If you are a young Nigerian living in Nigeria and active on twitter, then you would have had a front row seat to witness the droves of professionals who left the country at the beginning of this quarter. In case you are not aware, a lot of young people recently quit their job and relocated out of the country. Basically, they japa’d.
Japa is a Yoruba slang originating from Nigeria which means to flee or escape. I know the meaning sounds like it's meant for a more serious context than relocation; however, considering the economic climate of this country, you’ll agree with me that the term is fitting.
Considering how popular the relocation dream is among young Nigerians, it is clear that the Japa culture is here to stay. To buttress this claim, here are a couple of more reasons why:
- Better Educational Prospects: The Nigerian educational system is rife with a lot of infrastructural issues. It is either the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike effectively halting education of students, or parents earning minimum wage are unable to afford tuition of their ward. Whichever the case is, the learning experience of the students is affected and they suffer for it. In a more developed country, issues like the academic staff union going on strike is as rare as finding a polar beer in Nigeria. Also funding opportunities like scholarship and student loans, exist to help a student fully participate in school financially unencumbered.
- Positive economic activities: Inflation, devaluation of the Naira, petrol scarcity, and Insecurity are some of the wahala we face in this country. This is not to say that the west does not experience some of these issues, however, they are more effectively mitigated than it is here.
- Access to job opportunities: The ripple effect of a stable economy is availability of jobs. Almost every Nigerian has a terrible experience searching for jobs or working their first job.
These reasons and more form the rationale that more people will continue to desire relocation for better quality of life and ease than to remain here in the trenches.
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Here are a couple of opportunities to facilitate your japa plans, you are welcome :)
- Getin Edu has a Graduate School Application Fee Grant up for Grabs. Apply here
- US-MEPI Student Leaders Program 2023 for Students from Middle East and North Africa
- Ezera Research Fellowship 2023 for African Students for Study at University of California, Berkeley
- BI Undergraduate Scholarships 2023/2024 for International Students
- Karolinska Institute Global Masters Scholarship 2023/2024 for International Students
- Radboud Scholarship Programme 2023
- IMPRS ProEng – PhD positions in Engineering and Mathematics
- Open Doors Russian Scholarship for International Students
- TechGirls Exchange Program USA(Fully- Funded)
- Thrivee is hosting a design challenge. Join here.