ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the search for greener pastures abroad has contributed greatly to the influx of Nigerians to the United States, especially since the 1990s. This international migration has been dependent on fundamental factors, including the relaxation of US immigration policies, the phenomenon of new globalization, and pushes and pull factors, among others. Despite the fact that the Nigerian Diaspora is contributing to the development of their home country through remittances, the flight of professionals and skilled people from the country has serious implications for its economic growth. As pointed out by Gilbert Houngbo, though individual Nigerian migrants and their kin may become better off, their places of origin will largely remain backward or underdeveloped because migration and remittances by themselves do not enable any country to escape poverty and underdevelopment. These are just some of the push factors that have contributed to the new wave of international migration of many intellectuals and professionals from the country.
