by Adeola Aderounmu.

Nigeria calls herself the giant of Africa. Please can someone tell Nigeria and Nigerians to wake up! Giant of where? Nigerians are giants only in their homes. They live under an illusion of pre-independence glory. They count on the dense population as a criterion to pronounce giant as a title. The events that have played out recently in Nigeria have precipitated the country to the lowest level of pity. Indeed, no one can take away the influence that Nigeria cast on the Africa continent or worldwide, but those influences will never be counted as greatness. Never!

In great countries and in giant nations, election time represents the voice of the people. It is a time to keep fate with a performing government or seek a change when necessary. Public offices are designed as positions for servants who must be ready to give account of their performance at any point in time during or after serving. In great countries with functional democracies, the arms of government are functional and independent.  Simply, the executives perform its duties, the senate makes laws and judiciary interprets the law and constitution. The people of a great country know their rights and they demand for it.

Nigeria is one of the largest oil producers in the world. It has been said that if Nigeria stops producing oil, countries like the US will be worst hit. Does anyone know that Nigeria has no functional refinery to make the oil available for her use? How can anyone explain that Nigerians import oil to use in their own country? How can you as a right thinking person correlate this to the status of a great country or self-acclaimed giant?  Nigeria is not a giant! Let her sit down somewhere and weep. People die regularly in Nigeria because of pipeline explosions. They try to steal or scoop oil because someone is not doing his job. There are many other reasons why people die prematurely in Nigeria; diseases, lack of basic health infrastructure, religious violence, road accidents, collapse buildings, armed robbery and so on. Nigeria has one the highest child and pregnancy-related maternal mortalities in the world. There is polio is Nigeria and malaria related morbidity and mortality is high.

But I will not want to lose track of the essence of this piece. It is about the essence of public service and it’s relevant to the greatness of a country. Public servants are accountable to the people and are liable under the laws. This is not so in Nigeria. You are not accountable to anyone! As a public servant or politician in Nigeria, your primary duty is to become rich. The other thing you need to ensure is that you award contracts with favour and get your returns in your bank accounts spread all over the world. If you leave office as a politician and you are poor or your condition remains the same, the people will laugh at you. They will ask you what you were doing when your counterparts are cutting from the National cake. They expect you to save money for yourself and your unborn generations. They will give you the examples of Awolowo, Azikwe, IBB, Abacha, Shagari, Buhari, Obasanjo, Tinubu, and thousands of others. They will ask you if you think such families will ever be poor again! Pardon me for the names that appear here, I don’t know who among them was self made or self-enriched. It is also not clear to me who among them saved money or positions for their generations. But it is a common saying in Nigeria that once they appeared in public life, their generations are rich forever.

There may be a few honest men in Nigeria and there may have been a few dividends of democracy but in general, there is mass poverty. The implications of civilian rule in the last 8 years from 1999 to 2007 are catastrophic. The indelible marks of military regime before then were similarly catastrophic. Austerity measures and Structural adjustments of the 80s were suicidal. This is why it is still very annoying that some things never changed in Nigeria. For example, why is it impossible for the people to demand accountability from the elected politicians? Why is it impossible to imprison corrupt politicians and other persons? Why are the politicians stealing money and saving them for their future and family? Why are idiots been elected or selected to rule Nigeria? Why are the people disenfranchised during elections? Why do politicians use thugs as security officers? Why is it not possible to have a revolt in Nigeria and bring men of honour to power? Why do people expect politicians to be richer than they were after service? Why does the will of a few men in Nigeria take pre-eminence over the will of the many suffering masses? Why do a few men give Nigeria such a bad and unpalatable image abroad? Why is it impossible to have a government that will use the vast human and natural resources in the country to achieve greatness?

One can go on and on to ask many questions why the country that has produced the likes of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and Emeagwali still remains in the doldrums despite proclaiming independence in 1960.  Indeed, Nigeria has what it takes to be great but Nigeria is not great yet. The politicians have made a mess of the country. There is no functional electricity, the roads are bad, the schools are poorly equipped (many Nigerian academic live abroad), the hospitals are bad (Nigerian doctors and nurses prefer to work abroad), the unemployment rate is very high (with no plans for graduating students), lawlessness abound, clean water are sold to the people and insecurity is a major problem as armed robbers and militants operate freely.

