Boris Johnson’s remark and the mirror Nigeria cannot ignore

Azuka Onwuka

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Last week, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended the Imo Economic Summit and made a remark that sparked reactions among Nigerians. He said Nigeria exports professionals, entertainment, and mineral resources to the United Kingdom, while the UK exports pharmaceuticals, services, whisky, and other items to Nigeria.

Many Nigerians felt insulted. But others felt the statement revealed a deeper truth about the relationship between the two countries. Looking at the face of Johnson while he was making the comment, it did not seem he intended to mock Nigeria or crack a joke. The instances he cited showed that he believed he was praising Nigeria. He was merely stating things as they are rather than as they ought to be. But his words opened an important conversation about Nigeria’s standing in the world and the kind of value it continues to produce and export.

Most times, when people react angrily to a foreign leader’s comment, it is usually because the comment reminds them of what they fear may already be true. Johnson’s remark did not describe anything new. It simply highlighted an imbalance that has existed for decades. The UK has always been a smaller country than Nigeria in size and population, yet it has always been far ahead of Nigeria economically and politically. It was the reason the UK was able to colonise a bigger country like Nigeria. Decades after colonialism, it is the reason the UK’s relationship with Nigeria is still that of mother and baby – a baby who still depends on the mother for sustenance.

Many Nigerians today still search for opportunities in the UK, thereby contributing to its workforce, creativity and community life. Nigerian doctors, nurses, engineers, writers, academics, tech professionals and businesspeople are found across British cities, helping to ensure that essential industries run smoothly. In return, the ravenous appetite of Nigeria makes it receive products and services that add little value to the country’s long-term development. This is the underlying imbalance in Johnson’s comment.

To understand why some people agreed with Johnson, it is important to look at how nations rise, fall or stagnate. Countries do not become powerful only because they are wealthy in natural resources. If that were the case, the richest countries would be the largest exporters of minerals and oil, and the poorest would be those with nothing under the ground. But history tells a different story. All over the world, record shows that nations become influential because they know how to organise themselves and move from consumption to production.

The UK did not become a world power because of its landmass or population. It achieved that because it mastered administration, built institutions, encouraged innovation, and protected the systems that allowed those institutions to grow. Consequently, a small island became one of the most powerful nations in the world, influencing continents far beyond its borders. It is not peculiar to the UK. Every country which replicated the template achieved success.

This is part of the reason the British Empire was able to dominate territories like Nigeria centuries ago. The British had a coordinated system, clear national interests and the capacity to enforce those interests. Whether one calls it conquest, colonisation or exploitation, the fact remains that they had the internal structure to make that expansion possible.

In contrast, Nigeria was neither unified as a nation nor organised. It also did not have sophisticated weapons and ships. Its various societies and kingdoms had rich cultures, but did not act collectively. That imbalance in organisation, rather than intelligence, made colonisation possible. It is also the reason why the UK still has an indirect influence on Nigeria today.

Even 65 years after independence, Nigeria has yet to build structures that allow nations to fully control their destiny. The country is rich in natural resources, but resource wealth alone does not produce national strength. What produces strength is the ability to convert those resources into long-term economic and social progress. Nigeria exports crude oil but imports refined fuel. It produces some of the brightest professionals in the world but struggles to provide an environment where many of them can thrive. This leads to brain drain. It exports creativity (music, films, literature) but struggles to produce the industries and policies needed to turn that creativity into a major economic value within the country. These gaps are what make Johnson’s remark feel painfully accurate to many observers.

Yet the aim of analysing his statement should not be to dwell on the implied humiliation or blame in it. It should be to ask the right questions. Nigeria spends billions of naira to train doctors, nurses, lecturers, engineers, pharmacists, computer scientists, and other graduates. Why does Nigeria continue to export the best of its human resources instead of building systems that encourage them to stay behind and practise at home? Why do young Nigerians feel they must leave before they can reach their full potential? Why do talented professionals achieve recognition abroad that they struggled to obtain at home? These are questions that demand honest examination rather than emotional reactions.

The better way to look at Johnson’s comment is to see it as a mirror. A mirror does not insult the person standing before it. It simply reflects what is there. If Nigerians do not like what they see in the reflection, the solution is not to break the mirror. It is to change the image being reflected. Every country exports something. Some export technology. Some export entertainment. Some export manufacturing. Some export services. Nigeria, unfortunately, still exports too much of its talent because the systems needed to keep that talent flourishing within the country remain fragile or underdeveloped. The talent Nigeria exports to countries like the UK, Canada, the USA, etc., helps to make these countries grow, while Nigerian institutions suffer. These countries understand that and are exploiting that opportunity.

Given the history of the UK and Nigeria, it benefits a lot from Nigerian immigrants. If not for the contributions of immigrants like Nigerians, many sectors of the British economy would struggle. The British National Health Service depends heavily on Nigerian health workers. British universities, technology firms, the arts, startups, and even the sporting world continue to draw strength from Nigerian talent. This situation is not unusual. Countries that are more stable and economically appealing usually attract people from countries that offer fewer opportunities or are experiencing instability. The challenge for Nigeria is not that people migrate; migration itself is normal. The real challenge is that Nigerians are not just migrating but fleeing Nigeria because of insecurity and the fact that the country has not positioned itself as a place where opportunities match the potential of its citizens.

Therefore, while Johnson may not have been aware that there was something denigrating in his remark, the message it carries should not be ignored. Nations rise because they confront their internal weaknesses and take clear-headed action to fix them rather than complain about the comments of others. Economic summits, policy discussions, leadership decisions and national priorities must focus on building strong institutions, reliable systems and a stable environment where talent can grow. If that is not done, Nigeria will continue exporting its brightest minds and importing symbols of what it has not yet built for itself.

Johnson may not have intended to spark a national debate with one sentence, but he did. And if the debate leads to deeper reflection and eventually to positive action, then the remark that offended many may end up becoming a turning point. Nations do not get transformed by avoiding uncomfortable truths. They change by facing them.

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