Tayo Oke
drtayooke@gmail.com
It has become a truism to say that Nigeria needs all the investment it can garner via the usual Foreign Direct Investors; the foreigners with loads of money to throw into productive ventures, to make more money for themselves. It is equally becoming clearer by the day that many Nigerians living abroad (or in the Diaspora if you like), are just as loaded and busy recycling their hard-earned crust in their adopted countries. Let us face it, Nigerians in Western economies are in their millions. According to the World Bank, Nigerians abroad accounted for some $22bn in foreign remittances in 2017.
The Federal Government is hoping for an upward trend in that trajectory in the coming year, in the region of $35bn annually. Sending money home from foreign land is not entirely a new thing though, neither is it an occurrence peculiar to Nigerians. It is generally a “Third World” phenomenon, where there is a dearth of social services and basic infrastructure. Family members are morally compelled to fill-in for those missing essential public services by sending money home. There is a world of difference between sending money home for family upkeep, and investing in the economy. Many in developing countries are doing ok with the former, but seriously lacking in the latter. That is where the focus of attention of politicians and statesmen are fixed.
The Jews, of course, are the masters in this. The Jewish-American community alone, for instance, contributes some $14bn into the Israeli economy annually. At more than $1bn per head of the population, that is an incredibly huge amount for a country of less than 10 million people, roughly the size of Lagos Mainland. They are targeting $20bn in the coming years, roughly the same level we are currently on, with a population approaching 200 million. The inward investment into Israel by Jews in the Diaspora is so large that the country can afford to build the biggest military fighting force in the Middle East. They are also in the position to export some of the cash to less developed countries in foreign aid, using that to build alliances as well as curry favour.
Politicians and government functionaries from this country have been jumping on the Diaspora Investment bandwagon for quite some time. We have ministers and various committees devoted to the cause, in fact. We even have various Nigerian-managed self-help and voluntary organisations in Western countries regularly singing to the drumbeat of Diaspora investment in Nigeria. Various economic and business fora are also set up in North America and Western Europe to propagate the idea of bringing Nigerians and their money home, and to come and help rebuild the country. While foreign cash is most sought after in Nigeria, there is equally the realisation that the map of the world is dotted with Nigerian expertise in engineering, science, technology, and the like, that could be shipped back to the motherland in a jiffy. Why is this not happening?
There is a certain paradox in Nigeria’s desire to encourage expats in the Diaspora to come back home. On the one hand is the country’s desperate need for them to come back home, and on the other is the number of Nigerian citizens daily at the US and other Western embassies, many of whom are university graduates and professionals in various fields, determined to travel out on a one-way ticket to foreign land. Just think, also, about the hundreds of hapless and helpless “migrant workers” on rickety boats, fleeing Nigeria through North Africa and into Europe. Many perish on the way; a lot more end up in perpetual servitude and waiting to be “rescued” by somebody, some day. Logic would dictate that to lure Nigerian expertise back home, one needs to stem the tide of the brain-drain first. If Nigeria is not considered good enough for those living inside it, so much so that many would rather die trying to get out of it, where then is the incentive for the Nigerian expat abroad to come back home? The desperation to get the hell out of this country is sometimes so great in its intensity that were an old slave merchant ship be daring enough to berth on the lagoon clearly marking it, “Slave Ship – Destination North America”, how long do you imagine it would take to fill it up with happy volunteers conscious of the implications?
These days, it is customary for Nigerian lawmakers, governors and their entourage travelling through Europe and America, to attend symposia and roundtables, where they are heard admonishing Nigerians in various countries to: “Come home”, “Come and help us rebuild the country…” Take it from me, they do not mean it; it is simply hot air. The moment you heed the clarion call, pack your bags and make it back home is the last time any of them will greet you with a genuinely friendly face. Rather than being seen as the asset that you are, you will now become a threat on all sorts of fronts. Any point of view you proffer from then on is seen as the jaundiced view of someone who has lived too long in America, or England, Germany, Canada, whatever. They would excuse you for “not really understanding Nigeria”, while some would chastise you for being “pompous” for thinking that your long sojourn abroad gives you an edge over them. What is more, living in a remote provincial part of Nigeria, with an insular and myopic worldview, suddenly becomes a badge of honour for your adversary; a trump card and a rod to beat you with. Mediocrity becomes a cause celebre, while parochialism is seen as progress. Any persistence on your part would only lead you to ostracism and into the mire of “office politics”, where frustration and your eventual withdrawal beckons.
“Come home, come and help us build the country” is never meant in the literal sense; there is a ton of documentary as well as anecdotal evidence to support that assertion. Nigeria needs your money; your hard-earned dollar, but does not want the “romantic”, “idealistic” and “Western” approach to problem-solving that people of your ilk bring. The size of your purse is more important to them than the force of your personality, and your somewhat irritating “can do” attitude. There is always the right way, and the “Nigerian way” of doing things, working in parallel, in conflict, and sometimes cooperation. The Israeli state offers guarantee to any Jew, anywhere in the world, wishing to relocate for whatever purpose. Within Nigeria alone, it is nigh impossible to relocate from one’s ethnic base, to another without difficulty. The Hausa man wants the Igbo man’s cash to build his town, but not his presence in public fora. The Yoruba man cannot gain admission into the higher institution of his choice in the East, because it is not his “state of origin”. These same individuals then travel to North America and Western Europe and feel more welcome there than they can ever feel in their home country. We wait on some of them to rebuild their lives to material success in those countries, then, send out delegations to persuade them to come and invest in Nigeria. Now, get real, shall we, please! Nigerians in the Diaspora are not just Automatic Teller Machines on tap for family members at home, although a lot perceive them as exactly that. They should also not be seen as a convenient balance sheet for the Federal Government either.
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