Tinubu Urges Youths to Stay Home, Build Rather Than Seek Japa

President Bola Tinubu appealed to Nigerian youths this week to remain in the country and contribute to its development, urging them to channel their talents, innovation, and energy toward building a stronger Nigeria rather than seeking opportunities abroad through the now-common japa emigration trend.

The President’s appeal echoed a message he delivered at a youth-focused event, where he was quoted as telling young Nigerians to ‘build here, code here, work here, vote here.’ The phrase quickly spread across Nigerian social media, with mixed reactions ranging from support for the sentiment to scepticism about whether domestic conditions could realistically retain ambitious young talent.

Tinubu’s appeal comes against the backdrop of a sustained wave of skilled emigration that has seen doctors, nurses, engineers, and technology professionals leave Nigeria in large numbers in search of better pay and living conditions abroad. The phenomenon, widely known as japa, has drawn growing government attention as a brain drain that threatens to undermine the country’s long-term development prospects.

Ilorin Innovation Hub Offers Local Alternative

In a related development that lends some practical weight to the President’s appeal, the Ilorin Innovation Hub in Kwara State said it was equipping young people with digital skills that could earn them up to 2,000 dollars monthly through technology and entrepreneurship without leaving Nigeria. Hub officials said the programme was designed to demonstrate that high-value digital income was achievable domestically, provided young people had access to the right training and infrastructure.

Furthermore, the National Information Technology Development Agency’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme and the federal government’s broader digital economy investments are part of a coordinated effort to create domestic alternatives to emigration. However, critics argue that addressing the root causes of japa, including poor electricity supply, weak healthcare investment, insecurity, and limited career progression, will require far more than appeals and isolated training hubs.

Still, government officials insist that improving macroeconomic indicators, including GDP growth of 3.89 per cent in Q1 2026 and record external reserves, create the conditions for more domestic opportunity over time. Notably, the youth appeal comes at a politically sensitive moment, with insecurity, economic hardship, and the unresolved Oyo abduction crisis all weighing on public sentiment about the government’s capacity to deliver a Nigeria worth staying for. Consequently, the credibility of Tinubu’s appeal will likely be judged less by the rhetoric itself and more by whether tangible opportunities expand for young Nigerians in the months ahead.

Xenophobia Evacuees Return From South Africa

In addition, the federal government continued processing the evacuation of Nigerians affected by xenophobic violence in South Africa, with MTN pledging to donate cash and airtime to returnees and the Imo State Government promising N1 million to affected indigenes. Presidential aide Abike Dabiri condemned the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa, saying their only crime was their skin colour. As a result, the government is simultaneously managing a domestic retention challenge and a diaspora protection crisis.