"Diasporans are MERELY Nigerian citizens who themselves are in search of opportunities to better their own lives, and indirectly that of other Nigerians and the country itself. It is not their responsibility to develop Nigeria. That is government's work . . . it is the work of government to create an environment within which it's citizens can thrive and flourish."

This is what was said in the following thread at this link.
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-721544.0.html#msg8796260

Maybe I am being naive but I have always been told growing up here in America that I must go back and do what I can for Nigeria, even if my father cant return. I thought a successful democratic capitalist nation is characterized by a partnership between public and private sector. What if the private sector included diasporans, wouldn't that develop the nation tremendously? So do you feel like diasporans should not feel the need to go home to help develop Nigeria? Maybe I should just stay in the United States when Im done with my MD?

I feel a responsibility. But at least personally, it isn't that easy to return. Not right now, anyway.

@Poster, IF you want to return when you are done with your MD, it is a PERSONAL choice you have to make. However, note that you are no different from the Nigerian doctor, trained in Nigeria, in that you will only be another citizen of Nigeria and nothing more than that when we are all counted at the end of the day.

Now, if you can, learn to separate your PERSONAL choice to make sacrifices from the running of a COUNTRY and the lives of people, that would be much appreciated. You are not an angel for wanting to go back and you are certainly no better than the Nigerian carpenter in nigeria who has never been outside of Nigeria but struggling to make a better life for his family down there.

As to improving Nigeria, Nigerians already sacrifice Billions of dollars in money generated from resources each year -- instead of demanding a check in the mail each month, they give that money to the Government so it can use it to better their collective lives. That the Government continues to fail at this does not then mean the responsibility should fall on the shoulder of those who do not live in Nigeria.

Diasporans already remit about $10 billion a year to help boost Nigeria's economy, you want demand blood from them now?

Kobojunkie:

That the Government continues to fail at this does not then mean the responsibility should fall on the shoulder of those who do not live in Nigeria.

Kobojunkie, I see your point, but for me I don't think I can just abdicate responsibility to the government.

If your ancestral town is wracked by chaos/unrest/poverty, will you just shrug your shoulders and say, "Not my concern, this is the government's job?"

^^^ What rule/law says I cannot shrug my shoulder and move on, maybe join another group out there??  

I don't see the sense in trying to lay on individuals responsibility that belongs to and remains that of Government. Your PERSONAL choice to help is simply that, PERSONAL choice . . . . makes you no messiah, or any better than the man in Nigeria struggling to make sense of his existence.

There is no such law. But for me, my ancestors have lived in my town for 200+ years. So I feel I have obligations.

You are right though, everyone is free to make their own choice.

Kobojunkie:

@Poster, IF you want to return when you are done with your MD, it is a PERSONAL choice you have to make. However, note that you are no different from the Nigerian doctor, trained in Nigeria, in that you will only be another citizen of Nigeria and nothing more than that when we are all counted at the end of the day.

Now, if you can, learn to separate your PERSONAL choice to make sacrifices from the running of a COUNTRY and the lives of people, that would be much appreciated. You are not an angel for wanting to go back and you are certainly no better than the Nigerian carpenter in nigeria who has never been outside of Nigeria but struggling to make a better life for his family down there.

As to improving Nigeria, Nigerians already sacrifice Billions of dollars in money generated from resources each year -- instead of demanding a check in the mail each month, they give that money to the Government so it can use it to better their collective lives. That the Government continues to fail at this does not then mean the responsibility should fall on the shoulder of those who do not live in Nigeria.

Diasporans already remit about $10 billion a year to help boost Nigeria's economy, you want demand blood from them now?

+10

I you come back here to start a transport business or bottled water factory, are you developing Nigeria or just starting your own personal business

if you come back to lecture or treat patients without getting paid then yea i will say you are contributing to the development of the economy  

Obligated or not, you are no better than the next man who chooses NOT TO go back. You are no more Nigerian than the next man who has found peace wherever he is and understands he does not have the wherewithal to save Nigeria or his 'ancestral home'.

Kobojunkie:

Obligated or not, you are no better than the next man who chooses NOT TO go back. You are no more Nigerian than the next man who has found peace wherever he is and understands he does not have the wherewithal to save Nigeria or his 'ancestral home'.

Right, I'm not claiming to be better than anyone else. It is sort of a personal matter for me, not something to brag about or play games/politics with.

Dis Guy:

+10

I you come back here to start a transport business or bottled water factory, are you developing Nigeria or just starting your own personal business

if you come back to lecture or treat patients without getting paid then yea i will say you are contributing to the development of the economy  

Err, the former is probably more useful to the economy than the latter. If you start a business, you are employing labor, buying inputs, etc. This sounds more sustainable and useful to me than a guy spending 1 week doing a service trip.

