To the uninitiated Nigerian, a quick visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, or the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will reveal that a large number of Nigerians are “fleeing” beyond the shores of the country in search of greener pastures.
This “syndrome,” which is prevalent because of the perceived hopelessness in the country, and commonly called “japa” on the streets of Nigeria and even by the mainstream media, will, however, be put to the test in 2025 as some destination choice in Europe and North America are not only poised to clamp down heavily on immigration but also put stringent measures in place in response to soaring net immigration.
Indeed, many foreign countries have already started making life miserable for migrants in their countries and 2025 could further add to their miseries.
Back in the country, Nigerians are not having it so good. Life has been nightmarish because of corruption and underdevelopment.
And most people blame the government for not doing enough to make the country a safe haven for them to actualise their dreams and, thus, paint the country’s leadership as anti-masses.
On their part, successive governments are usually quick to blame the ones that preceded them for mismanaging the economy, and the people, who are caught in the crossfire of these accusations and counter accusations, have borne the brunt of policy flip-flops by governments that shortchange their livelihood.
For instance, one of the motivations behind the decision to japa is unavailable employment opportunities.
Many Nigerians are fed up with hearing news reports about only a few jobs up for grabs in ministries, departments and other government agencies, and millions of applicants go at each other trying to secure a slot.
Although the National Bureau of Statistics, in its latest report, stated that Nigeria’s unemployment rate declined to 4.3 percent in the second quarter of 2024, signalling improved labour market conditions, the country’s labour unions think otherwise, calling the report a “voodoo document” and a “fabrication designed to mislead the public.”
Going by the NBS report, the recent unemployment rate report marks a decrease from the 5.3 percent recorded in Q1 2024 and reflects a gradual recovery from the 5.0 percent in Q3 2023.
But news like this does not change or reset the mindset of Nigerians, some of whom sell properties and even leave “respectable” jobs in Africa’s fourth biggest economy, to make a break for these foreign countries.
Unfortunately, many notable Japa destinations in Europe and North America have resolved to be unwelcoming for immigrants and, for the migrants already in their respective countries, they want to do all in their power to send them back to their countries of origin outright.
In the United States of America, the President-elect, Donald Trump, for starters, has vowed to carry out “the largest mass deportation of illegal aliens in the history of the US” when he is inaugurated into office on January 20, 2025.
Illegal immigrants have been gaining illegal entry into the US through the country’s Southern border with Mexico, and Trump says enough is enough. Affected Nigerians are bound to feel his hammer, too.
Trump, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the US, has also said that millions of undocumented migrants living in the country will be booted out and that his government will put stringent measures in place for new-comers trying to get into the US.
The United States’ neighbour, Canada, has also been jolted out of its own immigration reverie. The country has woken up from being a country that freely and graciously admitted people from different parts of the world to a country that now says immigration must be controlled.
Canada, which used to be a sanctuary for immigrants, recently announced a reduced target for both international students and temporary foreign workers, and it does not stop there.
Now, in an effort to pause population growth that citizens there say has been putting a strain on its housing and social services, Canada has also announced a sharp cut in the number of immigrants it allows yearly into its borders.
The country’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has also said that Canada would reduce the number of permanent residents in 2025 from a previous target of 500,000 to 395,000, marking a 21 percent drop.
Trudeau has also recently been asked to answer a barrage of questions in his country’s Parliament for his administration’s handling of immigration.
In Canada, there are about 3 million migrants that have to leave within the next year.
A current affairs analyst, Kizito Opara, who reacted to Canada’s decision, told The Point, “There is a federal election that will come up in Canada next year; this is why we are hearing all these conversations about soaring immigration numbers there. Many of us are aware of this fact.
“You see, Canadians were the ones who actually opened their doors to immigrants. Yet, today, they are complaining that they want to cut the number of migrants in their country down. They are singing different tunes now and it is all political.
“They were the ones who had announced that they needed people, and people responded. I wish them good luck as they go about trying to eject these migrants.
“In Nigeria, people have lost faith in the government. People describe the government as a cesspool of corruption and they believe that the country will not get better in their lifetime. So, they will climb the highest mountain just to leave the country”
“But watch out. Very soon, somebody else will come to power and start asking migrants to come and work in Canada. Well, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”
In the United Kingdom, the country’s Prime Minister, Keir Stammer and his Labour party, have made a series of pledges on migration.
They want to bring down net migration, reduce reliance on overseas workers, clear asylum backlog, and accelerate the removal of people without legal status in the UK.
It will be recalled that in 2011, when the UK’s current opposition party, the Conservative Party, was in power, it had cancelled the country’s Post-Study Work visa programme, saying that migrants should leave the country at the end of their studies.
At the time, they also said that the visas of some categories of workers in the country, who did not meet the Home Office’s Annual Salary Requirement, would not be renewed.
The UK, in 2019, would later reinstate the Post-Study Work visa for international students and relaxed other visa rules after its Government realised that the various Universities in the country were suffering a dearth of students and because the country was lacking the required skilled workers it needed.
However, as immigration figures have started to soar again, the leader of the country’s opposition, a British-Nigerian named Kemi Badenoch, has promised to clamp down on immigration if her party, the Conservative Party, wins the next poll.
The European Union’s biggest economy, Germany, has also gotten a migration crisis in its hand. It is seriously considering sending millions of migrants, who they say have not integrated well into German societies, back to their countries.
The country, with Spain and Malta, is a preferred port of call for migrants from Africa, and Berlin, Germany’s administrative centre, has not been able to nip the problem in the bud.
The country faced a surge in irregular migration last year, with over 250,000 people suspected of entering the country illegally, according to the authorities.
Germany, which shares land borders with nine countries, namely Poland, Austria, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, has said its police will carry out more detailed checks on people seeking to cross the borders.
A Nigerian, Ifeoma Ogbonna, who also reacted to the dire situation that awaits Nigerians with the intention to japa, said, “It seems these foreign countries know that the situation in most African countries is bad, and they have decided to keep us in our various countries.
“This is a challenge to African leaders to rise up to the occasion and make life more meaningful for their citizens.
“In Nigeria, people have lost faith in the government. People describe the government as a cesspool of corruption and they believe that the country will not get better in their lifetime. So, they will climb the highest mountain just to leave the country.
“But I will advise our people to stay back in the country and build it to their taste. Nobody will build it for us if we all decide to japa. It is that simple.”
