NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA AND NATION-BUILDING
Elewechi Okike canvasses the need for government to put structures in place to facilitate a closer relationship between NIDs and the country
We are all probably familiar with the saying ‘there’s no place like home’. This is true. After a long day’s work, most of us look forward to the prospect of returning to our homes. In fact, it is said that ‘the English man’s home is his castle’. There is no feeling as awful as finding the prospect of returning home after work, daunting. Yet this is the reality of many men and women, who have serious challenges in their homes and other nexus of relationships.
Sadly, this analogy epitomises the situation that many distinguished Nigerians scattered across the globe find themselves. They find the prospect of returning to their homeland daunting because of the political, economic, and social malaise in the country. The society is ridden with corruption at the highest levels and criminal activity is rife. The political climate is very unstable and tribal and religious conflicts are always looming on the horizon. The infrastructure is very poor or in some cases non-existent. The safety of life and/or property is never guaranteed, even though the country is endowed with so much in terms of natural and human resources. Besides, it is the largest producer of oil in Africa.
Whilst this article explores the benefits of building a new Nigeria that will bring back most Nigerians in diaspora (NIDs), it is not possible to present what this ‘new Nigeria’ would look like and all the potential benefits that would accrue to Nigeria when most NIDs return to the country. Nevertheless, it presents some of the most cogent reasons why an extra-ordinary number of Nigerians are in diaspora and how their return to the country will bring about noticeable positive change and economic and social development in the country.
Are Nigerians in diaspora out of the country by choice or by default? There are not many NIDs, who do not love their country. It is usually the case that during festive seasons it is sometimes difficult to find seats on planes scheduled for Nigeria. Although the political, economic, and social environment of Nigeria prevent many Nigerians in diaspora from making the final return back to the country, many still like to visit home. Even whilst in diaspora, many Nigerians have close family, friends as well as investments and other developmental projects in Nigeria. In 2012, Nigerians in the Diaspora contributed more to Nigeria’s economy than 34 of the 36 states, having remitted the sum of $12 billion. Only Lagos and Rivers States had higher GDP’s[1].
Nigeria has so much to offer in terms of natural and human resources. It is endowed with every type of resource that most countries only dream about. Even the weather is favourable for all types of agricultural and socio-economic development. Yet, despite these natural endowments, many Nigerians find the prospect of returning to their homeland daunting. Majority would like to return to their country to contribute to its economic and social development if the environment was conducive and enabling.
Most NIDs who left the country to study did so not with the intention of staying away indefinitely, but rather to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, including the expertise in their various disciplines to enable them to return and contribute to the development of their country. Some of these people were beneficiaries of scholarships from either the federal government of Nigeria, when the economy was buoyant, or beneficiaries of other scholarship schemes, including those of the Commonwealth. These scholarships were awarded to scholars and academics, who had distinguished themselves in their academic disciplines, to enable them to study abroad and return to Nigeria and contribute to its growth and development.
In the days when the country’s environment was stable, conducive, and enabling, some of these scholars after successfully completing their studies did not stay back, not even to attend the graduation ceremonies of the institutions they attended. They were keen and enthusiastic to return home to the task of nation-building. But not so now! With an environment that is mostly unstable, bedevilled with all sorts of vices, including the insecurity of life and property, many have been forced to stay back against their will.
Some were forced to leave the country in search of green pastures under the various military dictatorships, as living in the country became unbearable for them. Since attaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has grappled with the problems and crisis deeply rooted in religious, tribalism and other ethnic tensions. These tensions led to successive military coups, including tribal and religious unrests. In addition, the country has had a long history of gross mismanagement of the economy, with endemic corruption at all levels of government. Hence, despite the country’s potential for wealth, the country was ranked 152nd in the Human Capital Development Index in 2014, and 161 out 189 countries in 2019, and thus one of the poorest countries in the world. In 1997, the ranking was 141st. This is despite the fact that the country is Africa’s largest producer of oil and boasts of the richest man and the richest woman in Africa.
Besides political instability in the country, and endemic corruption, there is also the problem of the lack of integrity in leadership, leading to the lack of transparency, poor accountability, and governance in the management of the nation’s economic resources. The consequence of this situation is the inability of the government to provide essential services to aid the economic and social development of the country. The wealth of the nation has for long been in the hands of a few elites, leaving majority of Nigerians in abject poverty. Lack of adequate infrastructure, poor and/or inadequate supply of energy, housing and transportation challenges, a declining educational system, poor medical facilities, little or no opportunities for growth and personal development across all levels of society, the lack of discipline amongst most Nigerians, little or no regard for the rule of law and order, an unreliable judicial system, resulting in weak or non-existent law enforcement and the insecurity of life and property are some of the conditions making it difficult for many Nigerians in diaspora to return to their homeland to contribute to the task of rebuilding the nation.
This situation is the reason for the massive ‘brain drain’ from Nigeria[2], and most of these brains have gone ahead and distinguished themselves in all fields of human endeavour across the globe. Many of them have become the best medical doctors, lawyers, accountants, pharmacists, professors, engineers and so on in different countries around the world, including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, to mention just a few. The list of such Nigerians is endless. In the USA, Nigerians are the most educated ethnic group, at 60 percent, beating the national average of most Americans, which is 30 percent. In most of the Ivy League schools in the US, Nigerians are leading the rest in educational attainments. In the UK, the Imafidon family has been named the smartest in the whole country.
Whilst not every Nigerian in diaspora can return home, the onus lies with the Nigerian government to find the best possible way to tap into the resourcefulness of these Nigerians so that they can make meaningful contributions to the development of the nation. There are currently many strategy toolkits that set out practical advice for governments, foundations, corporations and individuals who wish to engage and harness the power of their diaspora. The Nigerian government can take advantage of these toolkits to identify how best to engage meaningfully with NIDs and harness their wealth of experience and expertise.
