Within the swirling storm of Nigeria’s very complex if not complicated socio-economic landscape, few phrases have in recent times encapsulated the desperation and aspiration of a youthful generation quite like “Japa.” A Yoruba term that translates “to flee” or “to escape,” Japa has come to represent the growing exodus of Nigerians, especially the youth seeking greener pastures abroad. But now, a new contrasting wave is gradually emerging; Japada meaning “the return.”
At the heart of this shifting narrative stands a silently loud voice that once spoke not just with foresight, but with urgency, that person is Asiwaju Akeem Olatunji. The executive chairman of Oluyole Local Government. Olatunji once issued a compelling warning at a fora during his days as the Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state, “The solution to Nigeria’s problems may not lie in running away but in returning to fix what we have and have left behind.”
At the time Asiwaju Olatunji made those remarks, it sounded very idealistic but now, it sounds more prophetic than a mere rhetoric.
Amid the rising insecurity, inflation, job scarcity, and poor governance, Japa wasn’t merely a trend, it became a survival strategy for many. Skilled professionals especially young graduates in medicine, tech, education, and finance flooded outwards, contributing to brain drain figures that rival any in Africa’s recent history.
The UK’s NHS welcomed droves of Nigerian doctors. Canada became a haven for tech talents. Germany saw a rise in Nigerian students and vocational workers. While their success stories often painted a rosy picture, the reality was more nuanced.
For many, Japa offered better pay, structure, and systems but at the cost of identity, family ties, and sometimes, dignity. Tales of burnout, cultural alienation, racism, underemployment, and visa insecurity began surfacing. The dream, for some, started to wane.
Amidst the euphoria of escape, Asiwaju Olatunji’s voice continues to rang clear in my head and subconscious mind, “We cannot outsource nation-building. If we all leave, who will fix Nigeria?”
Asiwaju Olatunji, being a professional Engineer of repute for many years, one of the young most popular and also a fast rising politician in Oyo state, wasn’t speaking from naivety for sure.
As an individual who straddled both private and public worlds, deeply engaged in grassroots and state development as well as domestic policy, Asiwaju Olatunji very well understood the allure of opportunity abroad. But he also saw the cost of abandonment which is the widening chasm between capacity and nationhood.
His message was not anti-Japa, it was pro-purpose. “Leave if you must,” he said, “but remember why you left, and ask yourself if you’re meant to return.”
As inflation continues to bite hard, even the host countries, and the global economy tightens, more Nigerians abroad are questioning the sustainability of their relocation. UK’s cost of living crisis, Canadian immigration bottlenecks, US mass deportation of migrants, and increasing hostility toward migrants across Europe have exposed the illusion that life abroad is a paradise.
Then comes the rising pull of home: the strengthening of tech ecosystems in Oyo, Lagos and Abuja, government incentives for diaspora investment, and the psychological need for purpose and belonging.
In 2024 alone, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded a 28% increase in voluntary returnees compared to 2022. Many of them are not “failures” or deportees, they’re skilled returnees ready to plug back into a growing, if unstable, national framework.
Those who Japada aren’t returning empty-handed. They come bearing international best practices, entrepreneurial mindset, networks, and a new kind of patriotism, not born of blind loyalty but of strategic optimism for a fresh start and hope for better days ahead.
Startups founded by returnees are transforming agri-tech, fintech, and healthcare. Returnee-led NGOs are driving community impact. More are running for office, mentoring youth, and investing in local ventures. They carry both scars and strength.
Asiwaju Olatunji’s words hits me again: “It is not enough to leave Nigeria to find value; we must return to restore it.”
The Japa vs Japada question is not binary, it is personal. But the arc of national destiny demands both. The exodus served its purpose, but perhaps Asiwaju Olatunji’s prophecy is that home will call again, and this time, not with shame, but with opportunity.
Asiwaju Olatunji foresaw, the fate of Nigerians that it lies not just in the corridors of power, but in the hearts of those who once fled, and now feel the tug to return, rebuild, and renew.
Henry Odeh writes from Ibadan.