 Welcome back now. Before the Ukraine crisis, the economy faced multiple challenges, including unemployment, a weak currency, and insecurity. The situation has worsened the high cost of living and affected employees' finances and purchasing power. Funds show that 90% of Nigerians who have faced an increased cost of living are cutting their spending on essential and non-essential items. This has resulted in financial stress, the increased purchasing power, lower job satisfaction, and higher job mobility and migration rates. A German man now to discuss Foda is Mohammed Abdelay, public affairs analyst and travel enthusiast. He has visited over 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Turkey, Mauritius, Qatar, among many others for work, and of course, Asia. He has a first degree from the Keduna Polytechnic, Nigeria, and second degree from the University of the People Pasadena, California, United States of America. Thanks for joining me, Mohammed. Good morning. Good morning, Nigerians. Thanks for inviting me. Mohammed, it is really very, very shocking that over 50% of Nigerians would rather just want to leave the country because of the issues of the death, issues of a high cost of living, and other issues that are never making life or living worse than what are in the country. While you saw that report, what did you really make out of it? It's quite unfortunate, but again, we must understand that people, I mean, Nigerians in this case are not just jackpined, like we use the language. They're not just migrating due to economic issues. It's not really true if we think Nigerians are migrating all because of economic issues. There are so many other issues that are entwined, I mean, in the migration crisis. Now, if you allow me, I can tell you categorically that even though the report made mention of professionals, there are three categories of migrants, of Nigerian migrants. One is the reports actually captures well, the professionals, I mean, the doctors, the healthcare professionals, the ITs, the IT professionals. That was what is the inting now in the world. Those people, because they are not well catered for in Nigeria. For instance, even a consultant, and $1,000, that's even up to, if you calculate, I mean, using the black market rate, and far less than $1,000 a month. While, I mean, I know Saudi Arabia comes to Nigeria twice a year to conduct, you know, examinations for our medical practitioners, and they pay them at least, I mean, for entrance, they pay them nothing less than $3,000 plus USD per month and so on. And you don't even want to talk about the UK, which is far, far more than that, you know. So that is one category, the professionals. But there's another category, which is, I mean, the middle class. I know of so many bankers, that's what I mentioned earlier, that is not just all about economic issues. I mean, what people migrate for actually also, I mean, Nigerians include security, includes, you know, greener pastures and future for their unborn kids. People think a lot about that, because you see what's happening in Nigeria, you are kind of skeptical, what does the future hold if I'm married, if I give birth to one or two kids, will they be able to make it in this country and so on and so forth. If you go to places probably like Canada and UK, you have to some extent public schools, free education, even in Canada, you are paid for having your kids going to school and so on and so forth. So those are the middle class people who are bankers. I know of a regional managing director of a new generation bank who migrated. He's earning well according to the pay here in Nigeria, but he was looking at the future of his kids and his unborn kids. So that's the second one. The last one that I've seen is the downtrodden and people are exceptionally talented. You find out that in our various universities and higher institution of learning, you find out people who graduated with upper class, who graduated first class, but they do not have the means to further their education. The U.S. particularly and even the UK and even Canada and some other countries in Europe have these plans in place to poach and you know to steal, let me use the word apology, but to steal some of this talent and grant them what's it called scholarship, tuition free scholarship. They give them stipends and when they go there to train and become professionals, nobody thinks about Nigeria. So these are the categories of people that I feel have been making the migration, have been captured in the migration crisis across Nigeria. Okay so Mohamed, since we're looking at the business angle because this is a business issue, let's stay with the professionals which represent about 52 percent. Now it is worrisome that you know sectors such as the information technology education, even the medical sectors actually leave in the country, but what can we really do to remedy this situation? Because like you have rightly said, IT is actually a very big spender, a huge income earner. Is it like we have failed to recognize or to appreciate the homegrown talents that we have, can't we begin to maybe review their remuneration or something? Yes right, remuneration is very important. Like I mentioned earlier, you know a professor of medicine in Nigeria still ends probably around $1,000 and so on if you convert it to Nigeria and Naira which is shocking you know. So with the high inflation rates, high cost of living and so on and so forth, how do you expect such a professional probably who are putting more than 20 to 30 years you know in practice to survive? So you are right, remuneration is very key and then aside remuneration, I think what is also very important is the conducive environment for practice you know. For instance, go to our hospitals, you go to the condition of practice is very worrisome, is very shocking. We are still riddled with obsolete you know equipment here and there, the world has left off behind here and there and so on. So aside remuneration, what I think is also important is the condition of practice is you know make the environment very conducive for this practitioner. If you go to IT as well, it's the same. You