It’s Japa Season in Nigeria – this being the term used to refer to the country’s immigration surge. Hundreds of citizens are leaving the country in search of better employment opportunities, healthcare systems and even educational facilities. This does not come as a surprise. For the past few years, the Nigerian economy has been rapidly declining and the government has seemingly ignored the cries for working systems to be implemented.
According to Hanke’s Currency Watchlist, the naira is ranked as the 11th worst-performing currency against the U.S Dollar. On the Global Terrorism Index, the country is ranked as the sixth most terrorist country in the world. These are just some of the issues that have inspired the immigration surge and a few months ago, over 1,000 people were killed by dangerous floods that inundated more than half of the country.
On social media, Nigerians refer to the immigration surge as the ‘japa’ wave. ‘Japa’ is a Yoruba word that translates to running quickly, and it is an accurate description of what is currently happening in the country. People are migrating seemingly overnight, leaving behind their friends, family and careers.