Presidential aide Daniel Bwala has sparked debate by asserting that Nigerians earning £2,600 to £2,800 per month in the United Kingdom may be financially worse off than individuals earning N60,000 in Nigeria. Speaking on The Morayo Afolabi Brown Show, Bwala, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, argued that the high cost of living in the UK erodes salaries, leaving little disposable income.
Financial breakdown of UK earnings
Bwala detailed how a typical monthly salary of £2,600 to £2,800 is consumed by fixed expenses. He stated: "£2,450 goes off. You pay power, internet, TV, rent. When you put them together, rent alone is about £800. Even if you are living in the outskirts of London." He noted that after these deductions, little remains, forcing many Nigerians to take on two or three jobs. This financial strain, he said, explains recent reports of Nigerians dying on London streets while working multiple jobs.
Bwala contrasted this with life in Nigeria, where a worker earning N60,000 benefits from informal social support networks. "That 60,000, at least Auntie Abike can loan you money. Uncle Soso and Soso can support you. What we are paying in power, the things we pay for in terms of social services here are almost zero as compared to that place," he explained.
Modern-day slavery in care homes
Bwala, a UK resident himself, reserved sharp criticism for the types of employment educated Nigerians often take abroad. He claimed that many Nigerian graduates, including first-class and second-class degree holders who earn postgraduate qualifications in the UK, end up working in care homes. "As far as I'm concerned, it's modern-day slavery," he said. He recounted visiting a friend at a warehouse job where PhD and master's degree holders were supervised by someone without a secondary school certificate. "Some of you in Nigeria who think you are suffering, you're better off than your colleagues that japa five years ago," he added.
Government healthcare initiatives as a response
Bwala highlighted the Tinubu administration's healthcare interventions as part of its strategy to address the 'japa' crisis. He cited a 50% subsidy on dialysis in federal hospitals and free Caesarean sections as examples. However, he acknowledged that extending these benefits to private hospitals and covering additional prescription medicines remains constrained by government resources. The 'japa' trend, derived from the Yoruba word for leaving or fleeing, has become a slang term for Nigerians seeking better opportunities abroad, often driven by poverty, insecurity, and unemployment.
Bwala's comments come amid ongoing debates about the economic realities of emigration. He previously made headlines when he said Al Jazeera privately apologised to him over a controversial appearance on its Head to Head programme, though he demanded a public apology and instructed his lawyers in England to file a defamation suit.
