By Adeolu F. Olanrewaju
Japa is a slang among the Yoruba speaking people who are largely found in Nigeria. It literally means to run away, to escape or flee in a hurried manner. It has since become the buzzword for emigration in the world’s most populous black nation.
Between 2020 and 2024, more Nigerians have emigrated out of the country than any other time in the nation’s history. Among the leading causes for this development are economic instability, insecurity, educational advancement, job opportunities etc.
The Nigerian Diaspora Commission reports that 60 – 70% of the emigrants fall between the ages of 20 – 39 while those from 40 – 59 years make up 20 – 30% of the emigrants. It could be inferred that the former would comprise of students seeking educational opportunities as well as young professionals seeking carrier opportunities.
While Japa may be a recent development, Nigerians are naturally go-getters, strivers, industrious and adventurers. They are found in most places around the world.
So, with the increased rate of emigration in the last four years, there is absolutely much ado about it to muse on. It becomes more of a positive concern knowing that Christians are also on the moving train. Could this be a signal to something beyond mere migration?
For context, Nigeria is largely divided between Christian and Muslim adherents (with significant populace of followers of African Traditional Religion) She is undoubtedly a country with huge missional investment and responsibility.
The northern region lies on the 10/40 window with significant Muslim populace while the entire country boasts of an evangelical strength of about fifty-five million, one of the largest in the window, nay, globally. Moreover, the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association (NEMA) is the first and largest national mission network in Africa comprising of over 180 member agencies as well as over 16,000 missionaries serving in 197 countries.
The commitment of NEMA as captured in its vision statement is to see a completed Great Commission through the active involvement of the Nigerian Church and Missions Movement in all the unreached nations of the world. Rational indices would probably consider this as a mere lofty dream and too many odds against its realisation.
Think of a country with one of the weakest passports, economic challenges that threaten supporting missionaries, usual suspicion and harassment of its citizens especially outside the shores of the country etc. But in spite of these and more, thousands of missionaries of Nigerian descent are currently serving in not less than197 countries.
Moreover, NEMA took on an initiative, called Vision 5015, to reach 34 mostly Islamic countries on the left wing of the 10/40 window. It has so far deployed at least 4,000 missionaries to 31 of them in the last fifteen years.
With Japa, the persuasion is that another opportunity has been opened to send out gospel labourers to needy places as well as strategic points where the Good News is anticipated to break through. This is not necessarily a planned strategy. It is simply discerning that God is at it again making a straight way for Himself with irregular compasses.
The waves of migration swept through the country in such a manner that convinces very strongly that God is enlisting for Himself emissaries extending the blessings of redemption everywhere they go. It is exciting to see especially some self-mobilised Nigerian migrants sharing their faith intentionally in their new locations.
For instance, in 2023, a witnessing group emerged in a popular country in Northwest Europe. The unassuming leader of the group upon arriving in the country realised that the few churches around his area were already closed down. That was a “culture shock” for someone who had been used to attending weekly and Sunday services as well as getting involved in evangelism.
His next line of thought was to put up a short message on his whatsapp status, “Are you a Nigerian and resident in country X? Would you like to be involved in evangelising this country? Please send “YES” via DM? 24 hours after his post, he got a “Yes” from 36 Nigerians in six cities. They have made it a commitment to share the gospel in designated cities in the country every weekend since then.
Meanwhile, this momentum needs to be sustained and heightened. Persuaded of God’s signature on the Japa trend, the leadership of NEMA accelerated its long burden to reach the West and particularly, Europe. This persuasion is also highly influenced by the 2009 Seoul Declaration on Diaspora Missiology challenging church and mission leaders to “recognise and respond to opportunities in world evangelization presented by the realities of the global diaspora”.
Hence, the Mission to Europe initiative was formally launched on July 10, 2024. The added stimulus is that Nigeria benefited significantly from the commitment of the churches in Europe and North America in sending missionaries to nations beginning from the 19th century. Today, Nigeria has transitioned from being a mission field to a major global sender of missionaries.
Painfully, Europe and North America now need the help of missionaries to reach its alarmingly increasing unevangelised populace. The initiative is purposed to revitalise Europe’s (with the target of extending to the rest of the West) spiritual landscape by mobilising Nigerian believers already residing in the continent and those persuaded to find expression in this campaign. Hence, the commitment to catalyse the latent harvest force.
Moreover, the initiative hopes to envision the Nigerian Church about the Kairos moment God Himself has created with the Japa trend. In order to fulfill this purpose, there is an ongoing commitment to identifying and mobilising the harvest force as well as equipping them to be able to serve relevantly.
It also becomes imperative to network with Church groups, mission networks, mission agencies, Christian ministries and individuals both in the target places and as well in Nigeria and who are seeking to or already ministering to European nations.
Already, these conversations are kick-starting with very fruitful prospects. Of priority to this initiative is reaching the Muslim diaspora populace growing in numbers in the target areas. This initiative is hinged on ceaseless intercession anchored on the conviction that Europe and the rest of the West is not post Christian, as being widely described, but pre-revival.
The appeal, therefore, is seeking the collaborative effort of the global missions movement and most especially the remnant preserved by the Lord in Europe as well as in other places where Nigerian believers are found.
The place of welcoming cannot be overemphasized in complementing the zeal of the Nigerian missions movement to fulfilling this mandate. By welcoming, the gospel bearers are able to gain understanding of the host and target culture inclusive of its sensitivities, dynamics and worldviews. It is also anticipated that, via healthy welcoming, access ministry opportunities could be explored and helpful connections made.
The pattern has not changed. It took the support of locals for westerners reaching Africa to have a successful ministry. It will also take the humility, openness and large heartednesss of the church and indigenous believers in the West, for sincere persons of colour, simply obeying the mandate of the Great Commission, to fulfill the burden in their heart.
Thus, seeking collaboration in this wise is not just about doing some favours or sharing tasks. It is about sharing a vision, passion and commitment to God’s mission regardless of who the bearer is. Unarguably, God has continued to use people on the move to accelerate His redemptive purposes. How we choose to respond to this will determine whether the opportunity will be maximised or smothered.
Adeolu Felix Olanrewaju (oadeoluwafelix@gmail.com) holds a PhD degree in Intercultural Studies. He has served as the dean of academics at the Nigeria Evangelical Missionary Institute (NEMI) in Jos, Nigeria. He also served as the director of research and strategy at the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association (NEMA) and where he is the current director of administration. He has written a number of articles, research papers as well as edited/co-edited some published works in the area of his passion. He is on the adjunct faculty of some theological institutions and missions institutes. Dr Olanrewaju is happily married to Adebukola and they are blessed with three children.