Keynote Address by His Excellency, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR

Keynote Address by His Excellency, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR
At the Opening Ceremony of the

Conference on Bridging the Digital and Scientific Divide:
Forging a Constructive Relationship with the Nigerian Diaspora
In the process of development, at a particular time, a people must come together to reflect and to plan for the future. Such moments in history create opportunities for looking at the past, appreciating the present and looking into the future. It is often an opportunity to collectively rededicate to the goal of nationhood, come to terms with errors of the past, seek new mandates to reposition the society for progress, appreciate the blessings of God, and re¬establish those strong bonds that make it possible for a people to reach the highest heights of the creative and productive capabilities. This gathering here today, is, to me, one such opportunity to rebuild, strengthen and activate the bonds between Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.

Hence, it is with great pleasure and a deep sense of fulfillment that I address this conference
on Bridging the Digital and Scientific Divide: Forging a Constructive Relationship with the Nigerian Diaspora. Let me first commend the initiative of the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) and the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology for co-hosting this conference. In doing this, the NNVS has shown some clear understanding of its mandate and mission. The Ministry of Science and Technology on the other hand has taken a step in the right direction to strengthen its capacity to implement many of its lofty programmes.

Let me also extend my very warm welcome to all the delegates from the Nigerian Diaspora. I commend your sacrifice, patriotism and commitment to the Nigerian Project. Your presence at this conference marks a significant progress in this Administration's effort to mobilize and engage the Nigerian Diaspora in the task of nation-building. The important role that the Diaspora can play in our determined quest for sustainable development cannot be over¬emphasized. Indeed, this has also been recognized in the context of the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

Equally commendable, is the presence of the Nigerian Scientific Community, ably represented by the Nigerian Academy of Science and the universities, as well as professionals in the sciences, corporate Nigeria and government. It is your love for this country, your personal convictions, and pride in your respective professions as well as the confidence that you can make significant contributions to our technological advancement that brought you all here. We have high expectations that, from this conference would emerge an Action Plan that would enable us within the next decade to close the divide existing between us and the advanced countries in technology development, acquisition, application and utilization.

This conference must therefore lay the foundation, and in concert with the Ministry of Science and Technology, all its agencies, and other stakeholders work to meet the challenge. In a world that has become more competitive, more globalised, more dependent on technology and propelled by information technology, Nigeria has no choice but to race against time. Every body must be mobilized for this venture. This Administration is determined to recognize, and take full advantage the huge pool of talents, skills and expertise of Nigerians in the Diaspora which, if adequately tapped, could greatly complement our development efforts at home.

Many Nigerians went into the Diaspora to seek knowledge, economic opportunities or due to the various crises at home, from the Western Region crisis through the civil war to the military dictatorships of the past. What matters now is that they are out there doing wonderful things and bringing pride to their families, communities and country. The challenge now, is how to pull their talents together, mainstream their contributions, and deploy these in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. We know that in spite of the undeserved stereotypes, misinformation, miseducation, and jaundiced perceptions about us, most Nigerians abroad have remained true patriots, committed to seeing the evolution of a new Nigeria; they are eager to see the emergence of a Nigeria built on the rule of law, stable and economically viable. For those who have not visited or still have doubts about the New Nigeria that we are building, I invite them to visit and to appreciate the new framework of growth, unity, development and democracy.

I note with satisfaction, the continued interest and desire of the Diaspora to be active and credible participants in our development process which, for years, was hindered by unfavourable political and socio-economic developments at home. Of course, there was also the lack of unity among the Nigerian Diaspora which militated against focused, relevant, and productive engagements with developments at home. It is noteworthy however, that they continued to demonstrate in so many practical ways, their unflinching commitment and solidarity to our nation. Many in the Diaspora were in the vanguard of the struggle to end military rule and entrench democracy, rule of law and good governance in our beloved country. For their struggles, patriotism and sacrifices, we say thank you.

Even after the end of military dictatorship, many in the Diaspora continued to be involved in humanitarian activities such as the provision of relief materials, equipment for schools and hospitals, and award of scholarships. Let me here single out the activities of the Association of the Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) and thank the members for bringing relief and succor to tens of thousands of our people especially those in the rural areas. They brought in medications and medical supplies worth over $1.5 million last year alone. They deserve our commendation.

