20070122

Going home to fix Nigeria...horse before the cart?

This post was inspired by comments on Nilla's blog. Often we hear Nigerians living abroad declare, "I am going home". I have news for all of you, Nigeria is not in dire need of your presence, actually you may be adding to the problem of overcrowding on the streets of Lagos. Nigeria needs your productivity more than anything else. If you have nothing to offer besides competing with the individuals at home for the already overstaffed service sector jobs, please sit your butt down wherever you are and pay your mortgage LOL.
We ought to take a cue from the Chinese and Indians, they do not graduate and go back home, they take over corporations, and then use such leverage to influence outsourcing decision, (please read; The World is Flat). The outsourcing trend and IT growth in these countries were initiated by dudes in Silicon valley.
What use is the Nigerian professor of nanotech at MIT to UNILAG? If he stays put in Boston and then launch an online research collaboration with UNILAG physics laboratory. I believe that would be more productive than going to Nigeria to struggle for the limited grants available to the home grown academics. Lets think outside the box my people, what worked 15 years ago, may be outrightly wrong in 2006.
We need to get past how well we can sew a piece of Ankara. The Idea of National cake has become archaic, the cake is more like a Wroldwide cake right now. Trust me, there has to be a cake somewhere to make people take actions. The days of all those Licoln cliches are over. If your presecence in Nigeria is not crucial to the contribution, please contribute from afar.

16 Reaction(s):

9ja Opeke said...

Wish talk, ma bruda...I don't know if I can stay in Naija permanently again but I can surely visit and contribute to the building of the nation (thanks to western union).
And here, I intend to completely climb up the top of ladder that God has provided for me...and nothing is going to stop me, not even the color of my skin...in fact, that is what will take me higher.
Thanks for knocking sense into our head o!

Ms zee said...

I agree with you.
All my friends are complaining about how it makes no sense going home if you had all your degrees outseide home, Last week, Nurudeen came back to canada, he has a PhD in Anthropology (I told him not to go but his strong head refused to listen). Anyway UniBen does not and I reapeat does not need his services even if he was going to teach for free (FREE). You spend hard Naira to get an education in "oyibo" man country, decide to go home and contribute your quota and your own people whom you want to help say NO! the reason, there is no department of Anthropology in Uniben... I rest my case.....

Nilla said...

Ehnnn....so now your attempting to stop us from going back to our country!!!! overcrowding ke!!
lol.

While I agree with you that a Nigerian professor of nanotech at MIT is not useful to UNILAG (because obviously we are not that technically advanced), that shouldn't stop others with degrees that are relevant to Nigeria from going home.

Chxta said...

Thanks for this post. Has me thinking...

UnNaked Soul said...

WORD!!!

Elle said...

I dnt think it is so much a case of going home to fix the country. I look at it more as going to contribute my talents to the country.

Omodudu said...

9ja opeke, thanks jare, you see gone are the days when we Nigerians exchange plesantries. Ms Zee we all have that desire to save our country, I hope we just channel our zeal. Uhm NIlla, kai argumentum ad...chei I don forget men, you picked one hole in the argument and ran with it. Chixa and unnaked soul, thanks for stopping by.

Omodudu said...

Elle, there is an African adage that goes like this; Translated literarily, " To wear clothe for body, to wear body for cloth, shebi na make body don cover" hehehe. Its a good idea to contribute, but my argument was mostly on the relative advantage of your location with regards to that contribution you are seeking to make. Its not uncommon to see our people go back home with their meager dollars to opress the poor Niaja guy that has been trying to keep heads above water.

RJ said...

Hmm...I never really thought about it that way.

Calabar Gal said...

I agree with ur line of argument. If those of us abroad for back to contribute meaningfully by being creative, artistic, creating jobs in whichever industry we decide to invest et al instead of struggling for the few jobs there with those already in naija, it would be a better place.

Dami said...

hmmm really nice blog

Jola Naibi said...

THANK YOU!!! ****Applause****

Refinedone said...

Hear!! Hear!! @ Omodudu on this posting... we all dont need to go back, if we have nothing productive to add...We need to get in to the systerm of what ever country outside Nigeria we are...be it the Uk or the States.
Invest in the Invest in Nigeria( don't wait for Goverment) ...Promote Nigeria Positivly outside Nigeria...Treat Nigeria as a brand and wear it well...

PS:..I am still going back Home sha O!!

Lagos boy said...

Not in a long time have I heard such sense being spouted in the same place at once, I applaud you and all your views and ideas are logical, what with the MIT Nano tech professor's inability to contribute to UNILAG due to our technological status, to an Anthropology PhD holder's services being refused because there is no such department ar UniBen, I have been in the UK fro too long, part of the generation that came here at a young age, and the idea of promoting Nigeria as a brand seems most appealing, the idea of taking a cue from the Indians and Chinese who as stated obtain their qualifications and take over corporations and influence decisions to help their homeland is one of the most intelligent I have heard in a while, once again, brothers and sisters I applaud you, we ought to do what we can from wherever we are as opposed to going home "with our meagre dollars to oppress those trying to keep their head above water". We Nigerians are one of the most intelligent people on earth, I dare anyone to challenge me on this point - from our immoral brothers who as a lack of opportunities resort to fraudulent transactions (that require an above normal degree of intelligence as not everyone can write emails to a level that manipulates as it does), to having a hospital in the North East of England where 8 out of 12 residents are doctors, or the numerous High Street Legal firms on the streets of London with Nigerian partners, or the numerous accountants whom we call brothers, should I go on... i strongly advocate that idea of staying put and wherever we are and trying to help our brothers by investing in Nigeira to help our brothers and sisters there, by all means visit once in a while so you don't lose touch, God bless us all, God Bless Nigeria!

Omodudu said...

@Lagosboy, thanks for stopping by, you did not live an email addy, I would have sent youa personal mail. Thanks.

KenyanBoy said...

Kenyans abroad are trying to work with their governemnt to get something going so we can contribute from out here instead of flocking to Kenya to try "make things work". A rencet event held in ATL - http://kenyaopen4business.com/

Naijas, what do you think/advice?

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