Podcast episode: Farewell Nigeria

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• According to a 2022 survey, 70% of Nigerians aged 15 to 35 would leave the country if they could.
• The wave of young Nigerians leaving the country is what many are calling Japa, a Yoruba word meaning ‘to flee.’
• Following the end of the 2020 #endsars protests, emigration numbers in Nigeria have spiked to the point where some Nigerian lawmakers have called Japa a national emergency.
• Adedamola Adedeji is a young Dentist living in Nigeria. She says she has a fulfilling career and earns a middle-class salary by Nigerian standards. But she has decided to leave behind everything she’s ever known, including her recently widowed mother.
• This episode is produced by Radio Workshop, an award-winning documentary-style podcast about youth in Africa.

Adedamola Adedeji goes by many names. Damsel, Dam Dam, DM, but most people call her Damola. She’s one of many young Nigerians who has decided to leave the country. Damola is a dentist with a fulfilling career, and she’s chosen to move to Canada to restart her life. She’s decided to Japa.

The word ‘Japa’ has become a cultural movement in Nigeria over the past few years. It means ‘to flee’ in Yoruba. There are memes about it, songs about it, and even companies built around it. It has become the theme word for a generation of Nigerians emigrating from the country in search of a better life. But the emigration numbers have gotten so high that some experts in Nigeria have called Japa a national emergency.

“For instance, doctors, you know, are leaving. These are our best brains. They are leaving because we have a living condition that is not suitable.” – Hon Philip Agbese

In the podcast episode, Farewell Nigeria, Radio Workshop Producer Mo Isu follows Damola for six months as she plans her move. Along the way, we find out why so many young people are leaving Africa’s most populous nation.

Radio Workshop is a non-profit that works with youth reporters across Africa to broadcast on local radio and create podcasts. Radio Workshop provides the tools and teaches the skills, and youth bring their creativity, experience, and passion for tackling the issues that matter to them and their communities. Radio Workshop’s documentary-style podcast has won numerous awards, including Best Standalone Documentary from the International Documentary Association in 2023 and a Signal Award in 2024.

Radio Workshop’s editorial director, Lesedi Mogoatlhe said, “Growing up on the continent, we often heard stories about Africans estranged from their homes through political exile, or slavery. We heard it could only be remedied by Africans returning home. But, over the last two decades, young Africans are singing a slightly different tune, and emigrating voluntarily.” Lesedi added that capturing these stories seems an important way to mark that change.

Damola’s story is essentially the African story. Young people on the continent, frustrated by lack of opportunities, are taking matters into their own hands.

Nigeria’s emigration numbers spiked after a violent end to the 2020 #endsars protests. The country’s economy has been on a downward spiral for the past decade, pushing many young people to search for greener pastures abroad. The #endsars protests were the last straw for many of them. In 2022 alone, 22,000 Nigerians moved to Canada through its permanent resident program, an increase of 7,000 from the previous year.

For Damola, her decision to relocate was made in September 2023 when her diabetic father was rushed to the ER. He needed a down payment of 1.6 million naira (960 US Dollars) to even be admitted.

“I think one of the things that’s hounded me for a long time was the fact that I realized that in Nigeria, if you don’t have money, you will die.” – Damola

Over her lifetime, Damola watched her family fall from upper middle class to “much lower than middle class,” to no fault of their own. Since the election of President Tinubu, it’s been difficult to keep up with Nigeria’s increasing cost of living. Damola saw many friends leave the country to find more promising lives overseas. Two of her siblings also left in early 2023.

“I knew that I wanted to leave when I saw that they could leave as well. If there’s a way to leave, why not?” – Damola

Medical professionals are leaving Nigeria at a staggeringly high rate. At the start of 2023, the president of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors reported that 2,800 resident doctors had left the country in two years. A survey of its remaining members revealed that 85% of them had plans to leave.

The head dentist at Damola’s clinic, Dr. Aisha Tayo Adewale, said she had a complete staff turnover in the four years since she started her practice.

“I love my dentists, but at the same time, I’m not blind. I can see what is going on in the economy. I can see what is going on in the environment. I can’t be selfish and say, oh, they shouldn’t japa.” – Dr Aisha Adewale

Damola boarded a plane for the first time in her life on September 29. She had a one-way ticket bound to Toronto. The date was meaningful – just two days before Nigeria’s independence day. It marked both a year since she had begun her emigration process and nine months since losing her father. Her mother was there at the airport to bid her farewell.

“This japa, it’s robbing us, the parents, of having a close relationship physically with our children.” – Damola’s mum

This episode would not be possible without the support of Luminate, the Doc Society, the Shin Creek Trust, the Anne Levy Charitable Trust, the SCP Foundation, and Pam and Bill Michaelcheck.

Listen to Farewell Nigeria on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

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