Understanding myths and realities of migration

A review of Alaba Ojapinwa’s book, Migration: Myths and Realities: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Migrating from one place to the other has been part of human existence, but today’s issues relating to movement bring about myths and realities which Debo Ikuesewo-Akinbami highlights from Alaba Ojapinwa’s book, Skilled Migration: Myths and Realities: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

Migration has been with man since creation. The fact that it is even as old as the first man is sufficient credence to the locution that it is in the nature of man as it is with lesser creatures to alternate between environments in search for difference, notwithstanding the latitude.

Migration in us, innately, as humans, (even animals) to seek and move in the direction of relative  comfort, where life is richer and better, where the grass is greener or where the land is more fertile.

Today, migration has become about the biggest issue among governments of the world. The issue continues to sprout shades of discourses, spurring issues in politics, international relations, religions, economy and remains a regular subject of investigation within the knowledge industries. As migration generates and attracts diverse enquiries and prospective migrants seek diverse answers to hearty queries by which they can measure the consequence of migrating, as they itch for competent compass that should determine the propriety or otherwise of related actions, or that should fortify their resolve to sojourn, the birthing of this book becomes apt as apposite.

The book, Skilled Migration: Myths and Realities: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Alaba Ojapinwa, is written for persons, institutions and purposes.

The book addresses salient issues of worry to government and citizens alike on the important issue of migration. It nudges governments of nations to work to better humanity where and how it matters to achieve global peace, as it speaks instructively to migration intents, raising cautious flags about ubiquitous illusory notions and bruises the seeming inertia in societies with issues that pushes citizens abroad.

The work that tasks the Western world (especially Canada) to up it cares also carefully undressed unrighteous myths, portray other sides of the coins, while challenging stressed countries to new thinking and difference. The treatise of the themes of remittance and its economic implications, loss of cultural identity and values, family separation and breakdown bring especially lessons to source countries, even Nigeria.

Ojapinwa, himself a skilled Nigerian-Canadian migrant, has done the world, particularly the youth a favour by coming up with issues related to migration, having bore the brunts and learned by first hand experience, dispassionately provided reliefs for those fears and anxieties that usually come with migration plans, even those notions that have since founded controversies about migration.

A number of issues raised in the book are edifying as they are instructive. From experiential bank, Ojapinwa admits that the Western clime is one with limitless opportunities and possibilities, yet he laments the attendant hitches some of which he identified as late or outright non-integration, poor skilled job prospects, anti-migrant sentiments.

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Since people sojourn from one corner of the earth to another with various intents and interests, these intentions, the author says, vary with each man. The book neither promote nor dissuade citizens from migration as it appreciates both sides and sizes of the motivation that either pulls or pushes a citizen to the plan, which range from quest for fatter income, to opportunity for thorough training, health and financial securities. Even, the lure of good infrastructure attracts many away from the debilitating condition of public facilities in the third world countries.

However, the author contends that citizens should leave their countries in other to improve their skills and economic conditions.

The author believes that some governments and societies have, either purposely or inadvertently, created conditions that push citizens to other lands for inferior situations.

It’s, in his words, the height of irresponsibility and failure for any government to encourage a situation whereby her citizens travel to another country for reasons of low-wage jobs, safety or survival.

For the author, intents for migration should be noble. Yes, citizens travel from a particular geographical enclave to settle permanently in new locations. These movements cost a fortune to do and also come with dire financial and emotional implications, and often over long distances.

The writer weighs these risks and offers reliefs, which include what he called ‘the exit plan,’ where things seem impossible.

Internal migration happens though, the author’s radar, in this book captures, beyond the cursory, inter-nations migration, which is a global practice, and which happens with individuals, family units or even large groups as a daily endeavor.

The work, albeit not of Nomadic movement, a class that harbours no real intention to settle in the new place, but a seasonal and adventurous movement.

Modern life has robbed many a putative nomadic people of this lifestyle, yet, in this discourse, author dwelt predominantly on economic motivated migration.

From a vantage, the author objectively discusses the challenges of the West, the flaws and failings of the host countries with a view to signpost them to the authorities and rouse them to righting the wrongs.

Ojapinwa pointedly argued that migrant-targeting countries, including Canada, should ascertain genuine need before bringing in skilled migrants since it is a common occurrence that far too many skilled migrants travel without a chance of ever finding a job in their areas of training or experience.

The author also cautions purveyors of fleetingly fallacies and challenge them to difference.

Skilled Migration is a sure ticket to getting the tickets in one’s strife to be correct for migration and to be at advantage in the event of uncertainties.

The prospective migrants, either as individuals or families, will surely find it a worthy guide in their quest to migrate.