…Nigerian citizens in the diaspora can support the home country through financial investments, knowledge sharing, cultural promotion, and civic engagement. These will in no small measure strengthen our ties to Nigeria and bring better life to the country
By Femi Onasanya
The saying that there is no place like home is apt when you find yourself in the diaspora. The nostalgia of home captures your whole being sometimes that you miss everything about home.
In fact, there is no better word to describe Nigeria if you were indeed born and bred in that great country. The fun of childhood, elementary school, age-groups ‘play’, the food and communal lifestyle in those days were enough to miss about the Giant of Africa. We all have our histories in our roots. The streets, the neighborhood,and old friends we grew up with make up our childhood stories.
Forget about the challenges bedeviling our country at the moment, they do not take away the fact that Nigeria is a blessed country from the South-West, to the South-East, South-South, North-East, North-West and North-Central. The peoples, the culture, languages, belief systems, tradions are the definitions of who we are.
Is it the beauty of the all-year round weather, its arable land best for agriculture, natural resources and its great people? I can’t imagine a place on earth where Nigerians cannot thrive by virtue of our never-say-never spirit. We are a very outstanding people in all areas of human endeavors.
It is pretty hard to forget the communal nature of our upbringing. It was a common saying then that, “it takes a family to give birth to a child but it takes a community to look after him or her.”
The absence for this old position is one of the reasons for the increase in criminal tendencies nowadays because each family stays on their own without giving cognizance to the importance of joint efforts of other like-minded neighbors in the successful upbringing of their young ones.
Worthy of note is the efforts of Nigerians in the diaspora to replicate Nigeria in their various locations. This is obvious in the various cultural associations and unions that remind us about home.
A good example is the United Nigerians in Brandon and Yoruba Heritage Association of Brandon,both in the province of Manitoba, Canada, among others which spread across different lands and climes.
With this initiative, we come together to discuss, plan for our people in order to have a voice and an identity while we also have fun together towards promoting our cultural heritage.
It is on record that Nigerians diaspora contributions drive economic resilience through massive remittances, strategic investments, and knowledge transfer. Our remittances range between $20 billion and $24 billion yearly which according to available statistics accounts for roughly 4% to 6% of national GDP.
In order words, despite your being abroad, you are a good contributor to the Nigerian economy. This points to the fact that regardless of where you are, you remain a contributor to the economy of Nigeria.
This brings to mind the biblical statement that “wherever one’s treasure is, there will his heart be also.” Therefore, as a stakeholder to the Nigerian economy, wisdom behooves that you don’t forget your root as much as you can.
Beyond contributions through remittances, Nigerian citizens in the diaspora can support the home country through financial investments, knowledge sharing, cultural promotion, and civic engagement. These will in no small measure strengthen our ties to Nigeria and bring better life to the country.
Going by the innate great nature of Nigerians across the globe who are indeed making waves in different fields, it would be a good move if we are more committed through our influence to lobbying host-country governments or international bodies on issues relevant to the development of Nigeria, its security architecture, health system, education and broader national interest.
If the Americans could be in the habit of saying, “God bless America” every now and then, it will not be out of place if we go all out as cultural ambassadors of our country of origin to proclaim its positive sides. We can further promote Nigeria’s arts, food amd traditions abroad and thereby build positive global awareness capable of boosting its tourism potentials.
On this occasion of Nigeria’s 66th birthday, it is very instructive for us to be optimistic that better days are ahead of this great nation as we contribute our quota towards its better tomorrow. Happy Anniversary to all Nigerians.
•Femi Onasanya, a public affairs analyst wrote via femibimboo@gmail.com from Manitoba, Canada
•Opinions, positions or thoughts expressed here are personal and strictly of the writer/author and do not represent the views of The Daily Crucible.