I must also mention those Nigerians in America and the United Kingdom that are working closely with our Missions to become directly involved in investments at home by pooling resources, seeking credit abroad, and bringing their respective expertise to bear on their ideals. I strongly recommend their strategy to others in the Diaspora. This is significant, considering the huge impact it could have in our determined efforts to attract foreign investors and capital into Nigeria. Like the struggle for debt relief, we remain undaunted and unapologetic in our campaign and drive for foreign investment. However, the point needs to be made that the more Nigerians that invest in their own country, the more inclined foreigners would be to follow their lead.

But it is in the area of capacity building and utilization that the Nigerian Diaspora has become attractive partner for our development process. Most of our people who have gone abroad, have over the years, acquired new knowledge, tremendous skills and expertise which can be of great use to us in our strategic planning efforts and boost our capacity and ability to manage our affairs in conformity with global practice. There is the need, however, to work in tandem with colleagues at home so that we can reduce the dependence on foreign experts and consultants, some of who do not understand our historical and contextual specificities. Today, the linkages between our home institutions and the Nigerian Diaspora are either weak, non-existent or strictly personal. This must change for the better. You need to energise each other in the interest of Nigeria.

What has been missing in all these is a common agenda and the involvement of a critical mass of skilled Nigerians at home and abroad that could make significant impact and act as catalyst for change. It was to address these lapses that I encouraged and supported the establishment of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation (NIDO). My firm conviction is that a pan-Nigerian organization like NIDO invariably has a better potential and capacity to act as a catalyst for strengthening, leveraging and facilitating the contribution of the Nigerian Diaspora to national development. This is in contrast to the multitude of weak Nigerian associations and organizations that exist in the Diaspora, some without clear focus and
resources to achieve even their limited objectives.

Clearly, a strong unified Nigerian Diaspora Organisation would be a potential force with the capacity to mobilize our citizens abroad, pool resources and skills, both for investment and management and also be a strong voice of the people of Nigeria to the communities where they reside. Because "all politics are local", they are better placed to advocate, campaign for us, and lobby leaders of the communities where they reside, on causes we believe in, including repairing our dented image caused by the activities of a few bad elements among us.

It was also to facilitate their harmonious integration into our development process and to demonstrate our seriousness and commitment to strengthening relationships with the Nigeria Diaspora that the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) was established. It is mandated to liaise and work with NIDO and the larger Nigerian Diaspora, develop modalities for harnessing and making optimal utilization of the huge potentials offered by Nigerian Diaspora.
Let me use this opportunity to call on the National Assembly to speed up the process of passing the appropriate law to give legal backing to the NNVS.

It is against this backdrop that our policy towards the Nigerian Diaspora needs to be appraised and appreciated. In all my official travels around the world, I have always created time to meet with, and interact with Nigerians. These meetings were opportunities for me to share with them the challenges we face, the opportunities we have and our vision for a better and greater Nigeria. In all my interactions, with the Nigerian Diaspora, I have repeatedly made it clear that I do not expect all Nigerians abroad, particularly professionals, to return home enmasse. This is an era of globalisation and communication has been virtually liberalized and democratised.

Rather, I expect that from their bases, they should be able to make some tangible contributions to complement and sustain our efforts at home. With their talents, knowledge, skills and expertise as well as resources and the contributions they are making in the countries where they reside, Nigeria stands to benefit too, if we can tap into the reservoir of resources, skills, expertise and finances of the Nigerian Diaspora.

Therefore for any effective relationship to develop with the Nigerian Diaspora, we must all change our mindsets and attitudes towards the country and towards ourselves as citizens of one nation. We can not claim to be patriots and yet at every opportunity, disparage the country or its people, engage in activities capable of destabilizing the nation or bringing its image into disrepute. Some of the writings on and about Nigeria on the internet leave much to be desired. They often display crass ignorance, limited or no familiarity with public policy, an undiluted commitment to the long abandoned past, and a belief that location abroad means superiority in everyway to those at home. This just has to change. The often exaggerated, wrong, unpatriotic and distorted writings by Nigerians only go to feed the stereotypes held about us abroad and complicate our effort at reform.

