*Says Nigeria offers better opportunity for self development
Ado-Ekiti—The founder of the Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola SAN, has advised professionals migrating abroad for greener pastures, to reconsider, saying Nigeria offers better opportunities for self actualization and development.
The legal luminary stated that if he had stayed back in England and not returned to the country in the sixties, he wouldn’t have attained the status he occupied today, especially as founder and Chancellor of ABUAD.
Speaking at the induction ceremony of the 179 newly Registered Nurses at ABUAD campus, over the weekend, Babalola noted that migrating outside the country in search of greener pastures is not the best option, adding that dreams can also be achieved and realized in Nigeria.
The legal Icon identified leadership problem as the only major challenge confronting the nation, adding that once this problem is addressed, every other one can be effectively tackled.
In his words, “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, no kidnappings. It was the military that came and messed up everything.”
He 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 Kikelomo Afolabi said that the government must adopt appropriate measures through increased workers remuneration, improve working conditions, and professional autonomy to check exodus of nurses.
Afolabi who is a lecturer in the Department of Nursing Sciences of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, added that government should also regulate policies on migration to reduce the migration of nurses abroad.
She however said that there are positive sides to the ‘japa’ syndrome, noting that as a result, Nigeria ranked 6th among the top ten remittance recipients in 2018, with remittances of billions of Dollars.
“The migration of Nurses has been a considerable economic cost to the country, it has depleted human resources for health and reduced the effectiveness of health care 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.”
The post Japa Syndrome: Stop Fleeing Abroad, Babalola Warns Nigerians appeared first on Barristers.NG.
3 min read
401 words
2 views