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
Abuja, July 25'" 2005.
PROTOCOL
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
reŽestablish 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 overŽemphasized. 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, reŽbuild 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-thanŽthou
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.
