Leveraging Diaspora Resources For National Development In A COVID-19 Era

Interest in Nigerians in Diaspora is greatly driven by the quest for national development, national unity, the need for all hands to be on deck, the need to remind all Nigerians at home and abroad, regardless of their religious beliefs and ethnolinguistic background to collectively build a new Nigeria that will be completely free from self-destruction, political recklessness and deception. Rather than seek to promote policies that can engender disintegration, efforts should be made to seek to build a nation where no one is discriminated against and oppressed.

In 2005, the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) initiated the first annual Science and Technology Conference between Nigerians at home and abroad. It was at this forum that former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared July 25 of every year as Nigerian Diaspora Day as a recognition of the significance of Nigerians in the Diaspora to the Nigerian project, thereby marking the country’s dedication to the Diaspora initiative.

Indeed, the importance of Nigerians in Diaspora as a driving force for economic and development of Nigeria cannot be overstressed. In recognition of this fact, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) was established in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as a means of incorporating the Diaspora in matters of economic development.  The Commission provides a platform for engagement of all Nigerians in Diaspora in the development of Nigeria, especially for the purpose of utilizing the human capital and material resources of Nigerians in Diaspora towards the overall socio-economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria.

The maximization of the Nigerian Diaspora on the auspices of NiDCOM has obviously augmented high level of visits by government officials for the purpose of attracting investors, exploring trade opportunities, and acquiring modern technology. Indeed, Nigeria has employed the skills and expertise of foreign-based professionals and has appointed some to significant positions of authority. Open interactive sessions have been held across Nigerian Embassies between the government and Nigerian Diaspora during visits to some countries. These have led to the resolution of some possible diplomatic issues and other challenges that Nigerians have been facing abroad that could otherwise prove to be national embarrassments.

For the past decades, Diaspora remittances were greatly unnoticed in Nigeria’s economy as it featured more as cultural practice where expatriates sent a little money back to dependents at home.

However, the recent flow of migrants’ money into Nigeria has positively impacted on the Nigeria economy. For instance, in 2019 alone, NiCOM contributed over US $25 billion as home remittances to Nigeria. This amount represented about 83% of the national budget and about 6.1 of the GDP.

This, without doubt, has pointed to the fact that the Diaspora has a large stake in the economic growth of Nigeria which explains why Nigerian government policies are being directed at increasingly engaging the Nigerian Diaspora.

How then has the remittance impacted on the development of Nigeria?

Remittances certainly have their benefits and contributions in national development either at the individual, household or national level. It has been observed that whenever Nigeria’s economy suffers a drop as a result of financial crisis, natural disaster or political conflict, migrants send more funds in order to send their families and friends thereby gradually contributing to the development of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  Again, according to the World Bank, remittances have the capacity to reduce the level and severity of poverty. This is because remittances typically lead to higher human capacity accumulation, greater health and education expenditure, better access to information and communication technologies, improved access to formal financial sector services; enhanced small business investments, more entrepreneurship, better preparedness for adverse shocks such as drought and earthquakes. In Nigeria, food security rural areas have increased considerably with an increase in remittances. In Southeast Nigeria, a greater percentage of remittances are basically utilized for housing development. Migrants who wish to return home in the future invest in real estate projects. Consequently, demands for additional housing units provide shelter for Nigerians.

Thus, considering the numerous and enormous contributions that Diaspora citizens have been playing in national development, it is therefore not surprising to have Nigeria’s president consider them as ‘ambassadors-at-large by actions, comportment and character’.

Efforts of Buhari’s Administration to Bring Diaspora Nigerians Home

NiDCOM scope of activities has been widened as it has become the home-based diplomatic mission of Nigeria, to which Nigerians in distress abroad freely seek protection and government’s attention, as distinct from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Commission is now a meditating institution between the government and people in Nigeria, on the one hand, and Nigerians in Diaspora.  The Commission through the proactive steps of its Chairman, Hon Dabiri-Erewa, has been given priority attention to complaints presented by aggrieved Diaspora Nigerians. There is no denying the fact that NiDCOM always expedites action on public complaints immediately they are made known. It quickly links up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies of government for prompt action. For instance, the recent case of a 23-year old Omolola Ajayi, a native of Osun State, who was trafficked to Lebanon.

When the NiDCOM got wind of the situation, the NiDCOM boss took up the matter with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in the strong belief that it is more of its reasonability to handle the matter to ensure that the trafficked lady returned and on January 13, 2020. Hon Dabiri-Erewa disclosed the safe return of Mrs Omolara Ajayi.

