The Surge of Brain Drain Emigration in Nigeria

The paper answers the puzzle of the protracted surge of brain drain emigration over the years despite interventions through policies and reforms by the Nigerian government. Brain drain has affected the country both politically and economically as well as socio-culturally. Skilled professionals are the powerhouse of any country, as they are the determinants of growth and development. Nigeria has suffered from a pandemic of a highly skilled labour force seeking better opportunities abroad, which – in turn – drains the progress of the country. The study identifies the less-explored structural drivers that have a stronger influence on the surge of emigration in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper investigates the deeply rooted systemic and structural factors that influence the persistent increase in the emigration of skilled professionals, causing brain drain in Nigeria. To achieve this, it adopts case study methods, which delve into an in-depth study to uncover structural or systemic drivers and their impacts on the Nigerian milieu. The approach evaluates the effectiveness of the policies and reforms in reducing brain drain emigration over the years, observing the periods they were implemented and their remarkable impact, utilising published statistics. The data is sourced from secondary materials such as government publications, reports, survey results, websites, books, journal articles, newsletters and dissertations. The emphasis on Nigeria, among other African countries, is critical because Nigeria is known to be one of the African countries with a very high number of emigrants to Europe and North America.