Poverty, bad governance fueling migration out of Nigeria, says activist

An Australia-based activist, Ifeanyi Nwolisa, has said poverty, bad governance and economic hardship were fueling migration of youths out of the country for greener pastures.

He stated that unless Nigerian leaders make deliberate efforts to address the issues, they would wake up one day to realise no more active manpower in the country.

He told reporters in Enugu that policies of succeeding governments have continued to impoverish and make living unbearable for the average Nigerian, while those at the corridors of power live large.

“It is disheartening that the masses have continued to bear the brunt of government policies. Look at the way subsidy on petrol was removed, which has affected prices of commodities to the detriment of low income earners. All the promises to cushion that policy have not been implemented.

While commodities are high in the market, services being rendered by government agencies have also gone up.

“The overall impact is that corruption is now the order of the day. Security men are on the road extorting motorists because their salaries cannot buy anything. Those in the temple of justice are waiting to be induced to enable them to swing victory on the side of anyone that is more benevolent. Elsewhere, others are looking for what to steal to enable them to feed their families.

“So, a government that is attentive to the yearnings of the people can only stop the level of migration out of the country by addressing poverty; giving the people reason to continue to live in a country and by ensuring that whatever is their take home is enough.

“Thus, it is not just by asking people not to leave Nigeria and not doing anything about it. Hunger and starvation will continue to make people seek better opportunities and Nigeria is not an exception.”

Speaking on the struggle for the realisation of Biafra republic, Nwolisa said the agitation was not a selfish one, stressing that it is being misplaced by those who did not understand it.

“We came together because we knew that the system has not been fair to us. We realized that it is our responsibility to let the world know that we are not being fairly treated. It is not a struggle for selfish reasons because all those things we are crying about are still with us,” he stated.