Can I love Nigeria and still leave?

For many young Nigerians, the word "JAPA" is no longer just slang. It represents the possibility of finding opportunities that seem difficult to find at home.‎A young person like myself has dreams. We want a good education system, meaningful work, financial stability, good electricity, and the opportunity to build a life that we can be proud of. And when those opportunities become so difficult to find at home, it is understandable that we look elsewhere.‎So I personally struggle with the idea that patriotism should mean staying regardless of the circumstances.‎But I also understand why brain drain is painful. When skilled Nigerians like doctors, engineers, economists, and other professionals leave Nigeria, the country loses people it needs to develop. The problem now becomes a cycle. Poor opportunities encourage people to leave. Their departure reduces the skills available to strengthen businesses and many other sectors, and those weak systems encourage more people to leave.‎Let's look at the health sector, for instance. I asked my freind why he wants to migrate to the U.S. after studying nursing in Nigeria, and his answer was quite simple: they pay nurses better there than in Nigeria.‎So perhaps the question is not simply: Should young Nigerians leave or stay? We are asking the wrong question.‎What does patriotism mean to me?‎Patriotism should not mean asking young people to sacrifice their future for a country that has not provided the foundation they need to build that future. But leaving should not also mean abandoning Nigeria either.‎A young Nigerian can leave for an opportunity abroad and still contribute to Nigeria. For example, they can invest. They can create businesses. They can support their families from over there. Migration does not automatically erase someone's connection to their homeland.‎We cannot continually tell young people like me to stay while treating electricity, education, healthcare, transportation, and economic opportunities as luxuries. If Nigeria wants bright young people to stay, it has to make staying a realistic choice, not a test of how much suffering we can tolerate.‎And this is where I think the burden of patriotism becomes unfair. We should contribute to Nigeria, yes, but contributing should be encouraged through opportunities.‎Personally, I don't believe loving Nigeria means refusing every opportunity outside Nigeria. I believe the goal should be to create a Nigeria where a young person can look at an opportunity abroad and genuinely say, "I want to go," rather than, "I have to go."‎That is the Nigeria I would rather celebrate on Independence Day, because patriotism should be a relationship, not a sacrifice demanded from only one side.‎

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