Many Nigerian professionals are leaving the shores of the nation for greener pastures abroad. BARNABAS OLABISI reports.
The recent mass exodus of Nigerian professionals for greener pastures especially in education and health sectors is at alarming rate as it is taking a toll on critical sectors of the nation’s economy and future development of the nation.
Professionals who spoke on these issues said the development portends a bleak future for the country in terms of human, capital and economic development.
Findings reveal that the affected sectors now bleed as a result of immense manpower shortage, leaving it in the hands of quacks and amateur.
Most hit include health, education and information technology sectors. Recently, the increasing rate of brain drain has led to the closure of most of the government owned institutions, while the fate of many other critical institutions still rendering services are at downward trend across the country due to shortage of manpower.
Factors fuelling the exodus according to investigation include the desire for better working conditions, career fulfillment, insecurity, harsh economy, among others.
Recent data gathered from the health, banking, engineering, ICT and education sectors showed that 80 percent of the remaining workers in the sectors are preparing to leave the offshore, if the current situation persists.
With the resumption of schools in America and Europe in August/September, it is expected that the number of Nigerians leaving the country would double.
Findings also showed that in the health sector, about 7,256 nurses and health workers relocated to the United Kingdom between March 2021 and March 2022, indicating that about 300 nurses and 300 other health workers leave the shore of the country for UK alone every month.
Out of the 74,543 registered doctors in Nigeria with population of about 200 million, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, (MDCN) revealed that 33,000 left the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The number of Nigeria-trained doctors in the UK currently stands at 9,976, it added.
In America, there are 3,895 Nigerian-trained doctors licensed to practice Medicine as of 2020 while the Association of Nigerian Physicians in America, has over 4,000 member physicians, dentists and allied health professionals of Nigerian origin in US, Canada and the Caribbean countries.
In ICT sector, reports showed that about 500 software engineers left the country since the beginning of this year.
In the banking sector, findings showed that over 1,000 ICT technical engineers resigned and moved abroad.
Reactions
A bank manager who spoke on condition of anonymity said in his bank, eight out of 10 staff are ready to quit and move abroad.
With the over seven months old strike involving the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), lecturers are leaving the country in droves for other countries while nine out of 10 Nigerian students are seeking admission abroad.
Reacting to the development, an sssociate professor in Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Dr Opemiposi Blessing noted that the mass exodus of professionals from the country would put the nation’s future in jeopardy as the implications would be enormous. “If not corrected on time, it portends bleak future for the country.”
She attributed the mass exodus to lack of necessary inpetus, insecurity, good working conditions and other social facilities that aid business operations, desire for conducive working and learning environments, crumbling economy, amongst other factors.
“Insecurity is so rampant now that citizens are not comfortable moving freely. They transact their day-to-day activities under fear and stress. People working in engineering firms and others sectors are not safe and that is why they are leaving the country.
“Imagine somebody having his children in the tertiary institutions and have been in the house for over six months. If opportunities surface, they would surely relocate.
Dr Blessing pleaded with the government to ensure that major reasons for exodus are adequately addressed and policies of government are carried out with people’s interest and less of polity.
In his own contribution, Otunba Stephen Olawale of Lagos business Forum, said Nigeria faces a dark future as her investments in human development are being utilised in other nations.
He said that brain drain has led to the debacles being experienced across sectors of the nation.
“The ratio of professionals to clients, especially in the public sector keeps declining, leading to poor service delivery, high importation, medical tourism and everything else that comes with inadequate manpower,” he noted.
Olawale posits that, “The solutions to the issues are to improve our country’s security, infrastructure, health care, minimise corruption, pay good remuneration and people would not be too eager to leave.”
He added that the political class should play less politics with lives and be circumspect with government policies the moment they are in power.