The case of Nigerian evacuees from South Africa was another worthy step taken by President Buhari through NiDCOM to ensure that Nigerians in Diaspora safely return home after their maltreatment in South Africa. On their arrival, they were given food packs while MTN gave each returnee fifteen thousand naira, SIM cards loaded with N160, 400 and 9GB of data to last for two months; the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on the other hand gave them N10,000 each. And to crown it all, the returnees were counselling on the need for skill acquisition.

Apart from the grant of N100,000 loan offered by the Bank of Industry and the pledge by Multichoice Nigeria Limited to assist in the settlement of the returnees. This further portrays the role of NiDCOM which normally liaises with staff and other relevant organizations exclusively to ensure a warm reception for the returnees.

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The NiDCOM, with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice ensured the release of Zainab Aliyu who was put on death row by the Government of Saudi Arabia for alleged drug-related offences. The NiDCOM also intervened in other similar cases in Singapore, Morocco, Qatar, China, Malaysia, India, UAE, Ethiopia and Brazil.

With foregoing, there is no denying the fact that the NiDCOM is not only seeking the development of Diaspora resources to grow and develop Nigeria, but is also engaging in citizen diplomacy as an instrument and coming into the defence of Nigerians in distress abroad as an instrument of national security. In fact, without an iota of scepticism, efforts are being made to sustain NiDCOM as a platform for the promotion of Nigerians in Diaspora.

The NiDCOM equally has Diaspora Quarterly, in which desperate efforts are being made to bring Nigerians back to Nigeria, take Nigeria to Nigerians and showcase Nigeria to the rest of the world.

The commitment of Hon Dabiri-Erewa has given her the title of ‘Mama Diaspora’; the nickname that is in recognition of her personal engagement in addressing plights of the depressed Nigerians abroad.

With dare sacrifices that Nigeria has made through NiDCOM to safeguard its citizens abroad, one expects that the era of COVID-19 pandemic which has ravaging economic effects on developing Countries,  Nigerians in Diaspora will integrate with Government with the hope of deploying resources that will be beneficial the development of the nation.

How then can these resources be leveraged and what are the most needed resources that can be made available at trying period of COVID-19?

Tapping the Diaspora Resources for National Development in COVID-19 Era,
it is quite paramount for the Government to identify Diaspora resources that can be leveraged for national development at this critical time of COVID-19 Pandemic, being it human capital resources, financial and entrepreneurial capital, social capital, affective capital and local capital resources.

The COVID-19 era has seriously dislodged many activities across the globe, with business operations, being halted, initiatives postponed and some time-bound deals and events cancelled. While this, it is clearly a drawback at all levels, it equally provides an opportunity for Nigeria to reflect on and plan for a post-pandemic world.

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Thus, one of the ways through which this can be done is leveraging on the expertise of most Diaspora citizens that have returned home during this pandemic in order to assist Nigerians at home in further advancing various sectors of the economy bearing the enormous skills that they have acquired in such areas, especially in advanced countries; the salient sectors can Health, Education, Agriculture, Information and Communication Technology which at the moment are being effectively utilized in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

Again, engaging Diaspora Virtual Exchange in responses to COVID-19 which create a space for collaboration that can allow Diaspora Nigerians to share COVID-19 related best practices and experiences in their respective countries of residents which can then be harmonized and utilize effectively in further advancing the countries efforts in the fight against the global pandemic. For example, recent information sharing session between doctors in New York and Yerevan, which also involved representatives of the Armenian Diaspora provided a chance for doctors in the United States to share with Armenian counterparts’ trends, treatment methods and experiences in tackling COVID-19 in New York hospitals. The Bangladeshi Diaspora in the United States has come together to mobilize resources and support people affected by COVID-19 in their country of origin. This has also involved raising funds to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers and doctors in Bangladesh, a country whose healthcare system is very porous.

Developing interest in Diaspora bond can equally be utilized effectively to boost Nigeria’s income as a developing economy. The World Bank anticipates Diaspora bonds could generate about USD50 billion a year for developing countries and could potentially make up for the current sharp decline in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which is expected to drop by 37 per cent in developing countries. Diaspora bonds, which allow migrants to support their countries of origin have been key alternative to borrowing funds from more expensive lenders such as other governments’ including in the times of crisis. Countries such as India and Israel have been very successful in raising funds through this mechanism which Nigeria can equally leverage.

Diaspora remittances will particularly be important at this critical period as it is likely that some of the traditional projects will be negatively affected by the economic shocks associated with the pandemic. Thus, the government can select Nigerians in Diaspora as preferred foreign direct investors in the country by providing a viable ground which will, in turn, ensure the economic stability of the country.

However, for this to become effective, the Government must develop a policy interest that is driven by growing awareness about the positive development impacts of Diaspora contributions. Consequently, the government can multiply provisions and initiatives that would target mainly the human and financial resources at this particular period of the COVID-19 Pandemic.