Japa Reversal: Experts Advocate Retaining Nigerian Talents at Home

Mary Nnah

The Nigeria Talent UK Educated 2024 Career and Networking event held in Lagos at the weekend has sparked a renewed call to action to reverse the “Japa Syndrome” trend, where Nigerian talents seek greener pastures abroad.
Experts at the event stressed the need to retain Nigerian talents in the country, citing the importance of competitive packages, enabling environments, and flexible work arrangements.
Joshua Oluwadepo, Senior Recruitment Consultant at Jobberman, stated that, “It’s not having a very good impact on the talent in Nigeria… As a recruiter, we get to start looking for talent here that, oh, this is a person already in the UK, already, oh, we cannot get to work here.”
Tobi Odukoya, International Alumni Ambassador at the University of Nottingham, added, “One of the reasons people are Japa-ing is because they feel as if they don’t have a choice… What the university is trying to do, and I’m sure other UK universities, but Nottingham in particular, is bring all of us that have this experience of UK schooling together and say, okay, what can we do together and collaborate?”
As Odukoya emphasized: “You can’t keep quiet. You can’t just sit down and say, oh, God will help me. You have to be out there talking to people, asking questions.”
The “Japa Reversal” call to action resonated throughout the event, as experts and attendees alike acknowledged the need to harness Nigeria’s talent pool for national growth and development.
Emma Tarrant Tayou, Director of Graduate Guidance Group, highlighted the importance of providing outstanding career support to Nigerian graduates, saying, “We wanted to make sure that it was also available for Nigerian graduates. So, if you’ve chosen to return back to Nigeria, that doesn’t mean that you should no longer receive support from your university.”
Professor Emmanuel Adegbite from Nottingham University Business School stressed the need for public-private partnerships to address the brain drain, saying, “We want to continue our relationships with our students. So, when they become alumni, we want to engage with them; we want to be part of their success story and help in whatever way we can.”
Regional Manager Annabel Mitchell from Nottingham Trent University UK encouraged students to leverage university resources, saying, “Take advantage of all those opportunities that are available to them… There’s so many opportunities, students might not think that it’s relevant to them or that it’s for them, but it certainly is.”

The event brought together UK-educated Nigerian professionals, employers, and universities to foster career growth, networking, and collaboration.

Experts agreed that retaining Nigerian talents requires a collective effort to provide opportunities, support, and enabling environments.