INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA DURING BUHARI ADMINISTRATION: 2015-2023

ABSTRACT International migrations have become a crucial driver of growth and development of various nations of the world. In spite of that, international migration has not presented much benefits and opportunities to the state of Nigeria. This study therefore sets out to interrogate the relationship between international migration and economic growth in Nigeria. How the nature of international migration has impacted on the economic growth in Nigeria, during Buhari administration (2015–2023). To this end, the study raised research questions, such as; Did impact on the exchange rate of the domestic Nigeria’s currency during Buhari administration? Second, Did labour migration affects sectoral outputs and services delivery in Nigeria during Buhari’s administration? The study adopted an ex-post facto research design which enables the researcher to observe the effects of independent variables retrospectively, while the method of data collection used was documentary method and the content analysis. The World Systems Theory was used to explain the factors that affect migration and economic growth. The Findings of the study reveal that high levels of international migration contributed significantly to the depreciation of the Nigerian Naira. Another critical finding was that labour migration negatively affected productivity in key sectors, particularly healthcare, education and agriculture, which indicate that international migration had significant negative economic consequences for Nigeria under Buhari’s administration. In all, the study concludes that international migration has become an inevitable reality among nations and Nigeria should maximize its gains. Therefore, the study recommends that they implement Policies to Stabilize the Naira and then reduce forex dependency. Also, there should be urgent need to strengthen workforce in order to improve sectoral productivity.