Telecom operators in Nigeria have expressed worry over the mass exodus (Japa) of technical workers from the country. According to them, this may lead to poor quality of services if not addressed as competent hands are leaving Nigeria to other countries in search of greener pastures.
It has been projected that the japa syndrome may persist as there are little or no indicators that Nigeria’s leadership will make any significant headway in terms of positive transformation-at least for now
According to the Executive Secretary of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Akinola Olude, he disclosed that so far, over 2,000 telecom experts left the country this year with many still making plans to leave.
While speaking at the NITRA ICT Growth Conference 2.0 held in Lagos recently, Mr. Olude stated the sector could begin to face negative impact the quality service, if there are fewer competent hands to handle network issues.
In his words: “While we have been talking about the problems of multiple taxations and the high cost of Right of Way in the telecoms sector, a new challenge is coming up and that is the issue of brain drain in telecoms.
“Many competent hands are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad. In the course of this year alone, over 2,000 have left and many are still going to leave. We have to do something; the government has to do something in this regard to encourage Nigerians to stay.
In his contribution, Mr. Chris Uwaje, the Chairman of Mobile Software Solutions Limited, called on the government to put in place the right infrastructure that can keep young Nigerians engaged and give them hope for a brighter future in the country.
Uwaje who chaired the conference said, “The government is currently blind with regard to the digital brain and is only concerned with revenue generation. Those who are ‘japaing’–I would want Nigerians to look for another word for the exodus of its human capital because it sounds like a joke but this is a serious issue—are leaving because the government has failed to provide the social infrastructure they need to survive.
“If Nigeria had built telecommunications knowledge Parks and put thousands of youths there, many of them can be working for foreign companies from there; that is outsourcing. They don’t have to run out of the country to work for foreigners. They will be doing that here and earning in foreign currencies. We need the government to build these Parks to encourage our young ones to stay.”
Source: Techeconomy
