Founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola (SAN), has cautioned Nigerians migrating to foreign countries, saying no nation has opportunity for self-development like Nigeria.
The legal icon said that if he had accepted to remain in England in the 60s, he wouldn’t be who he has become, especially as ABUAD Chancellor.
Babalola, who stated this, yesterday, during the induction ceremony of the newly-registered nurses at ABUAD campus, said that living abroad is not easy, noting that the only problem in Nigeria is that of leadership.
“The country, with over 300 ethnic nationalities, should be the United States of Nigeria if things had remained like 1960 to 1966. Then, there was no poverty and kidnappings. It was the military that came and messed up everything.”
He, therefore, charged the newly-inducted nurses to be great ambassadors of the university, saying that with determination, industry and faith, the graduands could achieve their goals.
In her lecture, titled: “Migration Intention: Implications and Challenges to Nursing in Nigeria,” Dr. Esther Afolabi said government must adopt appropriate measures through increased workers’ remuneration, improved working condition and professional autonomy to check exodus of nurses.
Afolabi, who is a lecturer in the Department of Nursing Sciences at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, added that government should also regulate policies on migration to reduce migration of nurses abroad.
She, however, said that there are positive sides to the ‘japa’ syndrome, noting that as a result, Nigeria ranked sixth among the top 10 remittance recipients in 2018, with remittances of billions of dollars.
“The migration of nurses has been a considerable economic costs to the country. It has depleted human resources for health and reduced the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
“Many primary, secondary and tertiary public health institutions need more essential materials and consumables for quality nursing care. Nurses in public health institutions are dissatisfied with their jobs,” she further said.
