Dele Olawanle, a UK-based Nigerian lawyer, has shared his insight on japa.
Japa is slang for relocation to other countries for greener pastures.
In a series of tweets titled “The Dark Side of Japa or No Japa (Part 1)”, Dele Olawanle stated that japa is not always what people expect.
He painted a picture of a situation where, after relocating, a wife got a better job than her husband and took control of the house, which led to the husband losing his dignity and becoming depressed. After so many fights, they decided to call it quits, and the husband gets banished from the house and is prevented from seeing their children.
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Olawanle also painted a picture of a husband running away with a woman of a different color to get a permanent residence.
While he agreed that the stories are not always like this and that many families do well, he emphasized that, in most cases, it ends up this way. According to him, it is what he deals with daily as a lawyer.
“I am passionate about this matter because I have seen it all. I am an immigrant. I have been in the criminal justice system for years and I have seen the lives of many immigrant children and black families messed up. Most of them were from broken homes.
“There is poverty in Africa, the economy is struggling and the governments are inept and corrupt. So, everyone living in those countries, both the ones doing well and those that are struggling wants to Japa. They want to leave their country for a better country.
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“Unfortunately, some of them cannot see the dark side. Let me paint a picture:
“You were doing well and you wanted to secure the future of your children. That was what you said. You resigned and got to your dream country. You discover that it is not what you expected. You cannot get a job or a bank manager to become a cleaner. Your wife gets a better job than you and seizes control of the house. You lost your dignity and became depressed. You cannot go back to your country. You started fighting each other. She called the police and you are banished from the house. You are prevented from seeing your children. Your children don’t want to see you again because mummy has turned their head. Your husband has run away with someone of a different color or someone who can give him permanent residence. You did not see this coming when you started the conversation about relocating.
“The stories are not always like this, many families are doing well but it is usually like this. I am tired. This is what I deal with daily.” Olawanle tweeted.
THE DARK SIDE OF JAPA OR NO JAPA (PART 1)
— Dele Olawanle (@dolawanle) October 24, 2023
I am passionate about this matter because I have seen it all. I am an immigrant. I have been in the criminal justice system for years and I have seen the lives of many immigrant children and black families messed up. Most of them were… pic.twitter.com/vZCry7w35r
