THE IMPACT OF BAD GOVERNANCE ON BRAIN DRAIN: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS' PURSUIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION ABROAD

Abstract

This article explores the impact of bad governance on brain drain, with a particular focus on Nigerian students' pursuit of higher education abroad. The consistent loss of its best brains through either choice or forceful move to other countries better equipped to house professionals and scholars has become a worrisome trend undermining Nigeria’s development. Some of the reasons for Nigerians seeking education in other countries include; deteriorating quality of education; inadequate and unsuitable funding; lack of political and economic stability; perceived poor job prospects; and perceived better opportunities elsewhere. These problems persist mainly because of ineffective governance in states that do not provide the much-needed funding to the education sector; the reason gifted students have to look for scholarships abroad. Moreover, as the study has shown, brain drain aggravates governance problems by demobilizing institutions and undermining the state’s capacity to solve its challenges. This paper aims to identify the factors that influence Nigerian students to emigrate and offers an analysis of how poor governance contributes to the migrant’s decision. It equally looks at the difficulties and narratives of Nigerian students in foreign schools, as well as the opportunities embraced by these students. To mitigate brain, drain, the article provides the following strategies and policy prescriptions: investing in education, encouraging the development of research and innovation activity, cooperating with foreign universities and corrupt/governance challenges. Therefore, this article draws necessary attention to the critical fashion under which bad governance contributes to the rate at which Nigerian students travel overseas for their higher education endeavors and the need to enhance the existing education system and the governance structures in Nigeria. The proposed measures if effected are useful in managing and retaining human capital, a move that is recurrent in the countries embracing sustainable development and overall effecting the structural adjustments in Nigeria on the ladder towards embracing a knowledge-based economy. Finally, this article underscores the relevance of governance in contextualizing the issues of brain drain and underlines the imperative to advance efforts toward the achievement and sustainability of educational equity and human capital within Nigeria.