The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has appealed to Nigerians planning to relocate abroad to seek greener pastures to place their love for the country above financial gain.
He stated this while expressing concern over the growing trend of mass migration, particularly among skilled professionals.
Akpabio made the remarks on Tuesday, October 8, during a session on the floor of the Senate while addressing a motion to tackle the increasing emigration of Nigerians.
“The country is losing its expertise. If they acquired those expertise and returned to Nigeria, it would have been better,” Akpabio stated. He emphasized that Nigeria’s development would be accelerated if those who trained abroad returned to contribute to the country’s growth, rather than seeking better opportunities elsewhere.
Akpabio also acknowledged the poor conditions of service that often drive Nigerians to seek greener pastures abroad but insisted that love for one’s country should come first.
“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,” he said.
The Senate President highlighted the adverse effects of the brain drain, particularly in the health and education sectors, which are among the hardest hit by the emigration of skilled Nigerians.
“The brain drain is a big problem, not just in the educational sector, particularly in the health sector – it is affecting us a lot,” Akpabio remarked.
He pointed out that a significant number of Nigerian health professionals have left for better opportunities in countries like the United States. “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,” he added.
Akpabio noted that the education sector is also grappling with staff shortages, which negatively impacts the quality of education being offered to students. “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,” he said.
Akpabio assured that the National Assembly would continue its efforts to improve the conditions for teachers and other professionals to encourage them to stay in the country and contribute to future generations.
