Most Nigerians leave their home country in search of greener pastures abroad. This was common amongst the poor and lower middle class who wanted to better their lives. However, the tides are changing and most Nigerians are leaving Nigeria for different reasons.
A friend of mine recently moved to the UK. By the Nigerian standard, he is doing well for himself. However, he chose to take the big step of starting over in a new country. Why? The usual answers are better living conditions; living in a country with strong and functioning institutions. However, more importantly, most Nigerians--like my friend--are moving to preserve their wealth.
One of the many legacies of the Buhari administration is decimating the middle class (economically), plunging more people into poverty. For instance, in the last 8 years, most Nigerians have seen their purchasing dwindle by over 100%. 8 years ago a thousand dollars ($1000) was around one hundred and fifty thousand naira (150,000). Today that same amount is worth seven hundred and fifty thousand naira (N750,000). What this means for most Nigerians is a weakening purchasing power.
With no solution in sight, many Nigerians are fleeing the country in droves. These days you have entire families migrating at once; people with good jobs quitting to start afresh abroad with the prospect of securing their future. Those with the means at taking the difficult route through the deserts and high seas to migrate into Europe. This phenomenon has been tagged as japa syndrome. People are not leaving but running from home.
Now the ironic part of this all is that political class and wealth are doing the very opposite. They are returning home to occupy positions of power. These are the people with means, who can live almost anywhere in the world but they choose to stay and my question is why?
The only reasonable answer is that the elites and political class profit from the dysfunctional system more than anyone else. Everything that gives the common man a nightmare is only a minor inconvenience for the wealthy. This is why there is a huge disconnect between the ruling class and the masses. Their realities are so far apart it's almost impossible to reconcile.
Unfortunately, the reality about migrating is that most people never really make it abroad, which makes it an even more decision to make concerning the cost factor. When my dad was in Venezuela (before the economic crisis) he would tell us of people who have been in the country for years and were unable to return home because they did not have the means to do so. However, that's a risk many Nigerians are willing to take.
For someone who plans to migrate at some point in his life, I am more concerned about leaving well and not starting my entire life afresh. I don't think it's worth the sacrifice. However, that's a risk many Nigerians are taking and willing to take when the opportunity presents itself.