Some of you in the Diaspora have treated our on-going reform agenda, encapsulated in the
National Economic and Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) with skepticism or indifference even when it is being hailed by our development partners and emulated by other African countries as a good example of a homegrown development strategy. Some of you have dismissed or denigrated it even without seeing or reading the document or asking critical questions from responsible officials. Some of your leaders believe in permanent opposition and attacks against all government policies, even those that favour them directly. They are stuck in the past and cannot provide the sort of leadership required in this era of globalization and democratization. They need to re-tool and refocus on today's challenges without forgetting the past.

Again, this attitude of "transferred opposition" or "rejection of everything Government" has to stop. We cannot move forward with such attitudes. We must give our country a chance to grow and to enjoy peace, stability, harmony, security, growth, development and democracy.
The truth is that this is not the Nigeria of ten years ago and we are making great strides in all directions even as we know that we are not yet where we would like to be.
We are making great significant progress in agriculture and moving towards self-sufficiency and food security. We are gradually reversing the trend in our health and education sectors and rebuilding and rehabilitating our infrastructure. The civil service is being strengthened to make it more efficient and responsive. We are attacking corruption in an unprecedented way with singular courage and determination. No sector of the economy is being left out of the reform process and the results are beginning to show. We need your cooperation and support to stay the course and deepen the reform process.
 

From being a pariah state in 1999, we have become a veritable and respected member of the international community and a global player of note especially, within our continent where we continue to provide vision and leadership. More importantly, the recent decision of our creditors to grant us debt relief is not just a measure of the recognition of our efforts to bring about positive changes taking place both in Nigeria and the continent, but it also portrays a strong vote of confidence from the international community on our ability to manage our affairs, expand democracy and entrench accountability and transparency in the polity.

What this portends, is that our efforts at promoting sustainable development provide ample opportunities for an increased presence and involvement of the Nigerian Diaspora in all facets of our nation's development - in industry including small scale enterprises and the transfer of skills and expertise in health, education, agriculture and infrastructural development.

The way forward is to strengthen our organization, NIDO; develop a reliable database of Nigerian organizations, professionals and businesses abroad; build strong bridges of contact and exchange of information and experiences; mount a major re-enlightenment process on real developments at home for our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora; and design an agenda, with monitorable benchmarks on a work strategy. In all these, we must emphasise transfer of resources, skills, expertise and finances partly to build the required capacity and to increase investment into the country. Today, Nigeria is the preferred investment destination in Africa and you have a responsibility to spread this information especially at your respective places of work and among your associates. In addition, we must, as a matter of urgency, re¬build relationships with research and academic institutions in Nigeria in a way that the NNVS and National Universities Commission can monitor.

Partnership is a shared responsibility. It is not enough to task and challenge the Nigerian Diaspora alone. On our part therefore, this Administration will continue to strive with increased energy and determination to create the enabling environment, enhance the investment climate, ensure peace, security and stability in order to strengthen the confidence of all Nigerians wherever they are, in their belief and commitment to the country. Be rest assured that we are here for you, this is your country, and we can only make progress by working together. Let us transcend narrow mindedness, political grandstanding, holier-than¬thou attitudes, and a perpetual belief in impossibilities. In today's Nigeria, we believe that good things are possible; the debt relief is just one example. We believe in hard work, unity of purpose, support for creativity and innovation, and in the loyalty, support and patriotism of the Nigerians people.

This Administration has demonstrated in many ways its determination to work with Nigerians in the Diaspora to accelerate the development of our country. We are convinced that collectively, we can achieve the goal we have set for ourselves of making Nigeria a great nation. Let this conference serve as the beginning of an enduring symbiotic relationship between our peoples in the science and technology sector abroad and those at home that would put in place the necessary structures for the technological transformation of our country. I believe that we can now set aside a day to be known as the Diaspora Day when those abroad can come home and take part in events that will explore opportunities, strengthen networks, articulate possibilities, and help consolidate the pillars of our growth and development agenda.

It is now my singular honour to formally declare open this epoch making conference, the outcome of which should move us to a higher pedestal of knowledge and skill-based national development. I wish you happy deliberation.

May God continue to bless Nigeria. Thank you.