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Canadian Immigration In 10 Years: Nigeria Might Be The Leading Source Of Black Canadians

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Being the most populous African country, Nigeria is a well-known nation and has earned the moniker, Giant of Africa, even though current assessment in terms of economic stability and security would belie that epithet.

For young Nigerians, when asked what the Nigerian dream is, their answer is always a variant of the same phrase – to leave. To leave the country of their birth and go somewhere better, somewhere they can live their lives freely, to go somewhere sane where things work. And when you ask the older Nigerians, they say they want their children to go somewhere else because they are far too established and entrenched to just leave. For a lot of Nigerians, Canada is that place, it is that place where things work, it is that utopia where dreams come true as long as you work for it, and Nigerians are working hard to achieve that dream.

As of the last Canadian census in 2016, there were 51,800 Nigerians in Canada, and although the result of the 2021 concluded census has not yet been released, that number is more likely to have doubled considering 12,595 Nigerians relocated to Canada in the year 2019 alone. Some people believed this spike in immigration figures was not coincidental considering 2019 marked the beginning of the second tenure of Nigeria’s government.

So many factors have contributed greatly to the heightened urge of the average Nigerian to migrate to saner climes and why countries like Canada now have Nigerians as the dominant part of their African populace. Will Nigerians continue to emigrate? Yes. Will they continue to choose Canada? Most likely.

Presently, Nigeria is the leading source of permanent residents in Canada and the leading source of African immigrants. These residents have testified to an easier and more rewarding life to their family and friends and have stoked the embers of the “Nigerian dream” in them. Additionally, these residents have increasingly begun to use their social media pages to guide willing emigrants and to show them everything they would need to survive in their new country for little or no fee. Almost every YouTube user has opened a video and encountered an advert starting with “Do you want to move permanently to Canada? Or “The easiest ways to move to Canada.” As annoying as these videos may be, they are very crucial to the Nigerian starting her emigration journey since they usually contain hacks that make the process less cumbersome.

These videos further streamline the vision of the young Nigerian who knows he wants to leave the country but does not have a place or even a timeline yet, it brings the thought to the forefront of his mind and adds something else—suddenly, it is not just “I need to leave this country.” It is “I need to leave this country and go to a place like Canada”.

Another factor that is crucial to the ever-increasing number of Canada-bound emigrants is the fact that there are so many notable Nigerians that have made a name for themselves in different fields. With names like Stella Umeh the famed gymnast and Olympic medallist, Daniel Igali; journalist Ken Saro-Wiwa jr; Dax, the rapper; and Samuel Oghale Oboh who was the first black president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, it goes without saying that Canada is the place where Nigerian emigrants can reach their full potential. They can continue up the ladder and be rewarded appropriately considering they are efficient without the drapes of nepotism, favouritism and corruption hanging over them. It is a place where things work and laws are enforced.

As Nigeria continues to prepare for its next presidential election, one thing is certain, regardless of if the country is able to turn around for the better after the forthcoming elections or if all remains the same, Canada will continue to gain Nigerian emigrants, and in about 10 years, Nigeria may be the leading source of black Canadians thereby overtaking Jamaica.