The motion was rejected because the 1999 Constitution guarantees the freedom of movement of Nigerians to live and earn a living anywhere if they are qualified and normal.
A motion seeking to declare as a national emergency the migration of young Nigerians to other countries, popularly called Japa, has been rejected by the House of Representatives.
The motion was moved by Philip Agbese (APC, Benue) during plenary on Thursday.
Moving the motion, Mr Agbese, a first-timer, presented gloomy statistics of the mass migration of Nigerians to different countries around the world.
He said, "Nigerians leaving Nigeria and securing permanent residence in the United Kingdom, the USA, and Canada portends a grave danger for our nation."
Mr Agbese noted that the migration of Nigerians, popularly referred to as "Japa" on social media, negatively impacts the economic and social well-being of the nation.
"Those leaving Nigeria are not just the poor but middle class who possess skills. They include bankers, lecturers, health care practitioners, doctors, and nurses--trained manpower, all of whom were trained in Nigeria and emigrating at a time when their services are needed to build a strong and vibrant economy in Nigeria," Mr Agbese said in his motion.
He, therefore, prayed that the House should urge the federal government to convene a national summit with key stakeholders to effectively address the "japa" syndrome.
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He also prayed that the House should declare a state of emergency on the factors predisposing young Nigerians to give up on Nigeria in preference for other nations.
Speaking against the motion, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), said the call is against the principles of the 1999 constitution as amended, noting that freedom of movement is guaranteed by the constitution.
He argued that the motion should not even be allowed on the floor of the House because it 'offends' the Constitution.
"This motion as it is, looks nationalistic but it contravenes the provision of the constitution. It is the liberty of a Nigerian if he is qualified, he is normal, has all the grand rights of movement anywhere he wants and sources for a living.
"The constitution of Nigeria allows even dual citizenship talkless of moving somewhere to earn a living," he said.
However, Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno), who supported the motion, said the motion is not called for restriction but to tackle the factors encouraging migration.
"The mover of the is not praying that everybody should be stopped from going abroad, but he is advising.
"Let's tell ourselves the truth. The factors enumerated that is the actual factors or reason behind people leaving this country to seek greener pastures somewhere," Mr Jaha said.
Despite Mr Jaha's intervention, the members still rejected the motion when the speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, put it to vote.
Meanwhile, the House has adjourned till 4 July.
