Owerri, 22 January, 2024 / 12:30 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Bishops in Nigeria's Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri have decried what they describe as high levels of brain drain in the West African nation describing it as a “worrisome” trend that denies the nation the much-needed human resource for development.
In a statement following their meeting, the Bishops’ blamed the migration of professionals from Nigeria on unemployment, calling for the development of economic policies that they said could help revive the country’s economy.
“In recent times we have witnessed a growing number of our professionals and young people desperately giving up everything to emigrate in search of jobs and better living conditions outside the shores of our country. This extensive brain drain is worrisome, and is denying the country the requisite manpower needed to revamp its economy and foster national development,” the Bishops said in the statement they shared with ACI Africa on Thursday, January 18.
They said that the trend had mostly affected the young people who “feel rejected by the very society into which they were born” because of high unemployment levels.
“As the country continues to sink economically, and as our government continues to accumulate more and more debts, many young people have been led to frustration and despondency. The situation is worsened by the high level of youth unemployment in the country,” they said.
