Sociological analysis of brain drain in Nigeria

By Muhammad Yasin Yahaya

Brain Drain is a clog in our economic development, we can’t deny that it has become a precipice in every third world nation, of which Nigeria is not an exception. Analysis upon analysis have over the years explained the issues but it seems to only get worse as it is for our dear Nation.

It is a critical matter that requires urgent action but reverse seems to be the case for Nigeria. How sad that  Nigeria has lost a lot of potential manpower over the years and still losing them to developed Nations.

There’s a reasonable need to properly delineate the terms for easy understanding.

The term ‘brain drain’ originally refers to technological workers leaving a nation. But nowadays, its application or meaning has widened to include the migration of educated and professional people from one country, economic sector or field, usually for better remuneration and/or living conditions (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2010).

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English; Brain Drain is a movement of highly skilled or professional people from their own country to a country where they can earn more money.

Utile, 2008 conceptualized brain drain as the mass exodus of highly trained and well experienced academics from countries with poor condition of service to those with better work conditions in search of greener pastures.

However, the sociological views refers it to a situation whereby exodus of Intellectuals, Engineers, Doctors, Nurses and other experts migrate to other countries in search of a promising future, where they can get better pay wages, better incentives, security and conducive environment for work.

Some of  the professions critically affected are skilled personnel as Medical doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Industrial  Chemists,  Pilots, Computer Scientists, Engineers, University  Lecturers, Researchers and Lawyers.

Apparently, this issue has continued to linger on due to the following reasons. Firstly, the harsh economy condition. We’ve had the problems since the Military Era, but one would think that after democratic dispensation was ushered in 1999, things would get better and the issues of brain drain would have been a thing of the past. Unfortunately for my dear nation, the same old stories are still playing out.

The economy of Nigeria has faced so many challenges which became a thorn in the flesh of the economic growth of the nation. Nigeria is one of the largest exporters of crude oil in Africa but due to  the past economic policies that have failed the system which, regrettably, today, we import refined petroleum to our country,  simply because we lack well equipped and working refineries in the country. From this alone, you can tell how it would affect the GDP(Gross Domestic Product) and the value of  Naira currency in the international market. This in turn creates hardships of inflation, hunger and poverty.  This has given so many people second thoughts in settling for less in Nigeria when they can have a better life else where.

Evidence suggests that the number of Nigerian emigrants outweighs her immigrants going by the negative net migration data (-300000) of the country as at 2017 (see World Bank, 2019).

This issue has become a phenomenon, mostly in third world countries.

Secondly, Social issues, e.g; psychological pressures can also be a prominent factor. The security of life and prosperity is supposed to be the number one agenda of any government. In Nigeria, the issue of security is a huge problem.  From the Boko Haram insurgence to banditry and rampant kidnapping, Armed robbery, corruption in governance, Religious tensions, ethnic intolerance and violence; these issues are more than enough reasons to think of a better place else where. What will you gain to waste a skilled in which you paid thousands of Naira to acquire and not have peace to practice? It is likewise living a life of vulnerability to all these social vices.

A country where it has become difficult to move from one state to another due to the fear of kidnapping and armed robbery, a country where you can’t travel by train or road, not being able to afford to go by air. These issues and more affect people psychologically and results in them not performing as required in work places. If you’ve got a better opportunity, would you  remain in Nigeria? Many people wouldn’t.

Thirdly, unsatisfactory working conditions & poor wages can have an effect. This particular issue can not be over-emphasised. The damage it has caused over the years is quite alarming. According to Jibril and Obaje (2008), a source estimates the population of Nigerians in the United States of America as follows: as of 2004, up to 3.24 million Nigerians were in the United States alone; Some 374, 000 were information technology professionals, 202,000 were medical and allied professionals and about 50,000 were engineers and another 250,000 were professionals in other areas, including University lecturers.

