The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has urged Nigerians to prioritise patriotism and national service over financial gain by remaining in the country.
Akpabio made this statement during a Senate session on Tuesday while addressing a motion on the mass migration of Nigerians, commonly referred to as ‘Japa.’
He expressed concern over the increasing exodus of skilled professionals, noting that the country is losing valuable expertise that could contribute to national development.
Highlighting the detrimental effects of brain drain, particularly in the health and education sectors, Akpabio lamented the loss of Nigerian talent to foreign countries. He cited reports indicating that nearly 22,000 Nigerian health professionals are currently working in the United States.
Akpabio also pointed out the staffing challenges faced by Nigerian universities, where some departments operate with less than 50 per cent of the required staff, raising concerns about the quality of education.
He, however, assured that the National Assembly would continue to work towards improving the welfare of teachers and other professionals.
He said, “The country is losing its expertise. If they acquired those expertise and returned to Nigeria, it would have been better.
“I also think the conditions of service are quite responsible. I believe people should place love for their country above financial gains.That is why many of us choose to remain here.
“The brain drain is a big problem, not just in the educational sector, particularly in the health sector – it is affecting us a lot.
“The greatest professionals in medicine in the USA, from what I read, some people say we have almost 22,000 health workers in there (US) who are Nigerians and they are doing extremely well. I have seen that from different reports.
“In the educational sector, the disadvantages are too numerous because some of the departments do not have even up to 50 per cent staff strength. So what then are you teaching our children? It’s like a computer, garbage in and garbage out.”
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