Nigerians, under the auspices of the League of Patriots, have appealed to the Nigerian Diaspora not to abandon their home country at this trying moment. Speaking during the League’s delegate virtual review meeting on the state of the nation, monitored by this platform, the convener, Mr Light Shedrack, said that the time for all hands to be on deck to revive Nigeria has come. Mr Shedrack recounted the contribution and the indispensability of the Nigerian diaspora in redeeming and redirecting the vessel of nationhood.
“For some time now, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and other well-meaning Nigerians have been calling on Nigerians in diaspora not only to invest in Nigeria, but to get involved in fixing the nation. The truth is that without those diaspora contributions and remittances, Nigeria’s economy may have sunk irrecoverably. In 2023 alone, the Diasporas remitted over $19.5 billion. That increased to $21 billion in 2024. Simply put, we are living on the diaspora’s healing hands. The rule has been that the person who holds the gold makes the rule. It is time for the Diaspora to have their mouth where their wealth lies.
Mr Shedrack re-echoed the belief that Nigerians will fix Nigeria and not the other way round. He said the expertise, human and capital resources, as well as a new culture of accountability, which has been assimilated by Nigerians in Diasporas, are the vital virtues needed at this point to rejig and reinvigorate the economy and governance.
“Recently, we watched a viral video of a Nigerian medical practitioner who lives in Canada. He shared his experience about how his friend, who was recently appointed as a public servant in Nigeria, acquired a property in Canada, just few months after his appointment. He said that his friend was on the verge of acquiring more properties in Canada and told him to scout for new homes to purchase. An average Nigerian living in Nigeria would have seen that as an opportunity. We are happy to share from the loot perpetrated by our brothers, sisters and friends in government positions. But one thing stood out for me. The medical practitioner declined to assist his friend in scouting for houses in Canada, describing it as untamed greed and an unpatriotic act. Having lived and worked overseas, Nigerians have assimilated basic cultures of patriotism, accountability and moral decency to a higher degree. They know that greater nationhood is not built on an untamed appetite for more riches at the expense of the masses. We want those virtues to rub off in Nigeria and its governance.
For too long a time, precisely since independence, Nigeria has been plagued by leadership crises, corruption, and inefficiency. The result is a nation that has failed to reach its full potential, despite its vast human and natural resources. Mr Shedrack said that getting the diasporas involved would bring about the magic wand and the very needed change that Nigerians at home desire.
“Nigerians living abroad possess the expertise, resources, and wealth of experience needed to drive economic growth and development. They have excelled in various fields, from business and technology to healthcare and education, in their adopted countries. It is time for them to inject their knowledge and skills into the system, bringing much-needed transformation.
“It is time for a new breed of leaders – technocrats with vision, innovation, and a passion for national development. Nigerians who understand how to optimize resources for the common good of all. Nigerians need leaders who can think outside the box, who can develop policy frameworks with a global outlook that benefit the masses, not just the privileged few. What they have achieved overseas and the contributions they have made across the globe could be replicated in Nigeria.
“Unless we want to pretend, the future of Nigeria is in the hands of these new breeds of leaders residing outside of Nigeria. Will they rise to the challenge? The answer lies in their willingness to serve, to lead, and to transform. Nigeria needs radical transformation now, and it’s up to the diaspora community to make it happen.
“I just want to use this opportunity to appeal to every Nigerian who has a sister, a brother or a friend in diaspora to begin to sound this alarm to them. Tell them to not only send money for the upkeep of their relatives in Nigeria, but they should also invest more, come home to take up leadership positions and thus help in greater nation building. This is a clarion call. It seems like the only way out of our current quagmire.
