Brothers and sisters, I can tell you that our country is so deep in the shithole (no apologies to President Trump) that it requires drastic measures to pull her out. We all know Nigeria is a beautiful country with abundant natural and human resources, the most populous Black nation on planet Earth.
Before I indulge in the time-honored tradition of open letter writing, I must pay my deep respects and obeisance to several eminent Nigerians who, in recent times, have popularized this mode of communication. The club of open letter writers boasts among its members former presidents, former governors, top politicians, religious leaders, ex-generals, etc. Unarguably, the most famous of them is the indefatigable Obasanjo (OBJ). The former president has made open letter writing an attractive and potent means of communication.
His carefully crafted open letters have unseated presidents, governors, top government officials and are dreaded by all. I admire the former president. A multiple record holder in the annals of Nigeria’s political history. He received the authority of surrender from war-ravaged Biafra on behalf of triumphant Nigeria. He was the first military ruler to hand over power to an elected civilian government; the only Nigerian to have gone from prisoner to president in 12 short months; he ruled Nigeria for the longest duration – a total of 11 years and 7 months – to the envy of past and present rulers.
Perhaps, we were too hasty denying him the third term that he sought. Who knows, with a fourth term and even a fifth term he could have transformed Nigeria like Dr. M did for Malaysia or LKY for Singapore. In any case, he is well on his way to becoming a professor after leaving the exalted office of President of Nigeria with an HND.
But, let me quickly return to the subject matter of my open letter.
I returned home after nearly a quarter of century sojourn in Europe and North America. Since my return, I have had the opportunity to work in the federal service and later in academia. These positions afforded me the opportunity to observe closely the state of affairs in our dear country and critically analyze how a promising Nigeria of the 1970s and 1980s found herself in her present situation of being the poverty capital of the world where the average life expectancy, in 2019, is mere 54 years; and apparently groveling at the bottom of the world in all human development indices.
Brothers and sisters, I can tell you that our country is so deep in the shithole (no apologies to President Trump) that it requires drastic measures to pull her out. We all know Nigeria is a beautiful country with abundant natural and human resources, the most populous Black nation on planet Earth. However, the globalized, highly competitive and knowledge-driven world of the 21st century requires smart people – a critical mass of the right kind of human capital – to create wealth, build, and sustain a thriving economy. At this time, Nigeria does not have enough of such people within her borders as a result of brain drain that has been going on for nearly 40 years and weakened national institutions.
We know that even the developed nations are grappling with their own human capital shortages in terms of education, skills and age. And guess where they are turning to fill the gap? Africa! Nigerians speak the English language, are intelligent, hardworking and have, in general, contributed positively to the economies of whatever countries they have emigrated to. Smart and young Nigerians are targets for the so-called merit-based immigration policies of Western nations.
In 2019 alone, Canada admitted about 12,600 Nigerian immigrants and the cumulative number over the past five years amounted to about 40,000. Australia is not far behind in admitting educated and skilled Nigerians to her shores. Good-old-Britain plans to roll back the racist anti-immigration policies of the Margaret Thatcher years.
In 2019 alone, Canada admitted about 12,600 Nigerian immigrants and the cumulative number over the past five years amounted to about 40,000. Australia is not far behind in admitting educated and skilled Nigerians to her shores. Good-old-Britain plans to roll back the racist anti-immigration policies of the Margaret Thatcher years.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced that the UK’s immigration policies are being reviewed to encourage merit-based immigration. And, with all the brouhaha over the Trump administration’s recent ban on immigration from Nigeria and, in spite of whatever reasons the US government gave for the ban, I strongly suspect the real intention is to, eventually, shift immigration from Nigeria away from family-based to merit-based just like Canada, Australia and the UK.
So, the inevitable conclusion I have arrived at is that the only hope for a turn-around of the Nigerian situation lies with the estimated 15 million of her citizens scattered around the globe. Now, aside from the education, skills, expertise, experience, and entrepreneurship you possess, you have also acquired ‘best practices’ which enabled you to excel in your host countries. Most importantly, I believe, many of you possess the conviction of character to do things the right way.
Yes, there are myriad problems facing our country: insecurity, corruption, a broken educational system, lack of basic infrastructure, etc. etc. However, the solution providers would have to be Nigerians, that critical mass of the right kind of human capital that will harness her huge natural and human resources in the direction of creating jobs, generating wealth and reducing poverty.
I am keenly aware that political restructuring seems like an attractive option to many as a panacea to our problems. In the present situation, we will only be restructuring poverty which will make the effort unacceptable by some and, possibly, unsuccessful.
I am keenly aware that political restructuring seems like an attractive option to many as a panacea to our problems. In the present situation, we will only be restructuring poverty which will make the effort unacceptable by some and, possibly, unsuccessful.
Nigerians in the diaspora are patriotic, loyal, and maintain strong ties with the homeland. You undertake regular home coming; organize medical and educational missions to communities; provide financial support to family, relatives and friends. In 2019 alone, you sent home about 26 billion US dollars, an amount nearly equal to the entire federal budget for that year. Sadly, all of that seem like pouring water into a basket. The situation is not getting better, at all.
This is the reason I felt compelled to write an open letter to you.
For many years, you have demanded that the Nigerian government create an enabling environment or a conducive atmosphere, in terms of security of life and property, adequate electricity supply, payment of a living wage, etc. for you to return and contribute to the development of your country. Ordinarily, these are reasonable demands and expectations. It should be obvious now that the government lacks either the will or the capability (no apologies to the Americans, again) to provide such an enabling environment.
Therefore, I plead with you to have a paradigm shift in your thinking about returning home. You should see your return as an urgent rescue mission. Do not wait any longer for an enabling environment. You will need to come home and join with fellow compatriots to undertake the onerous task of saving Nigeria for future generations. In this regard, you may wish to take advantage of the New Visa Policy 2020 recently launched by the Nigerian government.
However, I urge you to be fully prepared for any eventualities as you embark on the journey home.
First and paramount is that you must take your safety and security of life very seriously and in your own hands. As you may know, returnees appear to be prime targets of armed robbers, kidnappers, and evil relatives and friends. I agree with Bishop Kukah that no one should be willing to die for the present Nigeria. You must, therefore, take all necessary measures to stay safe.
Secondly, upon your return, I implore you to remain Nigerian in words, attitude and actions. This is to say, you must not allow yourself to be dragged into the tribal, ethnic, religious or parochial enterprise of any individual or group, no matter how close they are to you or how highly placed in society. Otherwise, you will quickly become a part of the problems.
Thirdly, you should be mindful of the attitude and actions of those Nigerians in public office who you will necessarily engage and interact with in order to get things moving in the right direction. Some of them will not be enthusiastic about your mission. They are embedded at various levels of the broken system and will do anything to protect their unearned positions and undeserved privileges. Beware that corruption will fight back, just as President Buhari said.
Finally, I do hope you will summon the courage to embark on the journey home and undertake the urgent task of saving Nigeria for future generations.
♦ Sepribo Lawson-Jack, Ph.D writes from Nigeria, West Africa.
