Several years ago, the African brain drain syndrome was talked about both at home - by sociologists and economists following the trend and analysing its effect to African countries - and also abroad, by psychologists and capitalists who were weighing on the two-sided results of the scenario.

For the Africans, travelling overseas for ‘greener’ pastures and eventually finding employment in reputable global firms, was an enviable opportunity

Back then, the situation in most of these African countries, as it were, could not give these highly qualified candidates the environment to progress career-wise and also attain their long-sought financial wealth based on consistent hard work and

But the trend is seemingly changing! More and more Africans, and in this case, Nigerians who have studied overseas and worked in major establishments in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe etc are now seeking to find their way back home to take up executive roles in the ever expanding financial and oil sectors.

On the other hand, most corporate businesses in Nigeria are now on the look out for these talent; company human resource teams even travel abroad to attend careers fairs in order to recruit top candidates for their operations in Nigeria.

Why are these companies not hiring local staff with good education and the relevant industry ‘local’ experience? The answer is simple. The companies want to compete within the global economy and hence they are looking for people who have worked and rubbed minds with foreigners, in world class institutions. They believe that ‘local players’ are no match to their foreign-trained and experienced counterparts. Or are they?

This trend however, does not stop the number of work permit applications in Nigeria by good candidates seeking to get out of the system. The number of applicants for the UK HSMP type visa alone is on the rise. However, the bulk of the people looking for opportunities to go abroad seem to be doing this with the intent of working for say 2-3 years overseas, obtaining a higher degree and returning back to Nigeria.

Their eyes are set on those executive roles with the hope of earning a triple, or even a quadruple of their previous compensation and salary package. And when you think of it, it’s not a bad idea - developing your economy; stacking up your money!