Despite all these problems and hopelessness, it was still impossible for Nigerians to take their future in their hands in the last elections (April 14 and 21 2007). On the eve of the presidential election, Nigerians were informed that voting materials are arriving from South Africa. So, who is the giant? Is it a country that cannot print ordinary electoral papers? Nigeria imports almost everything under the surface of the sun including refined petrol! Wake up sleeping “giant”! The just concluded “elections” are nothing short of a farce. It is a slap on the face of the intelligent minds that abound in Nigeria. Nigeria has just set a very bad example to other African countries and it is a big shame. It appears to me that Nigeria has not made any progress democratically despite the mistakes and shortcomings of the past. We repeat history and never learn from them.  It is useless to let the election results stand in the name of civilian to civilian transition. The significance of this election is not in the transfer of power; it is in the meaning of our lives. The significance is in the wish of the people, the need for a proper and appropriate change and the hope for a greater tomorrow. 

After May 29th, I will be really disappointed if the likes of Obasanjo, Atiku, Iwu and the others who have contributed to the demeaning of Nigeria in the last 8 years are not placed on trial. We need to take control of our lives, our destinies and our future. It must start from someone, from somewhere and this is another opportunity. If we don’t probe and try the outgoing administration and its key players, we will be setting a pace for the new administration that we are not destined for greatness. I have nothing against still having the like of IBB or Buhari on trial. They are living burglars. We need to stop thieves in high and low places and put everybody on alert for national revamping. Making Nigeria great is not going to be a day’s job. It will be a collective duty on virtually on frontiers of our lives. But Nigeria will never be great if we don’t resolve to take the first step. Many more generations will be wasted and people will continue to wallow in poverty despite the wealth of the nation. My heart bleeds for Nigeria, a rich country where values are not placed on human existence and where sycophants are glorified. 

Adeola Aderounmu. 

At some point in the history of great nations, the people made collective decisions/wills to end tyranny, dictatorship or whatever way oppressions can be described. In many instances, the people bade farewell to poverty and diseases using the Never Again syndrome. In 2007 and after the shoddy rituals called elections that were staged managed by some idiots called INEC officials and supervised by a fool called Iwu, Nigerians in my opinion have a very golden opportunity to bid farewell to gangsterism as exemplified since 1960 by the likes of Obasanjo and his cohorts.

What a big chance indeed!It is possible to look at the election of April 14th from different perspectives and it is also possible to give an analysis that would be enough to write a book on Political Science. But summarily, we can raise a few questions or make certain generalizations. Sometimes when an intellectual mind writes on issues relating to Nigeria and you relate that to what obtains in some other countries in Africa and the Western world especially; one begins to wonder if Nigeria has emerged into the 21st century.

What happened in Nigeria on the 14th of April should not be called election. Election means something totally different from what took place that day. On April 14th 2007, some determined Nigerians went to war with a merciless regime headed by Obasanjo. The regime used the instrument of governance to oppress and suppress its own people. It slashed their throat to make sure that their voices were not heard and should never be heard again. The activities of Obasanjo, INEC, its officials with Mr.  Iwu as the leader deserve total condemnation. After May 29, Obasanjo should be put on trial to defend his actions that have led to the untimely death of many Nigerians in the last 8 years of his administration. People have died through pipeline explosions, hunger, assassinations, state induced murder, diseases due to lack of good health and most recently through an arrangements on April 14th to force his will on over 140 million people.  

Those who participated in the regime in the last 8 years should be made to give account of their stewardship in office.In the meantime, the present senate would have to stand up to a national duty. One that will save and preserve our democracy forever. One last action that will bring reason to the fore front of national issues. Let the senate immediately declare void the activity of INEC regarding April 14th. Iwu should be arrested and tried for trying to lead the nation into anarchy. His accomplices should all be fished out and dealt with according to the laws of the land. The judiciary has shown that it has some dignity. They would need the unflinching support of the police to achieve this. It seems like an impossible mission, but this is the best time to make a U-turn for the good of Nigeria.If we fail to use this golden opportunity to achieve greatness for Nigeria, Nigeria will never be great again, at least not in the lifetime of the two outgoing wasted generations.

This is a time to show the world that there are honest people in Nigeria who can conduct free and fair elections.  We can conduct elections in Nigeria without losing a soul, I believe it is possible.

