many persons in difficult spots, that some will have to resort to illegal activities like trafficking to survive.

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In as much as Japa is trending massively, I will confess that it has affected the country negatively and if not tackled early by the government, if this movement of Japa stuff continues, it will be harmful to the country. How does Japa affect Nigeria as a country?
Look at it from this instance, Youths leaving the country for a better life means that young, skilled and educated young people who could have been put to positive use for the betterment of Nigeria are leaving the country. This is one of the reasons why Nigeria's development over the years has been very slow. And also It is another way of contributing to the economy since the money sent over to Nigeria ( to their families) will be used in Nigeria.

As I conclude, if you are thinking of Japa, you should take time to sit and strategize on how to raise finance, not just for logistics/transportation but also for uncertainties that you may encounter there. Although it is not a thing up for debate that Japa, if it goes well presents one with better opportunities, it is also important to plan for the challenges, because every place/country has their challenges too.

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