Unmitigated Migration and the Implications for Migrants and their Countries of Origin: The Nigerian Experience

Abstract

Migration is ordinarily a positive factor that aids the free flow of goods and services, and the exchange of ideas, talents, and technology across the world. However, when migration is unplanned and massive, it creates problems for the countries of origin and destination, as well as for the migrants themselves. This work interrogates the consequences of unmitigated migration on migrants and their countries of origin, using Nigeria as a case study. The study traces the history, trends, patterns, and causal factors of unmitigated migration, alongside its consequences and policy implications. It adopts the descriptive method, relying on readily available and reliable secondary data from various news outlets and mass media channels. The study is guided by an eclectic theoretical framework that utilizes the push-and-pull theory, the world systems theory, and the modernization theory to address different aspects of the topic. The paper argues that unmitigated migration out of countries like Nigeria has resulted in the loss of essential human resources (i.e., brain drain) and a significant depletion of the labour force due to the movement of the country’s best skilled and professional hands in search of greener pastures. While there are gains, especially for the individuals and families involved, such benefits are not significant enough in real terms for the countries of origin, as the conditions that motivated these movements have yet to abate. The paper therefore recommends structured migration that ensures backward integration of benefits substantial enough to propel the countries of origin out of the quagmire of unmitigated migration and underdevelopment.