Anyway, people who start personal businesses imo contribute to the development of Nigeria.

ROFL . . . . . .


Well, the Nigerian businessman in America is not only contributing to development world over, sending money back for the upkeep of family and friends in Nigeria(thereby boosting the Nigerian economy) but also aiding in developing the world by supporting policies that effect change in the world !

Kobojunkie:

ROFL . . . . . .


Well, the Nigerian businessman in America is not only contributing to development world over, sending money back for the upkeep of family and friends in Nigeria(thereby boosting the Nigerian economy) but also aiding in developing the world by supporting policies that effect change in the world !

Right, there are multiple ways to contribute. All with varying degrees of efficacy, I suppose. Sending money back home is one. Being on the ground opening up a business is another. Volunteering or whatever is a third.

H

Nigeria did nothing for me, my state, Ekiti state, God's own state, Fountain of knowledge, Fountain of wisdom, Fountain of understanding, The heart of Africa, The light of the world, the goodness in darkness, the omnipotent of love, is the only place I owe anything to.

My own is, waiting for December to come, seeing if Fayemi will keep to his own deal by enforcing the completion of our roads (or the beginning of it). Ekiti state, just expect me eh

9jaganja:

I'm going back to 9ja and I'm taking kobojunkie with me by force

Ileke-IdI:

My own is, waiting for December to come, seeing if Fayemi will keep to his own deal by enforcing the completion of our roads (or the beginning of it). Ekiti state, just expect me eh

Hehe. I want to go in december too, but haven't yet bought my ticket.

ekt_bear:


Hehe. I want to go in december too, but haven't yet bought my ticket.

Seriously, I dont want to go for another bumpy ride on those roads. I couldnt feel my azz for the next few days.

Kobojunkie hates being Nigerian.

Why are you quoting someone who do craze finish?

It is not the responsibility of the Diaspora to develop Nigeria. What has Nigeria done for us besides give us a bad name abroad?

Did Nigeria give me a scholarship to college? No. . .

Did Nigeria give me a good quality education while I was growing up in Nigeria? No. . .

SEFAGO:

Kobojunkie hates being Nigerian.

Why are you quoting someone who do craze finish?

That you hate your life and your family is no reason why you should go around imposing same on others.

I am glad you at least admit that you dey craze . . . thanks be to God!

Ileke-IdI:

Seriously, I dont want to go for another bumpy ride on those roads. I couldnt feel my azz for the next few days.

Awwww come for massage

Remove me from your NL ashewo equation. and ewww.

@post

I agree. Nigerian tax drivers in America should not make Nigeria's development a priority.

It is not the responsibility of diasporans to develop Nigeria, however as a citizen it is a civic (moral) duty to contribute to building your country whether you are home or abroad. These could be achieved through different avenues but must be based on individual choice.

Even if Nigeria is great tomorrow there will always be travelers, it is life. There are Rwandan's or Somali's that return to their country to help, most times it is not about the money so remittance won't build a country with the current practice,we need new ideas, models and thinking.
@Poster if you want to come back please do, whenever you are prepared but be mindful it is not a vacation but it is rewarding if you have a mission in mind.

KoboJ, to be clear I wasn't trying to pick on you. One of my best friends (a guy from India) has zero interest in dealing with his native country ever again. He views himself as Indian, but doesn't feel any obligation to go back. He and his fiancee don't have any kids yet, but his kids will end up basically being raised as white Americans.

Personally I think this stuff is really sad. It is the insidious aspect of immigration. Immigration robs countries like India and Nigeria of some of their most talented people, and makes them American/Brits/etc. Huge win for America/UK/Canada, big loss for the immigrant's land of origin.

This is part of the reason I feel the way I do. If Nigeria were a rich, prosperous country and my hometown were some rich paradise, I'd not feel any debt at all. I'd just face my life here and fully enjoy it. But since Nigeria and my town are not where they should be, I feel the need to help out.

Anyway, long story short, I'm not judging you in any way.

I don't feel picked on either. I don't mind being judged only I wish that people do it RIGHTEOUSLY but then it is OK if they cannot.

Honestly, nothing I posted here, and most other places, is about my person but more about people's rights to NOT CHOOSE the path others want to . . . . as I know we Nigerians are so good at pretending we are better than the next man simply because we choose a different path than they did.

@post,

It is irresponsible to have this type of conscience that a Nigerian does not have a responsibility to develop the country.
Selfish! It is a personal to return to the country or not but everyone of us must keep it in mind that we are ready and able when called to help and serve the cause of Nigeria.

