Peter Obi, the candidate of Labour Party in the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria has described the surge at which young Nigerians and professionals leave the country for greener pastures abroad as healthy for the country.
The LP candidate said this in support of a comment credited to Bill Gates, an American billionaire, during his recent visit to Nigeria where he opined that the ‘Japa’ syndrome is good for the nation.
The Microsoft co-founder who was at an interactive session with innovators on Wednesday in Lagos addressed the so-called “Japa” phenomenon in the programme themed ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’.
According to Gates, the recent surge of Nigerians and professionals leaving the country for ‘greener pastures’ abroad is healthy for the country.
Agreeing with Bill Gates, “I read and agree with Bill Gates’s recent comment on the “Japa” syndrome, where, according to reports, he stated that the recent surge of Nigerian professionals leaving the country for greener pastures is good and healthy for our country,” Obi tweeted on Thursday.
The LP candidate asserted that while the wave may appear to be a loss right now, it will eventually turn into a benefit once the nation starts acting upright.
“I have always preached and maintained this same position on the ‘japa wave’. For years now, and throughout my campaign in the last Presidential election, especially during my tours from Canada, the USA, Germany, the UK, and other countries,
“I maintained that our brain drain today will be our brain gain tomorrow. Nigerians leaving the country may look like a loss today, but when we start doing the right things and taking the governance of our nation more seriously, the knowledge and resources from them will be critical in the building of the New Nigeria, as it happened in China, India, Ireland and other developing countries.
“Today, India prides itself as one of the countries with the biggest tech talents in the world, having produced some of the world’s top engineers and computer scientists. Many top global tech companies are headed by CEOs of Indian origin,” he stated.
Obi attributed India’s success in the technology industry to its ability to harness the knowledge and resources of Indians in the diaspora for their national growth.
He added that when Nigeria rebuilds and prioritizes investments in education, health, and assistance for small companies, Nigerians in the Diaspora will return home with their worldwide training, skills, and resources to contribute tremendously to the country’s national development.
