HOUSE OF REPS VOTE AGAINST ANTI-MIGRATION MOTION

The House of Representatives, today, unanimously voted against a motion seeking to make the Federal Government address the issues causing Nigerian professionals to migrate to other countries en masse, in search of greener pastures.

A new member of the House, Philip Agbese, had moved a motion titled ‘Need to Declare Emigration of Young Nigerians Abroad A.K.A Japa Syndrome a National Emergency,’ urging the government to “convene a national summit with key stakeholders to effectively address the ‘Japa Syndrome.’

Agbese also prayed the House to “declare a state of Emergency on the factors that predispose young Nigerians to give up on Nigeria in preference for other nations.”

The lawmaker cited statistics from the Nigerian Economic Summit, which says a growing number of young Nigerians are relocating abroad.

He also said recent reports by the African Polling Institute indicate that 69 per cent of young people would opt to relocate abroad if given the chance or if the opportunity presents itself.

He added that there is a 40 per cent increase in the number of young Nigerians leaving the nation, compared to the number captured in 2019, as the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reported that international emigration from Nigeria in 2020 total 1.7million, which is a substantial increase from 990,000 in 2010.

When the Speaker eventually put adoption of the motion to voice vote, the lawmakers unanimously voted against it.