THE COUNTRY WE LOVE, THE COUNTRY WE LEAVE

Patriotism is easy to celebrate when it costs us nothing.Every October 1st, Nigeria fills our timelines with green and white flags, patriotic messages and reminders of the resilience of the Nigerian spirit. We celebrate how far we have come and speak hopefully about where we are going.But beneath the celebrations is a question many young Nigerians are quietly asking:How much of our future should we sacrifice for the country we were born in?Nigeria is not short of intelligent, ambitious or hardworking people. What we often lack are the systems that allow those qualities to flourish.The World Bank notes that Nigeria faces the challenge of absorbing about 3.5 million people into its labour force every year, while weak job creation, limited entrepreneurial opportunities and infrastructure gaps continue to constrain productivity. Electricity alone tells part of the story. As of 2024, only about 62.5% of Nigeria's population had access to electricity. For a young person trying to build a career, start a business, conduct research or simply live a stable life, these are not statistics on a report. They are everyday realities.And this is where Japa enters the conversation.For some, leaving Nigeria is betrayal. The argument is understandable: if the brightest minds leave, who will build the country? Who will create the businesses, hospitals, technologies, industries and institutions that Nigeria needs?A nation cannot be rebuilt if everyone capable of rebuilding it eventually leaves.But there is another question we must be brave enough to ask:Is it fair to demand that young Nigerians sacrifice their futures to repair problems they did not create?Gen Z did not design Nigeria's infrastructure gaps.We did not create decades of institutional problems.We did not decide how electricity, education, healthcare, transportation or employment should function.So when a young Nigerian chooses to leave for a place where their skills may earn more, their work may be valued differently and basic systems may function more reliably, calling that person unpatriotic oversimplifies a complicated decision.Sometimes leaving is not about hating home.Sometimes, it is about wanting a life.Yet leaving does have consequences.When doctors, engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs and other skilled professionals leave, Nigeria loses knowledge and productive capacity that could have contributed to its development. But migration does not automatically mean cutting ties. Nigerians abroad also send money home; World Bank data records personal remittances received by Nigeria at 7.8% of GDP in 2025. That means the story is not simply those who stayed versus those who left.A Nigerian abroad can still invest in Nigeria.A Nigerian abroad can mentor someone at home.A Nigerian abroad can build a company that employs Nigerians.A Nigerian who stays can equally contribute by building locally, creating jobs, serving communities and demanding better institutions.Perhaps, then, patriotism should not be measured solely by geography.The real problem begins when leaving becomes the only option young people can imagine.Because a country should not have to guilt its citizens into staying.It should give them reasons to stay.If Nigeria wants its brightest young people to build its future, then the burden cannot rest entirely on the shoulders of those young people. Governments, institutions and citizens all have roles to play.Citizens owe their country responsibility, participation and a willingness to contribute where they can.But a country also owes its citizens an environment where hard work can translate into opportunity, where talent does not constantly have to fight against broken systems, and where wanting a decent life does not feel like asking for too much.That is why I do not think the answer is simply stay or leave.The better question is:What would Nigeria have to become for staying to feel like a choice rather than a sacrifice?Because loving Nigeria and leaving Nigeria are not necessarily opposites.You can leave and still love home.You can stay and still demand change.You can build abroad and invest at home.You can remain in Nigeria and dedicate your life to fixing what is broken.There is no single definition of patriotism for an entire generation.At 66, perhaps Nigeria's greatest challenge is not convincing its young people to stay.It is building a Nigeria they do not feel they have to escape.Because the goal should never be a country where young people stay simply because they are afraid to leave.The goal should be a country where they stay because they genuinely believe they can build a good life there.We should not have to choose between loving our country and living the life we deserve. 🇳🇬

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