NIDs have a lot to contribute to nation-building and would love to return to their homeland to help lift the country out of the conundrum in which it has found itself over the years. As a matter of fact, Okoli (2015) notes that time is of the essence in getting Nigerian professionals in diaspora back to aid the country’s development because, according to him ‘Nigerian professionals in Diaspora who would play an active role in the rebuilding process only have a few years of usefulness left in them’. He urges the Nigerian government ‘to fish out those Nigerian professionals who are not chronically corrupt and engage them to be the outside change that would not look at faces when implementing viable reforms’. Okoli reiterates that ‘if the Nigerian government cannot find ways to harness the potentials of Nigerians at Large and Nigerian professionals in Diaspora, then the country will not benefit from … people born between 1946 to 1964, who were instrumental in building the global village’.
Adelaja (2015) also lends his support to the need for the elected government in Nigeria to accelerate the process of creating a conducive environment that would encourage NIDs to return to contribute to the development of the nation. He warns that ‘if African governments don’t move fast to begin to encourage our Diaspora to return, it could be too late to gain their expertise’. He provides evidence of prominent Nigerians who died in diaspora and never had the opportunity to bless the country with their wealth of experience. One of them was a renowned neurosurgeon in the US, who had the intention of returning to the country, at age 50, but never made it.
Many NIDs are forced to remain outside of the country although they would gladly have returned home, and have produced second and third generations of children, some of whom have never visited the country because of the fear of the many evils bedevilling the country. According to Adelaja (2015), these ‘second, third and fourth generation immigrants get quickly absorbed in their new environment and culture. They tend to lose touch with their countries of origin’. Hence, he suggests that ‘our best bet is to entice the first generation immigrants, who still have cultural and emotional attachments with their homeland, to return and participate in the political, economic and social processes going on at home’.
How do we entice these people to return to their homeland? Tettey (2003) suggests providing incentives ‘which go beyond verbal appeals to patriotism, and encompass recruitment drives as well as concrete measures to provide attractive conditions for those who return’. But he warns that such incentives might be counter-productive and lead to further ‘brain drain’ because it could undermine those who remain in the country. ‘They may feel that their loyalty goes unrewarded while returnees are offered incentive packages’.
It is currently estimated[3] that there are about five million to 15 million Nigerians in diaspora. Adelaja (2015) puts the estimate at 15 to 17 million. The largest populations of Nigerians can be found in the UK, USA and South Africa. This emigration from Nigeria has been at a cost to Nigeria of the best, brightest and most able. Yet the effect of brain drain in Nigeria on the country’s socio-economic development will be impossible to quantify.
However, the return of civil rule and the introduction of some semblance of democracy after the first democratic elections in 1999 gave hope to many NIDs.
Following the socio-economic reforms of the Obasanjo government (the first civilian government after many years of military dictatorships) between 1999 and 2003 and the renewed calls for NIDs to return home and contribute to nation building, some returned to Nigeria. Besides, the economic downturn in many countries provided the opportunity for some NIDs to return to Nigeria to explore opportunities to join the various efforts of the government in revamping the nation’s economy.
It is heart-warming to know that the present administration (led by President Muhammadu Buhari) is keen to bring about positive change in the Nigerian economy that will require the contributions of NIDs. The new President met with Nigerians in diaspora when he visited the USA and said he wanted NIDs to work with the Nigerian government and help rebuild the country. The Seventh National Assembly passed the Diaspora Commission Bill into law. It is now evident that NIDs that most governments previously ignored (and in some cases denigrated) are increasingly seen as agents of national development. They possess immense human, material, intellectual and professional resources. Many of them are extremely skilled and have added immeasurable value to their countries of residence. Also, they have attained the highest level of professionalism in developed nations, which should help facilitate economic and social development in Nigeria. Their role in the economic and social development of Nigeria cannot be undermined, nor can it be over-emphasized. The onus rests with the government to put structures in place that would facilitate a closer relationship between NIDs and the country.
The Economist reports that India is a trailblazer in tapping into the wealth of its citizens in diaspora. It has an entire ministry for its emigrants. This ministry is responsible for the success of India’s IT industry built by Indians ‘lured home from Silicon Valley and Europe’.
What kind of environment would entice Nigerians in diaspora to return home? It would be impossible to identify every possible action that needs to be taken to entice NIDs to want to return to Nigeria. Nevertheless, some key issues are identified here: Security: The Nigerian government must understand the importance of making the country safe and secure. There have been too many incidents of kidnapping (and even murder) of highly resourceful persons in Nigeria, including expatriates, in exchange for huge sums of money.
Integrity in Leadership: The government must be seen to promote integrity across board and must lead by example. How can anyone work with people that cannot be trusted? Most NIDs reside and work in countries where there is a strong element of trust in everyday interactions. Unfortunately, this is an area where NIDs can face one of their greatest challenges if not addressed.
Good Governance: Poor accountability and governance have been major issues affecting the country. NIDs are based in countries where leaders are held accountable and can be removed from office by the electorate if found wanting. The government must be ready to enforce good governance and hold public officers accountable for their actions.
Openness and Transparency: Nigerian public officers are generally not known to be open and transparent. It will be difficult for NIDs to return to Nigeria to work in an environment that lacks openness and transparency.
Reliable Judicial System: NIDs have been exposed to democratic and functional systems of government all over the world, where no one is above the law. This is fundamental if NIDs are to return to support development initiatives in Nigeria. There should be the opportunity for recourse to the law, when necessary. But where the judicial system is not reliable, it gives room for injustice to thrive, and most NIDs would not want to work in such an environment.
Professor Okike is
Director, International Centre for Training, Research and Audit of Governance (CENTRAG), Washington, UK
