The Paramount Ruler of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has said Nigerian youths who want to leave the country for developed nations cannot be restrained by the government.
Oba Akanbi said they need to be exposed to the outer world and see things differently for them to come back and build Nigeria.
The traditional ruler disclosed this in a recent interview with Vanguard while responding to japa syndrome in which a large number of Nigerians are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.
He stated that leaving one's comfort zone to explore other parts of the world has a great advantage, adding that he believed that some of the youth would come back to build the country.
"Youths can't be restrained. It's like a two-edged sword. Travelling overseas is about more exposure. We need more exposed people and when they get their exposure, they can come back," Oluwo said.
Travelling has benefits
The Osun monarch gave an illustration of the Europeans that left their countries as missionaries and explorers to Africa, as one of the beautiful things that had happened, stressing that Nigerians that leave may be the helping hands that will lift Nigeria in the nearest future.
"When Mungo Park came to Nigeria, he left. The same thing with Mary Slessor and other missionaries, they came here. It's about exposure. They left their own comfort zone, made themselves uncomfortable, to see the world, to know how to talk to people. You cannot compare their names today to some people who restrained themselves over there. Their legacy lives on," he said.
"So I don't see travelling overseas as not good. You need the diasporan experience. See, if you live in Iwo and move to Lagos and come back, won't you like the houses in Lagos to be built in Iwo? If you don't travel to Lagos, you won't see them.
"Yes. So if you want to make Nigeria like America, a beautiful country, our engineers are learning there, they are upgrading and updating their curriculum from there. So I don't think there is harm in it, if anybody finds a way to travel, it's fine."
Stop corruption
Oba Akanbi stated that Nigerian politicians should focus their energies and resources on fighting corruption, to have infrastructural facilities that would make Nigerians stay in the country.
He lamented the infrastructure decay and across the country which is adversely affecting the economy, adding that many Nigerians live like prisoners in their home country.
He stressed the need for sacrifice from the leaders for democracy to thrive, as he stated that he politicians and Nigerians at large should discard their comfort zones to build the society, just as he did when he left Canada to be king in Iwo.
The king said, "I think what Nigeria needs to stop is corruption. What we need to fight is corruption so that we can build first-class hospitals, airports, and good roads. Poverty will be alleviated. How many people would like to come here when they see the roads on the way here?
"How many people would like to come? It impacts the economy negatively. When there are no good hospitals, there is no good welfare system.
"I came to Nigeria to sacrifice myself. I left part of my comfort zone in Canada, as a full-fledged Canadian citizen, to become the king. I didn't and don't take anything from them. I don't take from them, from my people. I served. I left my comfort. I left where I didn't live like a prisoner because many people in Nigeria are prisoners in their own homes.
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"You have to be vigilant even when you have your home, you have to build burglary proofs. If you don't, you know what is going to happen. You have to fence your house. Go overseas, there are no fences. So when you're talking about Japa, who doesn't want to leave? Who doesn't want their children to live comfortably when it is not provided for them here?
"But the people that are supposed to do that are the government. I believe this new government has a great vision and I hope and pray to God that God perfects his ways to correct the anomalies and great mistakes and corruption that have killed us."
"I believe we need people to leave, to get more experience. Maybe when they come back. They will be the people that will be in the government and they will be able to replicate what they have seen over there, instead of our people who live in the woods to become Honourables and Senators who don't have any idea of how good living is," he added.
