The rising wave of emigration, known as “Japa,” has become a cultural phenomenon in Nigeria.
According to a 2022 survey, 70% of Nigerians aged 15 to 35 would leave the country if they could, with many young people fleeing in search of better opportunities abroad.
The 2020 #EndSARS protests fueled this trend, and some Nigerian lawmakers have even dubbed “japa” a national emergency.
Adedamola Adedeji, a dentist from Nigeria, is one of many young Nigerians who have made the decision to leave their country. Known to friends as Damola, she has chosen to restart her life in Canada, hoping for a better future.
In 2022 alone, 22,000 Nigerians moved to Canada through its permanent resident program, an increase of 7,000 from the previous year.
Damola’s decision to relocate was made in September 2023, after her diabetic father required emergency care. He was asked for 1.6 million naira ($960) as a down payment before he could be admitted to the hospital.
Reflecting on the harsh realities in Nigeria, Damola told Radio Workshop, “I think one of the things that’s hounded me for a long time was the fact that I realized that in Nigeria, if you don’t have money, you will die.”
The cost of living in Nigeria has soared under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, making it even harder for people to get by.
Many of Damola’s friends and family members have sought better opportunities abroad, and two of her siblings moved in early 2023.
“I knew that I wanted to leave when I saw that they could leave as well. If there’s a way to leave, why not?” she says.
Medical professionals are leaving Nigeria at an alarming rate. In early 2023, the president of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors revealed that 2,800 resident doctors had left in just two years, and 85% of the remaining doctors planned to leave as well.
Damola’s head dentist, Dr. Aisha Tayo Adewale, shared her frustration with the mass exodus: “I can’t be selfish and say, ‘oh, they shouldn’t japa’,” she explained, acknowledging the difficult environment that drives professionals to leave.
On September 29, Damola boarded a plane for the first time in her life, holding a one-way ticket to Toronto. This date was significant for her, marking not only the completion of her emigration process but also the ninth month since the loss of her father.
Her mother, though supportive of her decision, lamented the emotional toll of the “japa” movement:
“It’s robbing us, the parents, of having a close relationship physically with our children,” she said as she bid her daughter farewell at the airport.