Prof. Mamman bemoaned the lack of coverage of the issue in the media at a meeting with heads of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education and its directors.
The Yoruba word "Japa," which means "to run, flee, or escape," represents the dreams of Nigerians who want to leave their nation in search of better opportunities elsewhere.
According to The Guardian, no industry is immune as a large number of professionals, including doctors, lawyers, bankers, academics, computer nerds, engineers, and both skilled and unskilled laborers, depart the nation in search of better chances elsewhere. Results indicated that the high number of retirements has further hindered the development in the tertiary education sub-sector.
Speaking on the subject, the Minister gave assurances that the current government would not act in a reactive manner but would instead address problems head-on before they got out of hand.
He claims that universities in Nigeria suffer greatly as a result of the brain drain phenomena.
Mamman, a former vice chancellor of Baze University in Abuja, bemoaned the knowledge and experience gaps that arise when bright academics depart the nation for study abroad programs. He claimed that this had a detrimental impact on the standard of instruction, research, and invention at Nigerian universities.
"Instability seriously harms the system. It is impossible to plan, collaborate internationally, or exchange pupils. Everyone agrees that the damage has been enormous, even though there is some Japa involved in that industry.
"Many of our employees have left. It doesn't get enough publicity. Due to all of these issues, tertiary institutions have seen significant staffing losses. We are now asserting that we must start over.
The Congress of University Academics (CONUA), in contrast, disagreed with the Minister and placed the entire blame on factors such as inadequate pay, inconsistent policies, reversals of policy, and a dearth of employment possibilities.
Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, National President of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), stated in an interview with The Guardian that there is "little to no link between the IPPIS platform and the 'Japa' syndrome."
His main point was that the brain drain phenomenon also affects professions that aren't directly related to IPPIS.
In his own words: "To our minds, no payment platform helps the 'Japa' syndrome. The threat impacts every facet of our existence, encompassing the formal private domains (like banks) that do not receive payment through the IPPIS network.
This issue is caused by a plethora of variables, some of which include inadequate compensation, inconsistent and occasionally erroneous policies, a dearth of job prospects, etc. To put it briefly, in our opinion, there is little to no connection between the "Japa" syndrome and the IPPIS platform.
But cautiously, the news that tertiary institutions have been removed from the site is encouraging. Good news: it appears that the administration is following the 30 May 2023 ruling from the National Industrial Court.
The University Autonomy Act (2003) is specifically violated by employing the IPPIS platform, according to paragraphs 56–70 of the ruling. Our concerns originate from the government's lack of clarity regarding a "new" payment platform.
Dr. Sunmonu demanded that the government focus on two important immediate challenges for professors in tertiary institutions: improving compensation and creating a conducive environment.