According to a 2022 survey, 70% of Nigerians aged 15 to 35 would leave the country if they could. The wave of young Nigerians leaving the country is what many are calling japa, a Yoruba word meaning “to flee”.
Following the end of the 2020 #endsars protests, emigration numbers in Nigeria have spiked to the point where some Nigerian legislators have called japa a national emergency.
The word “japa” has become a cultural movement in Nigeria over the past few years. There are memes about it, songs about it and even companies built around it. It has become the theme word for a generation of Nigerians emigrating from the country in search of a better…