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What really is the view the Nigerian government regarding Nigerians abroad? Many a...Read the full article.

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Nweke is probably not aware of the work done by development economics professor, Una Okonkwo Osili on remittances from Nigerians in the US to their families back in Nigeria. Looks like he also hasn't seen the IMF figures that show over $1.3 billion dollars in remittances to Nigeria from Nigerians in the diaspora between 1995 and 1998. The IMF report estimates that the amount remitted to Nigeria by Nigerians in the diaspora equals the capital flight from Nigeria and the foreign direct investment in Nigeria during the period studied. In other words, Nigerians in the diaspora soften the blow that results when corrupt politicians stash Nigerian money in overseas bank. If they stopped the remittances cold, Nweke and his ilk would probably be necklaced and roasted in public like common thieves by an irate population determined at last to hold poor Nigerian rulers accountable for their mismanagement. He should be grateful.

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Hi, folks!

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=techsista;139868>Nweke is probably not aware of the work done by development economics professor, Una Okonkwo Osili on remittances from Nigerians in the US to their families back in Nigeria. Looks like he also hasn't seen the IMF figures that show over $1.3 billion dollars in remittances to Nigeria from Nigerians in the diaspora between 1995 and 1998. The IMF report estimates that the amount remitted to Nigeria by Nigerians in the diaspora equals the capital flight from Nigeria and the foreign direct investment in Nigeria during the period studied. In other words, Nigerians in the diaspora soften the blow that results when corrupt politicians stash Nigerian money in overseas bank. If they stopped the remittances cold, Nweke and his ilk would probably be necklaced and roasted in public like common thieves by an irate population determined at last to hold poor Nigerian rulers accountable for their mismanagement. He should be grateful.

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Would it not have been better if Nweke and his ilk are necklaced and roasted in public like common criminals by an irate population determined at last to hold Nigerian rulers accountable for their crass incompetence, mind blowing corruption, and gross mismanagement?

Consequently, should remitances from the Nigerian Diaspora to Nigeria be stopped, if only to enable the roasting of the common criminals to begin in ernest?

Muchas gracias.

Don Juan Carlos ABRAXAS (III)

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I agree in part to the comments attributed to the honourable Minister of Misinformation.
IMHO, Nigerians in the Diaspora (NID) are inconsequential when it comes to influencing the policies and actions of the current pseudo-democratic dispensation.

Of course, one cannot dispute the fact that NID like many other African donors, have pumped in their own fair share of billions into Nigeria. However, what tangible difference have these monies made other than increase the divide between the haves and have-nots (- e.g. those who don’t have people abroad to remit to them are still languishing in poverty)?

Furthermore, techsista says that stopping remittance will result in the demise of the Minister and his ilks. I don’t agree for two reasons:

1. I don’t see NID collectively stopping the flow of remittance and thus influencing the actions of the people or the people who govern them in the manner suggested by techsista; and

2. Even if NID (unlikely as it may seem) is somehow able to collectively stop remittance, the Minister and his ilks don’t depend on NID’s funds or public goodwill to carryout their nefarious activities.

I think NID will do well in taking the Minister’s criticism (constructive or otherwise) as a challenge to up their ante and go from sending Western Union cash to their relatives and friends (much of which is wasted and not used to create wealth) to making their influenced felt in the very important sphere of governance; for it is here, I bellieve, that they are most likely to make the most impact.

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They will not establish avenues for you ( the nigerian diasporan) to vote in absentia.

They do not give a 'fork' (you know the real FU word) whether you languish in jail.

They (the naija democrazy govt) do not give a rat's ass if you are arrested and tortured in any foreign land.

They don't even care about you so they close the available consulates here and there.

Does your embassy care about Nigerians in diaspora-- Nigerians in London have written numerous articles about how our affairs are treated there. Nigerians in Lebanon wrote an article about a non existent evacuation during the debacle between Israel and Hezbollah. Such evacuation was however widely written and advertised in the nigerian useless newspapers as if an evacuation really took place.

Why is Minister Nweke's outburst any surprise to you? Your are surprised? Then you are not a diasporan Nigerian. If you are, you must ask why you left Nigeria in the first place.

