Why Nigerian entertainers relocate abroad

Victoria Inyama

The issue of brain drain is definitely one that is an albatross on Nigeria. 

Though it is not as infamous as corruption, tribalism, nepotism, selfishness, etc, it is also one of Nigeria’s most negative aspects.

According to Ed Jatto, singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, creative entrepreneur and many other things in the entertainment industry, “brain drain affects every sector of Nigeria’s economy, but funny enough, when it is spoken about, it is mostly with regards to the medical, educational and other sectors but not the creative sector.

“Brain drain however affects the creative sector severely. But because of the nature of our country, the creative sector is seen as an unserious sector peopled by dropouts and suchlike and that’s why they don’t even want to see that Nigeria is losing a lot of its creative talents to the Western world.”

Speaking further, he said, “After living in America and Europe for almost two decades, I know what’s going on there, and it makes me cry for Nigeria. Nigeria is constantly losing its creative talents, musicians, journalists, actors, authors and many others to the developed world, but nobody notices, or nobody cares, because creative people are not really respected but just tolerated here.

“What’s most painful to me is that we are losing these talents in the real sense of that word, lose. We lose them not to the West’s creative sectors but to their other sectors. A good example is Regina Askia. She was Nigeria’s biggest actress, and she is now in America, but is she an actress there? No. She’s in the medical sector instead.

“It’s not just Askia alone. How about Dizzy K Falola who was a very big and very talented artist in the 80s? And Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono, victor Essiet of The Mandators and the Okri brothers, Ben and Mike? And even I myself? Though I’ve been back since 2004, and Mike Okri, Ras Kimono, Victor Essiet and Majek Fashek are also back now, there are many more talents out there that should be at home contributing to the proper development of our creative sector to make it comparable to America’s and Europe’s.

“Some of those that are still out there are Bola Abimbola, an extremely gifted musician and producer who produced some of the biggest albums in the country; Azuka Molokwu Jebose, a gifted journalist; Ben Okri, a very talented author; Dekunle Fuji, a popular singer who is now a nurse in America; and too many to mention.

“So, these talents are out there, but nobody notices. And you know why? Because they are not doctors, scientists, engineers and other so-called specialists. So people don’t feel that they are a loss to the nation. So when they are talking about brain drain, they don’t really regard them.

“They are voluble in lamenting that it’s Nigerian doctors in American and European hospitals. They say it loudly that if only all these guys were at home, our healthcare sector will be better. You won’t really hear them saying that of the creative sector. But was Majek’s relocation to America not a loss to this nation?”

Jatto lived in America for fourteen and a half years. “It was my time in America that opened my eyes to the brain drain Nigeria’s creative sector is suffering. America’s creative sector is great and respected worldwide because America’s creative talents stay there in America to develop it.

“And just as America is blessed with great creative talents, guys like George Lucas who created Star Wars, Steven Spielberg who directs great movies, musicians who make music that set the standard in the world, authors whose books are sought after worldwide, Nigeria too is blessed with these talents. But we are losing them to the West at an alarming rate.

“The same way the medical doctors complain that they are able to practice better in foreign hospitals is the same way our creative talents feel they can express themselves better with all the equipments available to them in America and Europe. But the sad thing is that unlike the medical, financial and other sectors, our creative people fail to properly penetrate the West’s creative sector due to all the intricacies, especially language and culture, involved.”

Jatto is not the only person who feels Nigeria’s creative sector is suffering from brain drain. Saucy Gezzle, who owns a record label, Saucy Records, and a studio where musicians record, emphatically agreed that brain drain is a big problem in the Nigerian creative sector.

 “The story of Keke and D1 best illustrates the creative brain drain loss Nigeria is suffering. They were in America and when they returned home, their contribution to the music and broadcasting sectors changed those sectors around. If we had lost these two guys to America, the music industry might still have developed, but certainly not at the pace it did with them around.

“Don Jazzy and D’Banj are another example. Their return from the UK to Nigeria also enhanced the music industry greatly. Same thing with movie makers I keep reading about whom return from Canada, America, etc, to make movies that are making the world reckon with Nigeria as a country that positive things are coming from.”

Michael Eborson, better known as Meeson, a musician who has returned to the country from Germany where he relocated to for many years, also added his voice to the issue, explaining why there is creative sector brain drain.

“Most times, creative people relocate outside the country not just for money or to work with the best equipment which are unavailable in Nigeria. Sometimes it’s just about the need to be appreciated. If you’re a creative person in the West, you can be rest assured that you will really be appreciated.

“The society won’t look down on you that you are a lay-about. You won’t be tolerated. You will be respected, appreciated and encouraged by people to come up with creative efforts that will benefit the world. Once you are a creative person, you have a voice. You are a public institution. Your word carries weight with the public so politicians will court you to help them win the voters.

 “But we all know the story here in Nigeria is different. Parents wouldn’t want their children to go into creative fields. They prefer them to be engineers, doctors, etc. It’s just because of the apparent boom in entertainment now that parents are grudgingly allowing their children to go into it.”

And as if to buttress Meeson’s stance, Jatto said that he “was actually doing well in Nigeria when I left for America. I had released two albums, was performing at events and was also a studio engineer helping other artists in the recording and production of their music. But something was still missing and that’s why I went to America. America helped me to understand and appreciate myself as a creative person and that’s why I could return to Nigeria to continue from where I stopped.”

While Jatto has been able to return like Keke, D1, Don Jazzy, D’Banj, Tiwa Savage, Seyi Shay and some others, many that have not returned but can still return include Regina Askia, one-time Nollywood’s most sought-after actress; Ben Okri, author of The Famished Road that won the internationally renowned Booker prize; Dekunle Fuji, a gifted gospel music artist.

Others are Pat Attah, actor; Victoria Inyama, actress; Bola Abimbola, singer-producer; and Helon Habila, award-winning author.

Some who relocated and lived and died in their adopted countries include the renowned Chinua Achebe, author of the masterpiece, Things Fall Apart, and Mustapha Amego, former President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN). Both died in America, and their relocation to America was a loss that Nigeria’s creative sector never recovered from.