American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

International Emigration (JAPA WAVE) is one of the key aspects of international relations that has both direct and indirect effects on national economic. This study thereby focuses on the impact of Japa syndrome on the economic development of the Nigerian state with the sole aim of ascertaining weather international emigration otherwise known as Japa in Nigerian local slogan has an impact on the economic development of the Nigerian state. This study anchored on structural functionalism theory propounded by Gabriel Almond and Bingham Powell in the 1970s. It adopted documentary method of data collection, qualitative descriptive method of data analysis and ex post facto research design. It discovered that international emigration has a significant positive impact on economic development of Nigerian state and it therefore concludes that the international emigration is also a source of income in Nigeria that has positively enhanced economic development, hence Nigerian government should ensure security and economic stability in order to encourage Nigerian citizens abroad to always return with high skilled knowledge of investments in various fields and also build industries that will serve as asset to economic development in the Nigerian state.