Nigeria’s migration wave, popularly described as the “japa” movement, is increasingly less about ambition and more about survival, and so are other migration intents in other African countries. It’s ambitious. Doggedness for better livelihood, or future, if you may. Behind every bus ride to another African country, every visa application and every dangerous relocation journey, is a familiar story of economic frustration, unemployment, weak institutions, shrinking hope, non-existing governance, staring hopelessness, etc.
While South African communities wrestle with rising poverty, inequality and joblessness, many Nigerians/other Africans arriving there, are escaping similar pressures, probably because of their intense driving-zeal to achieve destiny without the contraction of crime. The result is a collision of two national crises as painted by the actions of South Africans; with the ordinary migrants trapped in the middle. In a continent with a common racial-colour identity. Could this be spurred by jealousy, hate, hosts’-laziness towards attainment while migrants spring economically, or what?
Even South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently acknowledged that governance failures across Africa, are fueling migration pressures. How about South Africa with the online viral pandemic-spread of street crime, daily car/phone theft, house burgling, bullion-van robbery, gang-banging, etc., could these be caused by governance-failures in South Africa too? Well, as Ramaphosa remarks, though it sounded controversial in some Africans’ circles, but it sure reflects a growing diplomatic concern that migration within Africa can no longer be separated from socioeconomic collapse, youth unemployment, weak governance structures and less infrastructural developmental leverages across the African continent.
This is where the conversation becomes politically sensitive. As for Nigeria that has been long celebrated as the “Giant of Africa”, Ghana, well embraced as the most peaceful nation in Africa, amongst some others, etc., they continue to struggle with conditions that push millions of their citizens outward, despite the countries’ vast oil/mineral resources wealth, youthful population and entrepreneurial potentials.
