By Uba Abdullahi
It is apparently clear that our teeming youth are trooping to an unknown destinations on daily basis from their fatherland in search of greener pastures in the name of migration,yes migration but absolutely illegal migration mostly without the consent of both their parents and Authorities
Unfortunately it had gone to the extent that even those who undergone professional trainings in a formal education systems engages in this illicit migration scenario.
In local jargon they called it “JAPA” which is a system of grouping together to migrate to another country, as one may find different professionals who feels that Nigeria is not enough for them to live and survive, hence they decided to embark into this dreaded journey to unknown destinations in the name of practicing what they learned professionally for a better living.
In so doing, Nigeria lost it’s young abled bodied professionals to outside world,to the extent that in many European countries and even in the western world one may find Nigeria Professionals especially in Medical,Para-Medical, Engineering and many more who are engaged in different menial jobs not necessary their area of professionalism just to make end met and they’re treated as second class citizens simply because is not their fatherland and in most situations they are compressed and faces series of subjugations with high rate of taxes.
When this continue to happen in Nigeria which means in a near future the nation would be left with old people and small children.
This mess most be fully looked upon and squarely addressed by the government of Nigeria, because this brain drain is posing serous challenges to Nigeria integrity, economy, Security, social life, respect and corporate identity in the sight of the global communities.
One may wonder why this scenario persisted for quite long periods of time and cut across so many regimes in Africa Countries? Yet still this evil practice is still thriving and flourishing in Africa Countries.
Despite the International calls and even financial interventions to bring an end to this menaces it is still springing like a wild fire in a tropical African bushes.
More robust means has to be finetune at different levels to help address this singular tragedy that is engulfing the lives of our future generations (The Youth) either at Individual, Corporate,Civil Organizations, Government or through total adherence to the charters, Covenant and conventions of the Commonwealth of Nations and that of United Nations of which Nigeria is a signatory to that.
Really all Subsaharan Africa has to play the card in a more positive perspectives through the instrumentality of transparency in administering the nation by engaging the Youth to be self sufficient for better living.
In the case of Nigeria, sense of patriotism most be inculcated in the mind of all Nigerians and to be followed up by provisions of basic necessities of life which would make the citizens to understand that those in the mantle of Authority are really serious in transforming the nation.
It is a known fact that youth in Nigeria form the highest percentage in population which when judiciously managed is a blessing to the Nation,as they can be enlisted into the Security and Para Security organizations to add up the security might of the nation and can be used to tackle all sorts of insecurity in the nation.
They( Nigeria Youth) when properly managed can be a dependable ration to our gross domestic product and can easily rise our economy,but all these is possible in a highly responsive and responsible government.
But as of this moment, every migrants from West Africa sub region out of ten percent you may find that about four percent are from Nigeria, is this not a shame to all of us?
What needs to be done from our perspectives as media practitioners is to keep on drawing the attention of those in the corridor of power to do what they where elected to do and to sensitized the electorates on their civic responsibilities of rejecting any public office holder who failed to deliver the mandate that was entrusted in him during the subsequent polls and elect credible ones that can take care of the needs of the common man in the society,even though is extremely difficult to find such a credible personalities considering the facts that many had been tried and entrusted but at the end failed woefully there by throwing the public in abject poverty which forced the world bank to dish out a report that “majority of Nigeria are living in abject poverty.”
As we all know living in such a situation of extreme poverty is what is brewing waves of criminal offenses in the society not only in Nigeria but across all societies in the world.
Therefore for Nigeria to wake up from this slumber and faces the reality of life, it must do away with bad eggs in the corridor of power wether elected or appointed and as well dealt with Corruption and corrupt person/s to the extent that when found guilty they must face the wrath of the law appropriately to serve as detrent to others.
Nigeria Youth are really a blessing and dependable factor in building the Nation and can be equated with other youth across the globe in term of productivity and efficiency, what is needed most is to tape and harnessed their potentialities positively and engages them for a better Nigeria.
We wholeheartedly says no to migration and vehemently condemned it in strongest term and the series of traumatization that these youth are undergoing during this illegal migration along their routes to an unknown destinations just to find a better living conditions must be reported and stop ,just to discourage them from engaging in this illegal trips in the name of migration.
As we will continue to enlightened our teeming youth, through the provisions of our constitutional rights of freedom of expression and speech on the danger of migration just to let them know and understand that against all odds “East or West home is the best”
No matter the level of our abject poverty we still have a believe that one day one time Nigeria will rise again and regain it’s lost glory as the gaint of Africa and as well hannessed the abundant resources that are well strategically and evenly distributed across all the geopolitical regions of the nation by the nature.
Nigeria a blessed Nation with all what it takes to climb mountain everest in a twinkling of an eye on matters related to development,all what we need and call for is good governance and trustworthy political title holders.
Stay blessed,
Uba Abdullahi
Chairman Journalists Against Human Trafficking, Nigeria
