Wale Ojo urges Nigerians to dump “Japa mentality”, claims it’s embarrassing

Award-winning actor Wale Ojo expressed his desire for Nigerians to stop being interested in leaving the country, also known as ‘japa’.

During an interview with ThisDay, he emphasized his aspirations for Nigeria, mentioning that even after living abroad for many years, his love for the country remains strong.

“I have a lot of aspirations. Over the years it would have been extremely easy for me not to come to Nigeria at all. I could easily have stayed in the United States or United Kingdom, or Germany, or even Russia. And I know I would have been okay doing what I do there. But I love Nigeria, and I will always love Nigeria no matter what,” he said.

Ojo stressed that although Nigeria faces numerous challenges, he is determined to contribute towards making his vision for Nigeria a reality.

“And I have a lot of visions for Nigeria. And that vision is one that encompasses a country where everybody doesn’t want to ‘japa’. The ‘japa’ mentality I think is embarrassing. I think it’s unfortunate, you know where doctors think they go and do their stuff elsewhere and whereas when I go to the United States or go anywhere, Nigerians are applauded for their ingenuity,” the actor explained.

“When you will come home there are many problems, I want to be a part of the solution; I don’t want to be talking about the problem I want to be a part of the solution. I put a lot of things in place to bear the solution if the government wants to engage with the creative industry they need to come and talk to people like us because we have a vision for the country; we don’t do ‘follow-follow.’”