“The basis of every civilisation is wealth – wealth to provide the background of leisure, which in turn is the basis of culture in a commercial world,” John Buchan
The old and historical Exodus was out of Egypt to the Promised Land. It was the movement of a people away from bondage, uncertainty and oppression towards security, hope, dignity and divine fulfilment. It occurred several thousand years ago, under the command and protection of Almighty God, and remains one of the most enduring narratives in human history.
Today, however, a strange and revealing reversal appears to be taking place, one not dictated by God but by despair. There is a new kind of exodus, not out of Egypt, but into it. Nigerians, weary of hardship, unemployment, insecurity, inflation and diminishing hope, are increasingly looking beyond their country in search of better prospects. Some travel to Europe, North America and the Gulf. Others seek opportunities in neighbouring African countries.
More remarkably, some Nigerians now look to Egypt itself as a place of work, trade, education, leisure, medical care and, in some cases, a more settled existence. This development deserves serious reflection. Many of those moving to Egypt are not necessarily the destitute fleeing immediate hardship.
