International Migration (Japa Syndrome) and Institutional Development of Nigeria: Perception of Stakeholders in Southeast part of the Country

Abstract

Although migration has been an age-long phenomenon, the current manifestation of international migratory trend which has been nicknamed ‘Japa’, a localized Yoruba word literally means escape to look for survival. Thus, Japa has become most prevalent in Nigeria and has continued to intensify due to increasing poverty, low standard of living, poor remuneration of the workforce. As a result, strikes are frequent, corruption is pervasive and insecurity among others have assumed a worrying dimension. Consequently, there is mass exodus of skilled Nigerians. Yet, the effects of this phenomenon on institutional development of Nigeria have remained largely unexplored with regard to empirical research. This study, therefore, examined international migration and institutional development of Nigeria, with a view to contributing to the discourse on Nigeria’s development context. The neoclassical economic theory of international migration was employed as the theoretical framework. Descriptive-cross-sectional survey design was adopted, with 252 respondents selected through voluntary participation in a web-based survey. The findings revealed that the negative effect of international migration is mostly reflected in the brain-drain phenomenon, which continued to affect the growth and viability of local institutions. It was also found that international migration has some positive effects which contribute in the development of socio-economic institutions in the Southeast Nigeria, particularly through diaspora remittances, knowledge and skills transfer, among others. The study, therefore, recommended the need for institutional restructuring, as well as political reforms that would address deficiencies in institutional structures in Nigeria.