To put this topic in perspective and understand it thouroughly, this has the same weight as someone who has been warned by his father not to tarnish the family name but then gets abroad and says well, no one knows what I'm doing and nobody knows my name here so I'm just going to do what I want as a personal choice and unburden myself from that family tradition.

That's rebellion and a selfish, inconsiderate person.

my only responsibility is to the most high. the merciful. the benevolent. the alpha and omega. the begining and the end.

arise o campatriots nigeria call obey
nigeria we hail thee our old and native land

It is not the responsibility of the Diaspora to develop Nigeria. What has Nigeria done for us besides give us a bad name abroad?

Did Nigeria give me a scholarship to college? No. . .

Did Nigeria give me a good quality education while I was growing up in Nigeria? No. . .

They gave your parents all that . . .

Kobojunkie:

That you hate your life and your family is no reason why you should go around imposing same on others.

I am glad you at least admit that you dey craze . . . thanks be to God!

I was going to report your post to the moderator for getting personal but well I am a nice guy

SEFAGO:

They gave your parents all that . . .

I was going to report your post to the moderator for getting personal but well I am a nice guy

Report me? For what? For giving back to you what you thought to give to me? Wait a minute . . . are you saying you would not accept if someone said the same of you - - - 

So, it is not OK to dish back at you the same "junk" you sent  to another OH my gosh!!! Feel free to Report to whomever you feel you need to  . . . . I am interested in knowing how you explain this one.

People who have no plans to go back to Nigeria and help 'develop' the country have no right to criticize the government or the people working hard back home, Because they are part if the problem.
10% of nigerias problem is the government 90% is useless expats in Europe & America (nigerias real middle class) who should be making plans to help fix their contry but would rather come online and conplain.

ekt_bear:

KoboJ, to be clear I wasn't trying to pick on you. One of my best friends (a guy from India) has zero interest in dealing with his native country ever again. He views himself as Indian, but doesn't feel any obligation to go back. He and his fiancee don't have any kids yet, but his kids will end up basically being raised as white Americans.

Personally I think this stuff is really sad. It is the insidious aspect of immigration. Immigration robs countries like India and Nigeria of some of their most talented people, and makes them American/Brits/etc. Huge win for America/UK/Canada, big loss for the immigrant's land of origin.

This is part of the reason I feel the way I do. If Nigeria were a rich, prosperous country and my hometown were some rich paradise, I'd not feel any debt at all. I'd just face my life here and fully enjoy it. But since Nigeria and my town are not where they should be, I feel the need to help out.

Anyway, long story short, I'm not judging you in any way.

these days i regret not trying harder to get out of this effing country where you can be a victim of a brutal home invasion and NOTHING WILL HAPPEN even if you have an idea who did it

people who really try to fix this country - pure philanthropy etal will only get their hearts broken.

unless we can get rid of the current crop of leaders and our values, coming back to this country is a nono

Negro_Ntns:

@post,

It is irresponsible to have this type of conscience that a Nigerian does not have a responsibility to develop the country.
Selfish! It is a personal to return to the country or not but everyone of us must keep it in mind that we are ready and able when called to help and serve the cause of Nigeria.

To put this topic in perspective and understand it thouroughly, this has the same weight as someone who has been warned by his father not to tarnish the family name but then gets abroad and says well, no one knows what I'm doing and nobody knows my name here so I'm just going to do what I want as a personal choice and unburden myself from that family tradition.

That's rebellion and a selfish, inconsiderate person.

I would disagree 100%

a) because I do not believe that Nigerians are in anyway MANDATED to care for Nigeria simply because they were born Nigerians -- there are currently many Nigerians out there capably serving in the communities they now find themselves in. Maybe have adopted their new homes and already give all they can to these new homes. Are they being selfish even when they are selflessly serving the communities they now live in?

b) I don't see how we can DRAW the conclusion that those who do not answer "THE CALL" would only be doing so for selfish reasons, when even after so many decades, that call has yet to come and many are weary, and looking to find for themselves peace right where they are.

We just had an election some weeks ago and the message sent the world, by Nigerians is that Nigerians in Nigeria ARE NOT ready for Change. Once again, Nigerians have loudly declared that they are NOT READY to CALL on those in Diapora to help change Nigeria (the only way diasporans can come back to improve Nigeria is if the leadership issues we continue to allow, are fixed to some great extent and the only people who can do that are the voters who live in Nigeria). So, why in the world would you condemn those who have decided to accept that the call will likely never come and so it would be better they serve the communities were they currently reside and make meaning for themselves, of all this, that way?

c) I don't share that messiah complex that some of us have developed -- that idea that WE, the Diasporans, are the ones who will need to fix the country -- I think it is bull. We have capable, ready and able minds right there in Nigeria who can change the country and make it great.