Adeola Aderounmu.

I visited Nigeria after 3 years of absence. My plan was to stay with my Nigerian family and friends for one month or thereabout. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay more than 2 weeks in Lagos Nigeria. I arrived at the near peak of the fuel scarcity on 15th December. It was also during this period that armed robbers went on the rampage. What I’d read online before embarking on this trip didn’t deter me anyway. Nigeria is my country of birth and I’d lived there 29 years before I opted out.

My experiences were not palatable. Once I spent 4 hours on the queue to buy petrol at a gas station. It didn’t help that I woke up at 6am. Many nights, we slept in the dark; power outage was still a regular phenomenon. We couldn’t even use the generator most of the time because there was lack of fuel anyway.The cost of living has risen sharply. Bottled water, cold drinks and other things that help in the heat of the sun are sold expensively. People now pay more for everything including food.  On the contrary, the standard of living has continued on a sharp decline. The roads are dirtier; the walls of houses are unkempt. Play grounds have become breeding grounds for young cultists. A lot of young people now smoke and drink dangerously. I couldn’t believe my eyes with all that I saw. What I saw in festac town was an eyesore of unimaginable magnitude. It depicted the larger society and how hopelessness has crept into the existence of many.People live now like there is no governance in Nigeria. They have gradually lost faith in the system that should protect and care for them.

We must not forget that the present day 419ers in Nigeria have resorted to self help to avoid hunger, poverty and unnecessary hardship. It is not a preferred solution but where are the better options?  No plan to solve the unemployment situation, no social security, no hope in sight and no one expresses care or any feelings to the plight of the less than average Nigerian.Imagine how horrified I became to wake up one morning and learn that perhaps more than 500 people may have died from a pipeline explosion. I was in Lagos at this time and the news actually reached me from my family in Sweden. We had not had electricity to be able to follow the news and the idea of buying newspaper didn’t cross my mind. I was not expecting any disaster! People were scooping petrol illegally, there have been past deadly incidents, they know the risk but they also thought scooping was worth dying for. This is the level that the value of the Nigerian life has depreciated to. Almost meaningless. Else, how can you explain corpses by the road side daily?  

There is a big question on my mind. In Nigeria, who is taking care of what? In less than 2 weeks, I began to wonder if this is the same place that I’d been educated and lived for 29 years until 2002. Of course, life has not been a bed of roses for me. It was very hard to get through school financial wise. It was not easy either getting food on the table. Mine has always been a life of hard struggle but I’d never imagined that it will not get better for us as a country.We thought the military was the problem, but after 8 years of the Obasanjo-Atiku civilian regime, I have come to realize that it is not a question of military or civilian rule in Nigeria. It boils down to attitude. There is both greed and corruption in every aspect of our lives and quite unconventionally, there is absence of common good. Majority suffers in the process. A typical public office holder in Nigeria cares for his own selfish interest first. He or she is foremost interested in acquisition of wealth that will be enough for a life time. Typically, Nigerian politicians and public servants amass wealth for their unborn generation.

We live in a society where we worship money and riches. It doesn’t matter to us how people get rich, just that they are! Over the years, this attitude has begotten crime, murder, pen robbery, physical robbery and the irreparable consequences of the meaning of life under the modern day Nigeria. That the people are generally resilient or tolerant in the face of obvious public office abuse and that no solid voice or voices have form coercion against the juntas that have not diminished in intent and purpose since 1960 calls for a re-evaluation of our common intelligence. 

I left Nigeria on December 29 leaving behind again my beloved country, friends and family. I’d wished that Nigeria provides me with the opportunity to give back into the system fully as I’d dreamt as a child. It was not to be. I lived in fear and darkness for 2 weeks; I became ill drinking some bottled water. I travelled out again because I had a choice. What will be the fate of over 100million people living desperately below the poverty line?

This article has been re-written and updated in the following posts:

1. Christmas in Hell: http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/christmas-in-hell.html

2. Why I prefer a white christmas, http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/adeola-aderounmu/why-i-prefer-a-white-christmas.html

aderounmu@gmail.com

Census 2006: Why count primitively?