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Now, that Nigerians in the Disaspora know what the regime in Abuja thinks
about them, will they learn to reduce their fawnings and yessiring before OBJ
each time he appears in their locations and gathers them to dish out one of those his outdated ideas?

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Dear Colleagues:

I have met the young, dynamic and passionate-about-Nigeria Minister Frank Nweke a number of times - including once in July 2006 for about one hour in his office in Abuja, just three of us (Frank, another colleague and I) - and he does sincerely value the contributions of members of the Diaspora.

Consequently, I sincerely believe that Nweke should be given some slack: I do not believe that he believes that we in the Diaspora are "inconsequential."

However, I was far more troubled by the adversarial Punch advert, which might have been the result of very poor vetting.

The advert should be pulled, and such like it which places staying back in Nigeria as a litmus test for patriotism should not be repeated.

I rest my case.


Bolaji Aluko

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=Bolaji Aluko;139922>Dear Colleagues:

I have met the young, dynamic and passionate-about-Nigeria Minister Frank Nweke a number of times - including once in July 2006 for about one hour in his office in Abuja, just three of us (Frank, another colleague and I) - and he does sincerely value the contributions of members of the Diaspora.

Consequently, I sincerely believe that Nweke should be given some slack: I do not believe that he believes that we in the Diaspora are "inconsequential."

However, I was far more troubled by the adversarial Punch advert, which might have been the result of very poor vetting.

The advert should be pulled, and such like it which places staying back in Nigeria as a litmus test for patriotism should not be repeated.

I rest my case.


Bolaji Aluko

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Thanks Prof. Aluko for giving us more information on the minister. I'll take it that he got a little hot under the collar at the line of questioning he received and lashed out without thinking too hard.

@villageHeadmaster
I think you misunderstood my point. If you remove the amount that Nigerians in the diaspora send home (note: - they don't send money only to the "haves", - the impact of the money for say building a house is gainful employment for many), ordinary Nigerians would feel the full brunt of their rulers' corruption and maybe do something about it. I'm not suggesting that anyone should stop sending money to their relatives and friends, just pointing out what the consequences would be if they did. We insulate the population from some of the effects of corruption and we also provide a lifeline to some families in need. Every other diaspora is proud of their contributions to their home countries. Why should Nigeria's be any different?

@Akinyi
Many Nigerians have lodged complaints about shabby treatment at various ports of entry. It's more effective when a Nigerian ambassador does it in his/her official capacity than when individuals take up that task. If you look at the rest of the world, people are cautious in mistreating citizens of a country when they know that country will aggressively defend its people, not because they are afraid the individual mistreated will lodge a complaint. You are right about the Nigerian govt not caring - security guards at the consulate general in New York chased away Nigerians who ran there during the September 11 attacks (don't know what those Nigerians were thinking anyway). That treatment prompted someone I know to finally get US citizenship!

That said, we have a seven year old democracy. In time, Nigerians in the diaspora will lobby for voting rights and will be able to point to countries like Senegal and Rwanda that have granted this right to their citizens abroad.

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I don't know why Prof. Aluko came to the rescue of this man at this point in time. He should have left us to send a meesage through him to his boss and all his likes who erroneously thought staying back in Nigeria is a test of patriotism.

The pain is that this errorneous opinion is not held by the rulers alone, belief it or not some of your contemporaries also hold same opinion. Once, a guy (on holiday from Nigeria) appeared on a phone in political programme in London and expressed such opinion. By the time he had the worst of about six other caller's tongue, he had to call back to apologise and confess that he was ignorant of a lot of things which other callers had explained (albeit abusive).

Some of this ignorants does not even know that people in the diaspora are much more better placed to understand the situation at home than even those in there. The only aspect of it we don't know (and we pray never to know again) is the personal experience of the current situation.

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Policy Framework For A Mutual Beneficial Relationship Between Nigeria And Nigerians In The Diaspora
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REPORT OF THE DIASPORA POLICY REVIEW GROUP

http://naijanet.com/news/source/2006/nov/21/1000.html