Nigerian Government has called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to return home and seize the various economic opportunities to make billions of naira.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, made the call at an investment forum organised in New York by his ministry for Nigerians in the U.S.
Mr. Onu explained that various investment opportunities currently existed and were waiting for them at home, challenging them to take it before they were given to foreigners.
The former governor of Abia from 1992 to 1993, informed the Diaspora Nigerians that various research products with opportunities to yield billions of naira, were waiting for them at home.
“We are asking you to come and be billionaires. That is what we are asking you, not millionaires. Come and make billions.
“We will give you products of research at nothing or little cost to you because it would be nice for the agency that has done this research to get some little returns.
“It would also be nice for the scientists, engineers who were involved in doing this research just to get something, that’s all but it would be very small.
“So, we give it (research products) to you, knowing that you will keep the money in Nigeria, you will help employ Nigerians and you will help to grow our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“That is our interest; that is the reason why we are here,” the minister said.
Mr. Onu explained that the agencies under the ministry had already developed the research products through various stages of tests and trials.
We are asking Nigerians in the Diaspora that, think home, come and take the researches that we have done, he said.
“We have taken them to a level where you can now immediately convert them into products, make money out of it; that is the message.”
The minister, who returned to Nigeria from the U.S. in 1981, said as a policy, researchers would not be involved in the commercialisation of the research products to enable them concentrate on innovation rather than money.
He said that one of the agencies under the ministry was already working on a cure for epilepsy and was only awaiting the final stages of trials by the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC.
“We are working on a cure for epilepsy; there is a drug that one of our agencies is working on, it is being tested now.
“And we know that epilepsy is a disease that is worldwide and this agency will not on its own commercialise this drug.
“For NAFDAC to give its approval, there are so many stages of trials and tests that the drug has to pass through.
“But at the time that it must have satisfied all these conditions, we don’t want our researchers to go into commercialisation.
“Because if we do that, they would no longer continue with research; everybody would prefer to go and make money,” he said. (NAN)
Mr. Akinade-Ahmadou my brother, your response is sweet and simple…I wonder if anyone in that audience had been affected by the games our (their) kins play to many of from overseas – to people from US in particular.
One of the questions they ask you is: “how long would stay in Nigeria before you have to go back?” This is of course after they have asked you to make some sort of investment. You said it right…”out of sight…out of mind.”
Personally, I am supposed to own fleet of transportation vehicles, you know, like “Ekene Dili Chukwu” and others. That was in 1998. Up till today, I have nothing to show for it…my so-called kin has not been able to be located or make himself available to account for anything.
Indeed, if ran or administered properly, investment in Nigeria by diaspora Nigerians and especially in technology can yield dividends to diaspora Nigerians. But, part of the problem is who do you trust? And what mechanism can Mr. Onu and his administration provide to safe guard against “dupers” and “predators” who are eagerly lying and waiting for us to make a move?
Cash Ezimako
A good and patriotic counsel from Mr. Onu. If only the reality is as simple as it’s been advocated. The fact that transparency and honest business intelligence prevails in Nigeria for diasporans, then it will draw interests en-masse. The reality is a case of ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’. The degree of unreliability on both business and inter-personal levels will caution many diasporans to be ambivalent and ‘non-trusting’ towards fellow resident Nigerians, who are largely charged with ‘making things happen’ administratively and corporately. In my experience, such responsible cadres are either indifferent to what the diasporan may propose to offer, or rather, elect to offer it to ‘foreigners’ who would propose, execute and ‘never seen again’ until called for another business – such foreigners may not have any other business network other the specific or same individuals to approve the end product – a case of ‘hand-in-glove’. I have known of lead government/corporate individuals not wanting to do business with their diasporan colleagues, in a situation where the former’s expectation to present an indigene as part of the constituted membership – which is no problem, BUT such individual would have been offered to the ‘diasporan initiator’ where all strategic and operational activities are subject of monitoring by responsible executives, to ensure whatever ‘under-the-table’ arrangements are followed to the ‘t’. Yes, Nigeria’s Home remittance has reduced in the past 2 or so years, reflected in the progressive desperation of home-bound inter-relations, deceitful attempts to cream off ‘gainful’ interests of diasporans, and at worst, unreliability of ‘familial’ persons who may not stop at anything to oppress and suppress their diasporan kins.
A diaspora-based workshops and seminal activities would probably instil such confidence needed by diasporans to feel safe and secure that their endeavours at mere partnerships,will yield the desired outcome, even when they are yet to prepare themselves to ‘return home’.