Adeola Aderounmu 

“That census enumerators trek short or long distances to count people is a shame in the 21st century”

 

The essence of this write up will be to proffer an advice to the Nigerian Nation and the authorities who don’t seem to have learnt anything from the way the world has advanced in recent years. It is a shame that Nigerian leaders waste a lot of public funds traveling to developed countries and even buying houses and properties in these countries without taking back home the good part of these well-to-do countries.  The 2006 census (whether the results are released or pending) is not how to count Nigerians. This is the 21st century and it is now possible to count exactly how many people live within a geographical boundary anywhere in the world. Even if you are not very careful, someone is looking at you right now using goggle earth, a satellite online tool that can give a view of anyplace anywhere under the sun.

 

 

To count Nigerians is not a 5-day project. It is not even a 50 days project. Counting in every country should be a daily thing based on how many births or deaths have been registered on that day. It is the work of some people to keep track of population flow. The first step is to make an attainment to the level where you can make a click on your computer and enter a database where the appropriate authority is keeping track of registration of life and death. Similarly, immigration and emigration should be noted. This means that airport authority including custom and immigration establishments and their records of flights and passengers play a crucial role.

 

 

Taken simply, what Nigeria needs in terms of knowing how many people make up Nigerians is a long term plan. It is a process that will start gradually, remain focused and eventually reach a stabile. Nigerian needs a system where her citizens are recognized by social security number (SSN) or what in some countries is known as personal numbers (PN). This number which is also indicated on your national id or passport is a tag that does not change whatever happens! Everything that affects you (good or bad) is always recorded against this SSN on a computer database. This SSN is with every public institute and some private institutes have special access too. It is not possible for a person to have double SSN because fingerprints go along with it. But that does not rule out that identities cannot be stolen but if the law catches up with the perpetrators, they always face the music. An individual’s SSN is found in Hospital Records office, Tax office, Employment office, Insurance companies, Motor Vehicle Licensing office, Bank records, Statistics bureau, and so on and so forth.

 

Where do we start from in Nigeria? The problem in Nigeria is that counting is not done with sincerity of purpose. Politicians meddle with everything that is of National Interest for selfish gains and personal reasons. This is the debacle that must be removed. A public institution like the National Population Commission (NPC) has to be re-engineered to catch up with modern realities.  The way we count ourselves must change. Personally, I will suggest a 5-10 years plan to count all Nigerians and then a daily observations of changes. This is how developed countries plan for her citizens; they monitor daily population growth and influx or out flux. Where you reside is not a factor, the point is that they know that you exist and live within a certain region in the country. If you leave the country, they know. They are also aware when you return as long as you have taken the legal approaches to do these things. In crime situations, people beat some of these checks but the essence of knowing the number of people remains.

This is my idea. A 5-10 years plan so that nobody is rushing or running to meet a deadline. There is no need to create chaos just because you want to meet a deadline. It is not necessary to count Nigerians in a hurry.

Nigeria must look into the future; make solid plans for things that work forever, not temporarily. What about the NPC registering every Nigerian at its local offices, giving out SSN and taking fingerprints? All the local office should be connected to a central computer network. State of the art technology must be in place to detect multiple fingerprints. Let us look at this scenario, a young African man sought asylum in Greece and somehow surface in Sweden for the same purpose. He was told that his fingerprint has been previously recorded on the central European asylum seekers machine! This is the stage that the world has reached.

A person need to be identified with his name, SSN, address, occupation, marital status, children (or not) and so on. A change of address should be immediately reported so that the state or local government knows who has moved in or out. People moved for many reasons; to be with family, change of job and so on. To know those who have migrated out of the country especially, the migration office or the NPC could do random check by asking individuals to return a form with fingerprint. Obviously, no 2 individuals have been reported with the same fingerprints. With time, each family would have registered their children and relatives even if they are not all educated. A 10 year period is enough to let people know that something is in progress. Nobody would rush and there would be no stampede. When a child is born, the hospital should have the means (either by the computer network) or otherwise to inform the NPC or a registration of birth. Obviously, the families of newborns know that they are obliged to get a SSN for their newborns. The NPC only need to see the baby and the information that they have received from the hospital.

 

 

In essence, what I am trying to say here is that with time, all Nigerians will be registered. NPC should exist in every community or Local councils. Their operations must be completely computerized with appropriate backup. The registration of death should also be taken into account as much as that of births. How many foreigners live among us can also be noted. Foreigners should also have SSN that can be coded so that once they appear on the system, it becomes obvious that they are for foreigners and the exact country they come from appears. The nature of their businesses in Nigeria is also reveal by the same SSN.