Ekwudayo et’al (2010) opined that over 10,000 Nigerian academics were employed in the the United States alone in 2010. Statistics also revealed that as far back as 1995, 21,000 Nigerians doctors were practicing in USA. This is just in America, there are no official statistics to confirm how many have left Nigerian shores in to Europe, Asia and all around the world in search of a better life and remuneration.

One would be forced to ask what has made this enormous amount of people migrate from their own country, but then it would be a rhetorical question because looking at the system and what is available in Nigeria, you’ll be able to deduce why the situation continues to persist.  How can a person spend several years in obtaining a degree certificate, having invested so much to become a Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, Laboratory Scientists, Computer scientists, etc, and in the end, he or she cannot find a job and even if he or she finds one, the wages as poor as bad. We are over 200 million people. Manpower cannot be our problem in a 100 years to come, but today, our GDP growth continues to fade because our leaders have chosen to make us consumers and end users rather than producers and exporters.

Think of development and economic growth. We would have obtained from those thousands of migrants and how they’re positively impacting the host countries. In a country where a bag of rice is over 35 thousand naira while the signed minimum wage is 30 thousand naira, one can only imagine the pain, hunger and poverty.

A nation where Senators receive over 52 million naira Annually while professors receive less than 500 thousand naira monthly. I am very sure you wouldn’t want to imagine how much a medical doctor receives because if you do, you would wish to renounce your citizenship, if possible. To be honest, the situation for personnel is quite appalling and ridiculous. Even few of them who decide to remain in Nigeria to practice don’t have enough equipment to work with.  Sadly, the government and the elites seems unperturbed about the situation because it is all in their interest. That is why Karl Heinrich Marx said, “Who makes the laws and who benefits from the law?”

Lastly, there is a matter of corruption and unemployment. Corruptions in Nigeria is so engrossed that politicians feel entitled to public funds. Billions of naira meant for development are diverted and embezzled. This is one area that has effected so many sectors in our society. Money meant for health care facilities are embezzled and our leaders boldly partake in health tourism in developed countries without any iota of shame. Millions of naira meant for workers salaries are fraudulently looted by politicians. There are even states in Nigeria that go more than a year without paying salaries to her workers. This is why we continue to see the problems of brain drain still persisting at heightening levels. The government that is to be in charge of doing the needful would rather tell them go to other countries that have enough, just like in the words of Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour. Even when in Nigeria, one doctor takes care of over 200 patients due to lack of doctors. Indeed, corruption has done more harm to Nigeria than any other social disorders.

Due to Unemployment, this is a country where an elected president would tell his citizens that they are no more jobs to offer her country’s graduates. For a moment, I asked myself what are the responsibilities of elected officials occupying our governments house? Who is to create jobs and employment for the masses? How can there be jobs when we have become a nation of consumers and end users?

Professionals are not paid well enough, Medical doctors can’t practice because we lack equipment and advance  modern facilities. We have unsatisfactory working conditions mauled with insecurity and social pressures, corruption and lack of government, to name a few. We need to make a change that would bring sustainable development and economic growth.

In my suggestions as to navigating out of this pernicious situation of brain drain, we must be honest to ourselves of the knowledge of the true cause of the situation. The society is where it is today because we’ve failed to recognise the solutions to our issues. Even when it stares us in the face.

We cannot over emphasise the role of the government in putting an end to the  problem. It is the failure of the government and its policies over the years that has caused us these problems. Whenever I hear Mr President come out on national television to tell us that; “there are no more jobs”, “there are no more government jobs in any ministry”, I get shocked, but then, I  remember am in Nigeria and everything is possible. But wait a minute, if not Nigeria, who’s duty is it to create jobs and elevate people out of poverty? What was Mr President elected for? And this is one reason our country today is terribly affected by the brain drain. When the leaders we elect show their incompetency outwardly and proudly without remorse for the Nigerian people.

Muhammad Yasin Yahaya is an advocate of good governance, writer and student of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna Nigeria