Babatunde Fashola, former Minister of Works and Housing and ex-governor of Lagos State, has emphasized that the “Japa” (emigration) syndrome in Nigeria is not a true measure of the country’s performance.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS, Fashola highlighted the need for a more realistic and less exaggerated discourse on the challenges facing the nation.
“The first place to start from is to understand that our world has changed so radically with the onset of globalization, the increase in global penetration, the internet, now people can interact with people now quicker than they used to, therefore Japa syndrome is not a measure of how bad or how good the country,” Fashola stated.
He underscored the impact of globalization and the rapid pace of movement and communication in today’s world, emphasizing that the phenomenon of people seeking better opportunities abroad should not be solely interpreted as an indicator of the country’s overall performance.
“The world is immediately migrating now, people are moving, traveling at a pace, perhaps never witnessed before in the history of human evolution. The point to make is the exaggerations and ways we speak about ourselves. Most of the negative correlations about us have come from ourselves and not from outsiders. I just hope we can look in the mirror and have a different conversation about ourselves,” Fashola added.
Addressing the issue of separating the government from the country, Fashola stressed that when a particular government fails, it should not be considered as the entire country letting its citizens down. He urged Nigerians to distinguish between government actions and the broader identity of the nation.
“Also, there is the tendency for conflict between the government and country. I think we should separate them. Government is going to come and they are going to perform and some are going to disappoint, and when they disappoint us, it is not our country that has let us down. It is our elites and our then leaders. We shouldn’t throw our country under the bus because we are angry with a politician of a particular era,” Fashola stated.
Fashola also emphasized the importance of authenticity in government, noting that public servants should remain true to themselves to align with people’s expectations.
“There is an office and there is a job, and that is the reason why we are all there. That job requires us to serve and to impact people, and that’s why it is called public service. If one remains true and authentic to themselves, then I don’t think that they will fall far away from the expectation,” Fashola concluded.