Nigerian medical and tech professionals, who have relocated abroad for greener pastures, have revealed that unfavourable working environments, alarming inflation, job insecurity, and unfavourable government policies, were what motivated their moves.
In separate interviews with BizWatch Nigeria, where they made this known, the practitioners unanimously agreed that their skills are very much valued outside the shores of the country.
Amongst those that spoke to this publication, was Itunuoluwa Adebamijoko, a United Kingdom (UK) based nurse, who stated that she has always been angry about how nurses are being side-lined among health workers in Nigeria and said it was never in her plan to practise in the West African country.
“Nursing is meant to be among the top professions, but in Nigeria, the Nursing profession is far behind and can’t even compete with other countries and how well they are appreciated there.
“I never wanted to be a nurse in Nigeria; I was never happy about it, I wanted to be a doctor. But eventually, I found myself in the profession and I fell in love with it. It was a determination for me to try my best to get out of the country to a place I am more appreciated.
“I started the process after I finished nursing school. There were financial constraints but I started saving up from the first job I got,” she added.
Like Adebamijoko, Ismail Olalekan, a technopreneur, said as much as it seems to relocate is difficult for Nigerians, it is not as uneasy as surviving daily in Lagos, where he used to reside.
“My plan to leave the country and start afresh was triggered by unfavorable government policies that kill business dreams. I had run two startups that were both killed as a result of unfavourable government policies.
“I left the country to seek a better enabling environment and explore how things are done beyond the terrain of Africa,” he told our correspondent.
Another tech expert who doesn’t want to be mentioned said anyone in the industry planning to relocate from Nigeria is making a smart move considering the opportunities that are in abundance abroad.
