Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on the Federal Government to introduce targeted incentives and policies to stem the tide of the Japa syndrome—the mass migration of Nigerian doctors and healthcare professionals seeking better working conditions abroad.
Speaking on Tuesday, June 17, during the inauguration of the Yeriman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Zamfara State, Obasanjo warned that upgrading health infrastructure alone would not resolve Nigeria’s deepening healthcare crisis.
“For hospitals, especially when many Nigerians who have been trained as medical personnel are ‘japa-ing’, which is going out of the country, looking for better conditions—how do you hold them here? You have to give them a bit of incentive,” Obasanjo said.
He emphasized that retaining skilled personnel is just as important as building and equipping hospitals.
“You need the right environment, and that is the refurbishing, renovation, but you need the right equipment—and then you need the personnel,” he added.
His remarks come amid rising concerns over the mass exodus of healthcare professionals from Nigeria.
At the May 2025 Annual Delegates Congress of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held in Katsina State, NMA President Prof. Bala Audu disclosed that over 15,000 doctors had left the country in the past five years. He warned that the migration has left the country dangerously understaffed, with one doctor now attending to as many as 8,000 patients.
Obasanjo’s comments add to growing pressure on the government to address the root causes of brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector, including poor remuneration, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of career advancement opportunities.
