Obasanjo to Leaders: Stop the ‘Japa’ of Doctors With Better Incentives

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerian leaders to provide meaningful incentives to doctors and healthcare workers to stem the mass migration—popularly known as “japa”—crippling the country’s health sector.

Speaking on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Yeriman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Zamfara State, Obasanjo warned that hospitals would remain ineffective without adequate medical personnel.

“When many Nigerians trained as medical professionals are ‘japa-ing’—leaving the country for better conditions—how do you retain them?” he asked. “You have to give them a bit of incentive.”

He noted that while physical infrastructure and equipment are critical, they’re useless without skilled professionals.

“You need the right environment. That’s the infrastructure. But you also need the equipment and, most importantly, the personnel.”

Obasanjo’s comments come amid an accelerating brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector. Thousands of doctors and nurses have migrated to the UK, Canada, and the U.S., citing poor working conditions, insecurity, and low pay.

In 2023, the National Hospital Abuja reported a staff reduction from 3,000 to 2,500. In 2022, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) warned that the exodus was worsening the country’s already high maternal and infant mortality rates.