 

Many of the things that I have suggested here are based on my experience in Europe, Sweden especially. I have lived in Sweden for more than 5 years and if you want to know anything about me, all you need to do is to go to the Tax office in Stockholm and give them my Personal Number. Even telling them my name gives similar results. They will tell you my entire life history since the first time that I registered that I am living in Sweden. You don’t need any special authority to find any information about me!

 

 

It is unnecessary and a waste of time and resources to count people before, during and after elections. We should be able to click on the NPC database in the next 10 years and say there are maybe 150 million people in Nigeria. We should be able to say things like, 2,000 foreigners live in Ketu and that 300, 000 Nigerians have immigrated to Europe in the last 24 months, for example.

 

 

It is not modern to make the journeys to count people in their homes when you can make the click on a secured PC. It sound like some of the events of biblical era and it is extremely a primitive concept. Even then, lacking the resources to do logical simple counts still called for a re-think in a country that considers itself the “sleeping” giant of Africa. Enumerators only need to click the mice of their desktops with a cup of coffee or tea by their side to find out the latest entry on the database network and a second click to give the total of how many people live in Nigeria. If Nigeria is also truly the heartbeat of Africa as been advertised on CNN, then we need to set the pace. Surely, Nigeria is filled with rot which explains why we can hardly do anything right yet, it is a shame. Using various intellectuals minds, the plagues that afflict Nigerians have been over flogged by Nigerian media houses using editorials and contributions. Nobody is listening and the politicians will never be interested in making things work right. This is a worrying amusement. The talk of sanity within public establishments is seen as foolishness by many especially those who have lost hope in how the Nigerian system works. Good ideas don’t see the light of the day because no one is planning for a hundred years to come. The failure of the past leaders has robbed on our collective intelligence and the persistent foolhardiness of the old brigades in governance will almost invariably robbed the future generation of looking forward to greatness as a nation. We continue to look out because only a few people have harnessed Nigerians wealth to selfish gains. It will be a huge shame and disappointment if the 2006 census is a platform to continue in our cycle of idiocy. A non-violent positive change in the near future will be succour.

 

