Japa: “Something Big is Going to Happen,” Lagos Government Tells Doctors, Others
- Lagos Commissioner for Health Akin Abayomi on Thursday, July 30, called on medical professionals in the state to stay in Nigeria instead of emigrating abroad
- Abayomi, on behalf of the state government, made the plea on X, hinting that something significant was in the works for the healthcare sector
- The medical scholar's appeal came weeks after doctors warned that only about 55,000 physicians remain to serve Nigeria's population of over 220 million people
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Ikeja, Lagos state - Akin Abayomi, Lagos commissioner for health, has urged doctors and other medical professionals in Nigeria to resist the pull of emigration, saying now is not the moment to leave the country.
Abayomi, a professor of Clinical Medicine, made the appeal on Thursday, July 30, through his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
Source: Twitter
The commissioner told healthcare workers that a major development was on the horizon, without elaborating.
He wrote:
"To all our medical professionals, this is not the time to 'japa'. Something big is going to happen.
"You can leave, but not for too long.
"For those who have left, we are building something iconic. Start thinking about how you can contribute.
"Reach out to us at the Ministry of Health."
Nigeria's growing brain drain crisis
The commissioner's message comes against the backdrop of a worsening healthcare manpower crisis across Nigeria.
Legit.ng recalls that in June, doctors sounded the alarm at the Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital (FNPH), Yaba, Lagos.
The event, themed 'Too Few Doctors, Too Many Patients: The Consequences of Manpower Shortage on the Mental Well-being of Nigerians,' drew attention to a system under severe strain.
Per Vanguard, doctors at the conference warned that roughly 16,000 Nigerian physicians had emigrated within the last five years, leaving an estimated 55,000 doctors to care for a population of more than 220 million people.
Mental health specialists among those present said the exodus had widened treatment gaps, pushed up the cost of care, and placed crushing pressure on the few professionals still working within the system.
Source: Facebook
Japa: Why are Nigerians leaving?
The phenomenon, widely described by the Yoruba word "japa", meaning "to escape," has seen tens of thousands of young Nigerians move abroad in search of better opportunities. Persistent challenges, including unreliable power supply, security concerns, corruption, and alleged poor governance, have driven many to conclude that building a future outside the country offers better prospects.
For medical workers in particular, poor remuneration, inadequate facilities, and the emotional toll of operating in an under-resourced system have made emigration an attractive option.
Prof. Abayomi's call for those who have already left to consider returning and contributing to what he described as an "iconic" project signals an acknowledgement by the Lagos state government of both the scale of the problem and the need to draw back skilled professionals.
Read Lagos health commissioner Abayomi's full message to doctors below on X:
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Bwala: Japa doesn't guarantee prosperity
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Daniel Bwala, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's special adviser on policy communication, said a Nigerian working in the United Kingdom (UK) and earning between £2,600 and £2,800 monthly could, in some respects, be worse off than someone earning N60,000 in Nigeria.
Bwala broke down the cost of living for Nigerian workers in the UK, saying the income was quickly eroded by expenses.
Source: Legit.ng
