I shared an opinion on this platform some few weeks ago and it can be found here https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2021/10/why-the-nigerian-youth-should-stop-traveling-abroad-by-victory-akpomedaye/.

I am surprised reading some funny comments from young Nigerians who are meant to read beyond the headlines. I saw the shades thrown at me and I also felt the plight of the ones who have a strong case to present.

But I am disappointed to admit that young Nigerians have lost the reading culture. Logical reasoning took flight at the crass display of emotions. But I would share another interesting opinion today and I have a good belief this will sit well with my audience.

It is imperative and as a matter of life and death to travel beyond the shores of Nigeria. I have chosen to use this phrase because ignorance kills. And for one to be cured of an ailment, one has to slug it out with the required knowledge. I have seen people make ignorant statements and wished they know the truth.

I have heard people speak as though they are in darkness and wished they see the light instantly. And with the advent of social media, one would have thought that the world would be more enlightened but it has been the opposite because some of things are not as real as they seem to be.

There are three categories of young people that should travel, provided they have the funds to make their wish. (1) The students seeking sound and up-to-date knowledge about their chosen career and occupation. (2) The holiday and merry makers (3) The sick who should seek foreign medical intervention.

Interestingly, apart from the third category which leaves which no one hopes to fall into, the other two categories should be planned and woven around one’s life. Nigeria does not even have great citadels of learning and with the outdated and dilapidated facilities littering everywhere and appearing as our structures for learning, coupled with the systemic decadence, any smart chap would rather travel abroad to have a better way of learning. Insecurity as a matter of interest has plunged the Nigerian education into serious problems.

The times are indeed precarious and I hear some parents now save up some funds to pay some ransom should their children been kidnapped. Some parents don’t even bother about the academic performance, the lives of their offspring matter more than whatever will happen in school.

There is a saying in Nigerian parlance, problem no dey finish. This is just my point when I preach to young people how they need to rejuvenate by travelling abroad for holidays for the sole purpose of uncluttering their minds. No one takes their wealth to the grave and young Nigerians ought to see the need to unwind beyond the shores of Nigeria.

It is even sad that the country has no world class location for leisure and that is the reason one should go out there, have fun and probably come back refreshed. This also helps in knowledge sharing. I once was told there are some fowls as tall as humans in some particular countries in Asia. Funny as that may sound, I would need to travel to Asia to corroborate the report or debunk it as a lie.

No one wants to fall sick but with the rate people die at the slightest illness, it is advisable to seek medical help abroad especially when it is something terminal. I once read that Nigerians are the largest community of medical tourist abroad. The government may have failed in providing the basic medical amenities in place but the Nigerians are smarter than leaving their lives to that chance of the government’s ineptitude.

Either young Nigerians want to come back to build their country or they want to legally stay put abroad to help contribute to a system that works, they should endeavor to travel enough to tell their experiences.