When you look at this picture, what do you see? I see talented Nigerian professionals who have excelled in their craft, being celebrated for their expertise. However, their careers were not established in Nigeria, it flourished abroad. Boxer Anthony Joshua, Actor John Boyega, Pearlena Igbokwe, chair of Universal Studio Group; and Space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE are a few of so many Nigerians who are breaking grounds and shattering glass ceilings across the world. Nigerians all over the world in different specialisms and sectors are celebrated and valued for the exposure, and financial gain their craft has brought to the economy of the country where they reside. If you look at any article, or even Wikipedia you will find that they are addressed by their nationality. In most cases, their ethnic origin is not even at the forefront; Anthony Joshua is addressed as a “British” Boxer, John Boyega is addressed as a “British-Nigerian” actor, Maggie Pocock is addressed as a “British” space scientist, and Pearlena Igbokwe whose nationality and ethnicity is not really focused on but her parents moved to America when she was 6 so she’s been predominantly exposed to the West.
Nigeria has been watching! They have seen their fellow brothers and sisters be rewarded and recognised for their expertise by countries who have embraced them, and as a result they have taken the bull by the horn and decided to follow suit.
Over the last 5 years, we have seen the rise of Nigerians immigrating to Canada, United States, United Kingdom, UAE, and basically any country that would grant them entry. So the question is “Why can Nigeria no longer accommodate their talent, and why are they leaving to other countries?”
Nigeria has not yet grasped the importance of empowering home-grown talent and the integral part they play in growing and sustaining the economy. The economy is driven by people, the fluctuation of price, business trends and overall consumer behaviour is determined by the people. So if talented professionals are not being valued for their contributions or given room to grow in their own country, they will take their expertise to other countries who will reward them for the value they bring, and in return, they will provide definitive career paths to help them excel which is the global “trade by barter” practice offered to all professionals in the West. This wave of Millennials and Generation Z are seeing the history of Generation X repeating itself and there are more proactive in carving a sustainable future for themselves, even if it means venturing to the unknown if Nigeria does not serve them the way a nation should. So, in order not to leave their career up to fate and become another unemployed statistic; they are taking the bold step to seek for greener pastures abroad.
Talented professionals of all ages and demographic are tired of seeing organisations giving hefty compensation and benefits packages to expatriates in foreign currency, while they are forced to overwork (in more cases more than the expat) and still be underpaid; In fact, in some organisations, being paid at all is considered a privilege. This in itself is infuriating to the Nigerians who have invested in their education with the objective of being that “game-changer” who will build, contribute, and ultimately add value to the growth of Nigeria, its economy, and its global perception and reputation as a whole. So, it’s a slap in the face that the country that they have diligently served from NYSC is not nurturing their growth.
There are so many talented people with extraordinary ideas on how to move the nation forward and put us in a position where we can be reliant on our own resources to sustain our economy and attract better negotiated foreign investments. With the government implementing several bottlenecks, businesses who want to make a significant contribution to the growth of the economy are losing the motivation to take Nigeria to the next level. Time and Time again, the government has proven that their methodologies have not been designed for the greater good; In fact, the structure works in favour of the policy makers, which is not helping the progression of the country in the slightest. If we do not retain the talented professionals who have the expertise and potential to be our future leaders, the consequences will be dire. The instability of the economy as a whole will continue to rise; the value of the naira will continue to depreciate, and the cost of living will inflate. The needs of the average consumer cannot be met, and as a result of this, we will see the rise in crime soar.
The country is in unspeakable debt, and if we do not correct the repetitive mistakes, we will continue to borrow money to fix problems that can be easily solved if the right pilatform, structure and governance are in place for talented professionals to thrive.
Ultimately, the exit of talent professionals will also affect foreign investment into Nigeria; If there are no capable hands to see it through to completion, Investors will take their business to other countries such as Ghana, where their infrastructure is more favourable to their needs. If you notice, a sizeable portion of international brands in Nigeria are led by indigenes of the host country. Country Managers, and Managing Directors are deployed to Nigeria as rotational Managers for a fixed term secondment to manage their operations. Why do you think this is? It is because as a nation, we do not lead by example; If our own government and infrastructure does not support the empowerment of its people, how can we then expect foreign investors to do so; as they say charity begins at home. We cannot expect to have a shaky foundation and expect others to build on it, the outcome is exactly what we are facing now, which is instability.
This crisis sends a wake-up call for innovation, and social-economic empowerment to take permanence in the Nigerian economy! We have been preaching about its’ relevance and importance to spearhead the country’s growth; But with the large number of talented professionals in Nigeria seeking green pastures abroad because of the lack of opportunities, there has been very little evidence of its presence across all sectors. So what can Nigeria do so that it can retain their talents?
Invest in Capacity Building that has been built for the people, by the people.
I cannot stress the importance of intentional human capacity development. The objective of tailored and intentional development is to build a framework for a sustainable economy. There are a small portion of professionals who go abroad for academic exposure with the intention of coming back to Nigeria to implement global practices. But having seen how the infrastructure abroad serves its nationals, their plans change and they become reluctant to come back. We are taught that it takes a village to raise a child, so why can’t a nation look after it’s children? Instead they leave them to be adopted and celebrate them from afar after they have created a name for themselves on foreign soil. It is at that point that the government recognises that we have talented Nigerians abroad, and want to follow the rest of the world to honour them. Why were they, or their parents honoured before they had to seek pastures new?
This is a recurring cycle, and we need to take this crisis seriously before all the talented professionals in Nigeria become extinct. We need to come together as a nation to remove the bottlenecks that is hindering us from economic stability. How can we do this? by putting thought leaders in positions that can spearhead and implement the change we need to forge ahead. Everyone has a dream that one day, Nigeria can be great again, but that change begins and ends with the people who really want to see it.
Once upon a time, the Nigerian Naira could comfortably compete with the British Pound. With the restructure our economy, design and implementation of long-term sustainable policies, and promotion of innovative initiatives; we can still build a sustainable and profitable market once again, one sector at a time,
