The Office of the Presidency has disclosed that it is not worried about skilled Nigerian workers leaving the country, stating that for every Nigerian that wants to leave, hundreds want to stay.
This was disclosed by Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity in an interview with Channels TV on Sunday evening.
This comes as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Health Ministry have warned about the rising rate of Nigerian health workers leaving, which is causing a strain on Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.
Adesina, addressing the ‘Japa’ trend, noted that despite data of more Nigerian skilled professionals leaving for the UK for the first time in ten years, this is not the first time Nigerians have left.
- He said, “The average Nigerian has always wanted to leave, and it’s not just in Nigeria; in most countries, they always believe the grass is greener out there.
- ” The truth is that if you have an opportunity to better your life, there is nothing wrong with it. But you can’t now say because people are leaving there is a sign something is fundamentally wrong. There are Nigerians who would never leave,” citing that “for every person that leaves, there are hundreds that want to stay.”
On the Buhari administration’s scorecard, he said he believes Buhari has fulfilled his promises to Nigerians as there is no single president that can solve all the problems of a country. On security, he noted that Nigeria is safer than when Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, stating that when Buhari came, nobody was sure Nigeria could exist in one month. “He came and took the battle to the insurgents; then it became hydra-headed through banditry; how many challenges can one administration confront?” he asked. For the record: Nigerian student visa approvals to the United Kingdom rose from 8,384 to 65,929 from the year ending 2019 to June 2022, a 686% increase, as Nigerian nationals saw the largest relative increase in sponsored study visa grants (nearly eight-fold increase), making them the third largest nationality in that country. This was disclosed by the UK Home Office in its National Statistics Report titled, “Why Do People Come to the UK To Work?”, published on Thursday, August 25, 2022. The report also added that India and China had 117,965 and 115,056 students as of June 2022, with a growth rate of 215% for India and -4% for China during the same period. It was that the Nigerian Society of Anesthetists (NSA) expressed concern over the rising wave of Nigerian health workers leaving the Nigerian health system to work abroad.
- They said, “Government is concerned about the rising tide of brain drain, and suggestions on ways to mitigate the exodus of the health workforce, especially young anesthetists are welcome.
- “We note the fewer number of members of the profession that are currently in the country and I can assure you that the ministry is looking into it.”