know you have people who are for instance you remember during the cash crunch I mean earlier this year in Nigeria, the banks were overwhelmed because there was this rumor and I think it's true that majority of the IT professionals I mean in the IT department of major banks fled away you know because of the poor package they had so they feel they have a greener pasture abroad. So I think these are key issues that we must look at that we must revisit in order to make our country a better place and ensure that our professionals stay back at home to develop the country. Okay good, good thing you have said the issues of you know infrastructure and of course the right condition to work you know which is not really the best when we actually look at what happens in other climate. Now we have a new dispensation, we have a new administration and a whole lot of eyes are on now you know President Bolatinebo to actually revamp the nation's economic hemisphere you know from the issues of labor to the issues of oil and gas. He has met a whole lot of times with some stakeholders from those sectors but looking at it right now what should be done in the immediate see most of these things cannot really be handled and head on at once you know but even where to start just where do we start from? Yeah it's very key that the current administration led by President Bolatinebo begin from you know having the right and keep people in position of power. I tell you it was shocking that during the eight year of President Buhari I'm sorry to say we had almost and it's seven something or eight year old in the Ministry of Science and Technology. Come on I'm not saying it's not common. There are so many things that is happening in the world at the moment that probably his generation do not understand you know so you need to have the key technocrats handling certain and key ministries that is the right to it. Like you rightly mentioned we can't you know tackle everything that is for but what is important is that we begin and we begin and we begin right and how we begin right is to have the key people you must ensure that technocrats professionals not politicians please are appointed into key ministries key positions like science and technology, labor, communications and so on people will understand the game, people will understand modernities you know so if we do this I tell you because we have the policies it's not about maybe our laws or what have you we have the policies that is just needed more of implementation and so on and so forth. So what I think is important for this new administration is to start by having key individuals, professionals, people who have done it people who have seen it and you know have tackle problems you know of such nature at the hems of affairs and by so doing I tell you we can begin to move forward. Okay Mohammed as we round off now we talked about an IT we talked about you know education also talked about medicine but it is also what you have notes to mention really that professions like marketing and public relations which you represent of course I'm advertising and are also part of this one would have thought that our public relations experts would actually want to talk more about paradigm shifts and the paradigm changes to actually work on the minds of Nigerians so that we can actually begin to maybe appreciate what we have in as much as we might not be there maybe just stay back and probably hope that and things might change but some people they just don't believe in the future of Nigerian animal as a PR professional what would you say it's quite unfortunate really but again there is an arm of government that is actually charged with this responsibility I know there is the national organization agency but if I may throw the question back to you when was the last time you you saw or had anything from that agency does this statutory agency created by government to enlighten Nigerians to educate Nigerians you know to help Nigerians understand the policies of government and help Nigerians probably in terms of difficulty to understand what government is doing what citizens need to do to assist the government and what everybody needs to do with the government and the people to make sure we have a better country but unfortunately that arm of that important arm of government which probably I think is part of the Ministry of Information if I'm not mistaken now you know has been demand for years and is these people get allocations if not I'm sure monthly allocations either from the presidency or from the budget they get budgetary allocations doing for for nothing so this it's if I may if I may answer your question directly yes despite the fact that yeah you know the media just like you're doing what we are doing now is actually also enlightenment you know trying to do our bit but I think for those people who have been giving the statutory power and the monetary and and and the budget to do this job they need to come they need to do it right you know like we said the national orientation agency have been very dominant over the years I think this is the right time for them to come out blazing to tell Nigerians I mean educate and enlighten Nigerians particularly on this syndrome like you said 52 percent come on it's shocking that people want to leave their country their country of bed you know the country where they have the family and they just want because they just want to go abroad it's really shocking you know so I think it's important that the national orientation agency do their job and and they do it well and yes perhaps for all of us Nigerians as well to have faith and contribute our little quota in the development of our country all I thank you so much I have been speaking with a Mohammed Abdullah public relations consultant thanks for all of your useful inputs I'm all the time on plus TV Africa would you appreciate your time all right that's the size of the show for today and of course indeed at this week at business insights our return to your screen again same time on Monday morning my name is Justin Acadone many thanks for watching and do have yourselves a wonderful weekend bye for now