Adeola Aderounmu

Sweden

Nigerians In The Diaspora
By Kunle Sanyaolu July 31 2006

Great ideas are never in short supply in this country.
Nigeria is a God-blessed country. Rather, implementation has been our bane. Most often, we tend to reduce great ideas to tatters, in the course of implementing them. The idea behind Nigerians in the Diaspora, a euphemism for Nigerians living outside the country, particularly in Europe and
America, is impeccable. It would be wonderful if the country can device means to tap from their experience, their expertise and even their wealth. Nigerians in the Diaspora are rubbing mind and shoulders daily with modern technology. Their host society is organized and a lot more predictable. The scholarly among them are enjoying their studies because these are daily conducted in serene and amiable environment. Back here in the country, it is not uncommon for students on campus library to suddenly abandon their books and scamper for safety in response to sporadic gunshots that could be coming from anywhere or targeted at anyone. In marking the Nigeria in the Diaspora day in
Abuja during the week, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala observed that remittances by Nigerians in the Diaspora are in the region of $4 billion yearly. This is a staggering sum that could boost the economy of any developing country, if properly applied. Many families in
Nigeria benefit directly from remittances from abroad. Some old people whose children or breadwinners are in the Diaspora in fact live on such remittances. Economists believe the foreign currency sent in invariably strengthens the local currency. Obviously, such a gain is largely eroded by the import-dependence and penchant for foreign goods characterized in the local economy. All the same, the money coming in cannot be quantified in its usefulness. Ironically, the recipients in
Nigeria always wish the naira value to be low, so they can cash more naira for given dollars or pounds. All of us should be concerned about how these remittances can be harnessed for real growth. Additionally, how can we tap the expertise and invaluable experience acquired by Nigerians in the Diaspora, for direct benefit to the country? So far, most Nigerians that manage to have a steady or not-so-steady job abroad are unwilling to return home. Yes, they could be considered second-class citizens, in society so race-conscious. But many of them have concluded that their second class status is better than their first class status in
Nigeria. When they come home, it is usually briefly, due to cost consideration among others. But their satisfaction with the arrangement is buttressed by the praise they receive from family friends and kinsmen who freely express how healthy and good looking the Nigerians abroad are. Many of them actually believe they could not have been so healthy and good looking had they remained in
Nigeria. By giving thoughts and activities in honour of Nigerians in the Diaspora, the Federal Government has acknowledged their contribution, or their potential, to the development of the country. These are people who went with nothing and end up establishing themselves in all spheres of life and entrepreneur. They become very useful citizens to their host country, and they reciprocate by loving the country, their community and serving them wholeheartedly. Their regret is that their service and loyalty ought to be rendered first and foremost to their native country. But alas, they had no such opportunity. Indeed they had no expertise until they traveled abroad. But it is their father-land. They can’t give it up. Even some Nigerians who excel in sports and decide to assume foreign nationality still have roots at home. And they remit money regularly. It is not always a success story for Nigerians in the Diaspora. Some of them have become only slightly better than destitute, as a result of constant harassment by the host, coupled with inability to get decent jobs. Many in this category have no genuine international passports. If they do, their visa has expired. But they cannot contemplate going home with empty hand. What would they even do at home? They ran from home in the first place. They can only return home with a lot of cash to satisfy the expectation of their people. To these people, life in the Diaspora is not so kind. They have to be extra mindful of where they go, when and who they associate with. In particular, they have to consciously steer clear of mischief lest the authorities send them home with the next available flight. These Nigerians have their experience and expertise too. And
Nigeria can very well benefit from them if the approach is correct. According to reports, one thinking behind the
Nigeria in the Diaspora Day is to bring the private sector, universities, the government and the Nigerians in the Diaspora to work in partnership to convert Nigerians’ intellectual talent into a competitive advantage, comparable with the achievement of more developed societies. But the idea of redesigning the out-of-use Federal Secretariat in
Lagos as a residential complex for Nigerians in the Diaspora does not jell with the overall plan for them. President Olusegun Obasanjo envisaged that the secretariat, as residential quarters will provide accommodation for them. That presupposes that accommodation is a problem for intending Nigerian returnees. Accommodation certainly is one of the problems but not a major one. Nigerians in the Diaspora left relatives and kinsmen before their departure. They kept contact with them all through their years of sojourn. And these home based relatives are always too happy to receive their sons and daughters on return. Besides, many Nigerians in the Diaspora have built fine houses in the native country over the years, to which they could always retire. In addition, the country cannot get the best from Nigerians in the Diaspora when these are secluded in reserved or prime areas of the country. They probably will end up feeling extraordinary or with much higher class and taste than other Nigerians. But l doubt if they would feel comfortable in such designated accommodation. For one, such an arrangement reduces the difference between home and abroad that otherwise they would have, since they will still end up seeing themselves as Nigerians abroad. Also, massing them up in the Federal secretariat exposes them to security risk. Armed robbers of nowadays go for cash, and where this is in hard currency, the target becomes more attractive. Finally, the Federal government assumes that Nigerians in the Diaspora, if they come home, will like to stay in
Lagos. Again, this may be far from the truth as no survey or research work has so indicated. If anything, the hustling and bustling, chaos, regular breaches of peace and the aggressive nature of
Lagos are directly antithetical to the serene, orderly, courteous and organized societies abroad that the Nigerians had become used to. For coming up with the idea of foraging a partnership with Nigerians in the Diaspora, the Federal Government deserves praise. But they should guard against the idea going the way of Image
Nigeria and other lofty ideas killed by wrong implementation. Thousands of other Nigerians had opportunity to travel abroad for greener pastures; or to stay there, having achieved the silver lining. But they chose to stay back or return to
Nigeria to contribute their quota directly. These Nigerians are unsung, yet their contribution is unquantifiable. Care must be taken not to alienate them. If things work at home, most Nigerians abroad would rather choose to be home than abroad. Government needs to make things work. Supply of electricity remains a sore point, coupled with bad roads, unemployment, degrading environment, diseases, inadequate housing and poor health delivery. All these have culminated into poverty for the masses. Having tasted the immense difference between this condition and that prevalent in Europe and America, Nigerians in the Diaspora naturally would prefer abroad, from where their contribution home will always be minimal, while their host country enjoys the most of them.