Japa culture is hurting Nigeria more than bad government ever did

I was on a call with a recruiter from a Lagos fintech last week. They are looking for a senior backend engineer. Three months now, no luck. Everyone with real skill has already japaed or is actively planning it. The ones left are either juniors or people just collecting salary and doing the bare minimum.

Now here is the thing I never hear anyone say out loud. All this japa talk, we act like it is just individuals chasing better opportunities. But the data suggests something else. We are exporting our best talent at scale and wondering why the system is collapsing. You cannot take all the doctors, engineers, and architects out of a country and expect things to improve.

I am not saying stay and suffer. I am saying if everyone leaves, who fixes the place? The people who cannot afford visa fees? The ones who failed their interviews? That is not a strategy, that is a death sentence. My question is simple. If you have the skill to leave, do you also have the responsibility to stay?