Foreigners Troop To Nigeria As Citizens Japa In Search Of Greener Pastures

 

A recent visit to the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was a beehive of activities with thousands of Nigerians leaving the country. From findings, majority of them were going with a one-way ticket, which means that they have no intention of coming back soon, if at all they would return.

This is the reality of the moment as the japa syndrome that has hit the country’s fabric has continued unabated, with thousands of Nigerians leaving the country on a daily basis in search of what is usually known as the greener pastures in Europe, America and other countries, where they believe there are opportunities.

The founder of a medical facility in Lagos recently complained how he lost virtually all his personnel (doctors and nurses) to the Japa syndrome, leaving him virtually stranded and unable to cope with the number of patients trooping to his clinic. This is the case in other sectors as citizens flee the country while the country’s human resource is badly depleted.

In the first half of 2023, the United Kingdom, which is unarguably the first country of destination by many Nigerians, especially those going for further studies with their dependents, said it issued some 132,000 visas to Nigerians.

According to Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, “In the first half of the year we granted approximately 132,000 visas, which include visit, work and study.

“In the previous full year before that, we issued about 324,000. In that year, the United Kingdom issued about three million visas, and of the number, 324,000 were issued to Nigerians, which is about 10 per cent.”

Apart from the United Kingdom, those going on irregular migration through the Sahara desert are also in thousands despite the risk involved as shown in the figure of evacuation. In the first half of 2023, no fewer than 4,000 Nigerians were stranded in different countries, especially the Middle East and were evacuated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in different exercises.

The IOM, through its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme, also repatriated over 3,000 Nigerians from Libya alone in 2023, with majority of the returnees languishing in Libyan detention camps before the help of the IOM came. They were arrested after failed attempts to cross to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea.

While this migration, whether regularly or irregularly, otherwise known as Japa, has continued, some foreigners are not seeing an entirely hopeless situation in Nigeria as many of them also troop to the country on a daily basis for businesses.

Foreigners find solace in Nigeria

Findings by Daily Trust on Sunday indicate that many foreigners from China, India, Lebanon, United Kingdom, among others, have also found Nigerians as home, leveraging on opportunities in the country in oil and gas, construction, telecommunication sector, among others.

Our correspondent gathered that foreigners trooping into the country for businesses have virtually tripled in recent times, with China leading. Also, Indians, Lebanese, among other nationals have made Nigeria their homes, working in various sectors.

From Ikeja GRA to Victoria Island, the Lebanese community in Nigeria has grown over time, becoming one of the largest diaspora communities in Nigeria with about 75,000 people. The existence of blue chip companies owned by Lebanese, as well as construction sites belonging to their nationals, has seen some of their kinsmen playing significant roles in their operation.

Similarly, the Chinese community has grown in leaps and bounds owing to the various construction projects handled by Chinese construction giants in Nigeria like the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) handling various railway projects. The CCECC constructed the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway, Abuja-Kaduna rail, Kaduna-Kano rail, the four new international airport terminals, among other projects.

In addition, findings by our correspondent showed that many Chinese are working at various quarry sites across Nigeria.

Our correspondent recently visited the popular Chinese Village in Lagos, which has become a marketplace for their nationals in the state, where they live and ply their trade.

According to an official of the village, more Chinese nationals troop into the village on a daily basis.

“If you need any special Chinese attire or product, you see hundreds of China Town vendors in this village. They are here making a living and contributing to the economy of the state and Nigeria in general,” the manager said.

India is another big community in Nigeria spread across the South and northern part of the country. According to India’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Gangadharan Balasubramanian, there are no fewer than 60,000 Indians who have made Nigeria their home. In all, there are estimated 90,000 Indians in Nigeria working in various industries, especially the manufacturing sector.

In most cases, they are filling vacancies in management and technical positions, especially where the expertise is lacking in Nigeria. But many Nigerians have also raised questions about the abuse of expatriate quota.

Daily Trust on Sunday reports that expatriate quota policy enables foreign companies to recruit foreign employees to work legitimately in Nigeria.

Visas-on-arrival doubled

Checks by our correspondent revealed that the number of visas-on- arrival (VoA) issued at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos has doubled since the policy was implemented in line with the ease of doing business policy of the federal government.

From 38,000 VoAs issued at the busiest airport alone in 2018, the number grew to 53,644 in 2022. While efforts to get this year’s figure were futile as the immigration declined to release it, our correspondent learnt that more people are coming into the country for businesses.

Opportunities abound in Nigeria – Foreigners

Some foreigners who spoke with our correspondent said opportunities still abounded in Nigeria despite the Japa syndrome.

An Indian who has made Nigeria his home said there were opportunities for the people to explore, especially in the technology and start-up ecosystem.

The Indian businessman, Anil Rai, who resides at Ilupeju, Lagos said, “Nigeria is known for having many different cultures and lots of good things to offer. One important thing is that there are various opportunities for both people and the environment. People in Nigeria are friendly to one another and show a lot of respect to their bosses at work. They are also eager to learn new things and use new technology.

How to reduce the Japa syndrome

On the Japa syndrome, he said that while there are opportunities in Nigeria, there are also challenges.

“The problem is the economic situation, interest rate and inflation. When I talk to people who actually engage in the Japa syndrome, they talk about their children, the education system in the country and other practical things. There are lots of elements but that is up to the new Nigerian government to make sure that these things are tweaked and the economy would be growing again.”

He said if the economy of Nigeria grew, jobs would be created and the Japa syndrome would reduce.