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Nigeria's japa generation: Why youth are leaving in droves

One of the biggest issues in Nigeria’s recent election — won by ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu — is the frustration of the nation’s youth.

Japa is a Yoruba word that means to run away or to flee

CBC News ·
A variety of different university students gather around, playing instruments and singing, outside.
People play music at Nnamdi Azikiwe University polling station in Awka, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, during Nigeria's presidential and general election. (Patrick Meinhardt/AFP/Getty Images)

In Nigeria, the japa movement is growing. Japa is a Yoruba word that means to run away, or to flee, and it's become a shorthand way for young Nigerians to say they're leaving their home country to look for opportunities abroad.

According to a recent survey by the Africa Polling Institute, 69 per cent of Nigerians would relocate if given the chance  — up from 40 per cent who felt that way in 2019.

This ongoing exodus of young people from the country is the backdrop of Nigeria's most recent election, which happened on Saturday. Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has been declared president-elect, but the main opposition parties have called the election a "sham" and want a new vote.

This week, we dig into the reasons why so many young Nigerians are looking to leave their country, how that galvanized them in this election, and what their exodus could mean for Nigeria's future.

Featuring:

  • Cyril Aliemeke, 32, thinking about leaving Nigeria.
  • David Hundeyin, a Nigerian investigative journalist.

Nothing is Foreign, a podcast from CBC News and CBC Podcasts, is a weekly trip to where the story is unfolding. It's hosted by Tamara Khandaker.

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