Home & Abroad: A Nigerian Paradox

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to any of us that our national export is not only crude oil; Nigeria is also one of the globe’s foremost exporters of human capital and talent. Some 1 million Nigerians (living in Nigeria) apply for a US visa every year, not all of these people migrate to the Land of the Free but many do eventually (both legally and illegally). Today, hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are permanently settled in the US, UK and indeed in all corners of the world from mainland China to coastal Chile. No exact figures are available but it has been estimated that the Nigerian diaspora community is approximately 15 million strong (that’s about 10% of the domestic population), a vast sum by any standards. Moreover, Nigerians are uniquely capable of carving out a space for themselves with the impressive ability to assimilate and adapt to almost any modern environment, culture or language.

Not only do we blend into our host communities, we excel in them. To highlight some our more notable successes: in the recent UK general elections 5 Nigerians campaigned for parliamentary seats, 3 were victorious (Labour MPs, Chi Onurah and 27 year old Chuka Umunna and Helen Grant- the first black female Conservative MP). Believe it or not, there are Nigerian scientists in prominent positions at NASA, such as Dr. Augustine Esogbue (member of the NASA advisory board and director of the ‘intelligent systems & controls laboratory’). And as far as sports are concerned, there are simply too many successful Nigerian athletes to tribute here. In the Art world, our country can boast Turner Prize winning contemporary artists Yinka Shonibare and Chris Ofili. Away from our native soil we appear, almost unquestionably, to thrive. Even our military personnel have and continue to do us proud. The conspicuous efforts of Nigerian peacekeeping forces in situations of African conflict (such as in Darfur, Liberia, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo) have made this continent more stable and helped accelerate the possibility of peace for our troubled neighbours. Since 1960 Nigerian peacekeepers have participated in 20 UN missions, making the 4^th ranked nation out of 130 UN troop and police countries.

Contrast our exceptional list of accomplishments abroad with the extravagance of failures and disappointments that is our domestic record. Outside our borders the sky is the limit for achievement while on home turf standards remain abysmally low. Economically moribund, infrastructurally challenged and corruption ridden. Could such a dramatic paradox be explalined by the claim that it is, by and large, the ‘best and brightest’ who emigrate to form the diaspora community? I take issue with this view, though, the frequent emphasis on the phenomenon of ‘Brain Drain’ and the familiar suggestion that repatriation of talented and educated individuals will help unlock barriers to progress, may often distract us from the truth of the matter. To be sure, ‘Brain Drain’ is something of an issue for Nigeria; for instance, research reveals that the higher their level of education, the more likely science and technology professionals are to emigrate in search of better opportunities. But the real loss of valuable talent, ability and human capital is happening on a domestic level; a national haemorrhage draining at our future. The enormous human resources we have at home, especially the younger generations, are being squandered due to the frustrations of squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease. The successes of a small population of Nigerians abroad is heartening evidence that with stronger education, access to capital and the necessary infrastructure Nigerians at home can achieve as much. Because, generally speaking, it is not the especially talented or the ‘best’ who emigrate, but merely the fortunate and lucky.

In 2003, Western Union reported that Nigerians utilised its services to transfer some $3 billion to Nigeria and current estimates state that between 4-5% of annual GDP can be attributed to diaspora remittances. Though it carries costs, our unwitting exportation of human capital is not without its benefits. But more than the financial and economic gain inherent in our prosperous diaspora communities, when we witness individuals of Nigerian heritage across the globe fulfil their potential, Hope for the nation they have left behind blossoms with the evidence of what we are ultimately capable of.

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