…delivers lecture at Babcock University Convocation
Nigeria’s foremost Lawyer, Wole Olanipekun has urged Nigerian youths to shun the ‘japa syndrome’ by being cautious, sober and reflective at migrating from Nigeria to other countries.
He stated this while delivering the convocation commencement speech at Babcock University, Ilisha-Remo, Ogun State on Sunday on the theme: “Go and Replenish the Earth: Man’s Misconception of God’s Mandate.”
He admonished the graduates to remain resolute to salvage the situation in the country adding that they should not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by societal issues and challenges.
He said: “My plea still remains that we have to salvage the dehydrating situation which drives our youths from their homestead.
“Nigerian youths should be very careful or cautious, sober and reflective at migrating from Nigeria to any nation or country for that matter, as all that glitters over there is not gold.
“This exodus mantra is now termed ‘japa syndrome’. Most of them, including even adults in their late forties, fifties and sixties are nursing the ambition of migrating from Nigeria, not caring what type of odd jobs or debilitating weather conditions they will meet yonder.
“The poignant question arises, to wit, who is to blame for this absurdity? Is it the government, the elderly generation or the youths?
“The answer is a mixed-bag of an equally confusing conundrum. No wonder Shakespeare quipped that: “the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.
“As recently as January 31, 2024, I presented a fairly researched paper on this beleaguering subject, and my counsel then, which I would like to re-echo here is that our youths should be very careful or cautious, sober and reflective at migrating from Nigeria to any nation or country for that matter, as all that glitters over there is not gold.”
Olanipekun expressed concern over Nigeria’s overbloated population, describing it as major threat to the country’s economic and social development.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria posited that Nigeria’s increasing population is a time bomb that would explode at any time, even without anybody detonating it.
Speaking on the theme, Olanipekun called for an effective management of the nation’s population growth with proper review of the population policies.
The former chairman, Body of Benchers said “for centuries, man has misconceived the biblical mandate charging him to “go and replenish the earth” as a command to recklessly populate the earth, without caution.
“To live up to the true meaning and intent of this God’s given mandate, our focus must be on contributions to humanity rather than uncontrolled population, which invariably chokes the available limited resources in diverse ways.
“My research has not yet assisted me to locate any particular man in the world whose success has been measured or determined by the plurality of the children he has flooded his immediate environment with rather than the magnitude of his success and positive impacts on his environment.
“It is curious that Nigeria remains one of the very rare countries where the distribution of revenue from the Revenue Allocation Account is based, amongst others, on the principles of landmass, and population density.”
Olanipekun admonished Nigeria to understudy China’s development model, particularly, how the People’s Republic was able to manage her population to compliment her economic and social development.
“China stands as a notable exception amongst countries of the world with high populations and abject poverty. While China is one of the most populous countries in the world, it has managed to lift millions out of the ruthless conundrum of poverty through sustained economic growth, industrialization, and effective governance.
“China is a success story today, and the secret of this narrative, I dare say, is not unconnected with the country’s periodic review of its population policies, starting with the One-Child Policy, which was implemented in 1979, restricting couples to having only one child. The Policy was designed to help control China’s population growth, which was skyrocketing at the time and seen as a threat to the country’s economic and social development.”