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Nigerians
In
Diaspora
Organization,
As
Nigeria
Advance - Paul Adujie
All Nigerians and friends of Nigerians ought to be passionate
about Nigeria.
The mission statement of Nigerians In Diaspora Organization,
hereinafter referred to as NIDO for short, is essentially
the desire to generate positive passions by all and from
all, toward the growth and advancement of Nigeria . And
it is quite difficult for anyone to find any negative
thing about that; NIDO is intended to create the cohesion
of ideas by the now plentiful Nigerians living outside
of Nigeria for the benefit of Nigeria, because, logically,
if Nigeria wins, Nigerians at home and abroad will all
win.
It is the case however, that NIDO have been in the news,
negative news, more often, than in the positive territory
and or NIDO is not in hot pursuit of NIDO's aims and objectives.
For the unconverted, it is the case today, that there
is a massive number of Nigerian professional and middle
class cadre living outside Nigeria and their fields of
endeavor or professional callings, spans a very wide and
expansive spectrum. In view of these facts, one can only
imagine the incredible and limitless possibilities therein,
if these Nigerians in different locales of the world coalesce
to bring their training, experience and varied exposure,
all for the benefit of our beloved nation!
A Nigerian lawyer here in New York, recently narrated
to me, how NIDO's conception and launching was initially
greeted with great interests and enthusiasm, which has
since waned or fizzled. She narrated how the erstwhile
Nigeria's Ambassador to the United States, Senator Jubril
Aminu, a professor of medicine, had, organized and presided
over, a NIDO conference in New York City, (which I missed!)
My source revealed how, numerous corporate bodies, American
and Canadian, were sponsors and enthusiastic participants
of the events which lasted several days in New York Sheraton
Hotels.
I am informed that many wonderful ideas were generated
by attendees and sundry participants, as business contacts
and agreements were cemented. It is my understanding that
Senator Aminu inspired and motivated everyone with whom
he was in contact.
But what happened thereafter to NIDO and the wonderful
idea leading to its formation? Why did we lose sustained
focus and direction? I have heard speculations, to the
effect that NIDO sluggish and lagging achievements, are
mostly, as a result of negative chasms and schisms between
certain individuals, who are only interested in power,
for power's sake and without the corresponding interests,
in public or common good of Nigerians.
I have learnt that this power tussle and power grab,
has led to so much frictions and tension to the extent,
that NIDO became factionalized along the usual divides.
This development is certainly very troubling! Consider
that we are thousands of miles away from Nigeria further
consider the fact that, NIDO members are cream of the
crop Nigerians abroad, lawyers, doctors, engineers, top-flight
management level persons, etc all accomplished in their
various professions.
Troubling, because,
Nigerians professionals abroad are supposed to be, without
the usual strictures, drawbacks
and burdens of ethnic, religious and regional divides
responsible for ruining many a good thing, in Nigeria… but,
these multiple distractions and evils, still manage to
infiltrate the thinking of some Nigerians at such high
professional levels! And so far away from home, what gives?
How can Nigerians abroad, who are among the most educated,
sophisticated, the most traveled and with incredible exposure
to what make other nations great and exposed to how the
world works, still engage in myopic and parochial schisms?
Why do some Nigerians continue to wallow in dirty muddy
gutters, when we all, ought to take swims in our wondrous
diversities to our ultimate fulfillment, development,
our progress and advancement?
How can we, Nigerian professionals, middleclass, enlightened,
and all-knowing, fail in making a success out of NIDO,
even with the very lofty ideals, aims and objectives that
should be clear to all? How can we Nigerians abroad be
expected to be taken seriously by Nigerians citizens at
home, particularly, the leadership in Nigeria, when we
cannot run NIDO successfully, and yet, most of us, would
insist, that we would do better, if we had a chance to
run the affairs of Nigeria? Some of us here, have proven
incapable of running cultural associations and unions,
or churches and mosques, here in the Diaspora, without
eschewing the usual ethnic, religious and regional animosities.
How can we, Nigerians abroad, then have the audacities
and effronteries to continue to deride Nigerian and African
leaders at home for their failings? Even as we insist
that our education and our experience, our exposure to
other cultures and systems have broadened our perspectives
and our outlooks? How is it, then, that our travels and
knowledge of what works for the rest of the world, has
managed to elude our thinking and our actions for the
benefit of Nigeria? How is it, oh how, then, that we engage
in petty squabbles, when we ought to focus on our crucially
urgent national interests? How is it, as it stands now,
we are our own barriers to our progress and advancements?
NIDO members, who squabble needlessly, are not doing
Nigeria any good, Nigerians abroad, who distance themselves
from NIDO are equally not doing Nigeria any favors, how
can they make meaningful contributions from their absence
and lack of participations? Nigeria must in this instance,
be likened to a company or corporation where we are shareholders,
we the shareholders have poor opinions of the board of
directors, including the chairperson of the board, but,
we assume that the fortunes our company/corporation will
improve, if we do nothing? The truth is, our shares will
continue to plummet in value and our company/corporation
may face bankruptcy and become bankrupt soon enough, from
our inaction and nonchalance! Whereas, if we actively
participate in reversing the mismanagement, with critical
thinking, through the engagements of words and actions,
the fortunes of our company will improve and our shares
and dividends returns, on investments, will surprise us,
pleasantly.
Too many Nigerians seem to think that it is the job of
someone else, to right all the wrongs in Nigeria; But
the truth is that, only Nigerians can save Nigeria, albeit,
with some help from friends and well-wishers, the heavy-lifting
and the bulk of the work, is Nigerians' to do! No Cameroonians
are coming to save us, no Ghananians or Americans or Europeans
are interested in saving Nigeria for Nigerians' good!
Other peoples have their various countries and national
interests to worry about. Saving Nigeria, pursuing Nigeria's
interests passionately and relentlessly with utmost intensity,
is Nigerians' duty.
Nigerians are recognized by a lot of non-Nigerians as
very bright, smart or even brilliant lot! But what does
the state of our national affairs say about us? Are we
too smart for our own benefit and our own good? Could
it be? Why can't we channel our minds, our hearts, our
ideas, our passions for the uplifting of Nigeria and Nigeria's
National Interests and all it entails? We should see Nigeria
in three D's, Delighted to be Nigerians, Disappointed
at current state of affairs and Determined to fix and
remedy all that Nigeria confronts
To Nigerians in Diaspora I would say, participate in
NIDO, its success is Nigeria's success, your success and
mine, and when you attend NIDO meetings, realize that,
you could have been doing a million things instead, but,
you elected to sacrifice your time for a very worthy cause!
So ensure the time you sacrifice, counts; Engaging in
needless arguments or idiotic distractions that are useless
to you, to NIDO and to Nigeria, must therefore be avoided
at all costs! Nigeria is already a day late in our journey
to national fulfillments, none of us, want to be a factor
in the continued delay of our national purpose
Dr. Martin Luther King, looked at slavery, colonialism,
segregation and racism in the face, he ignored all the
apparent or obvious brutalities of these evils and he
made a mark on the world, so did Malcolm X and Rosa Parks
and Nelson Mandela, Nigerians who always hide behind excuses
of the weighty obstacles and impediments, presented by
Nigeria's economic and political challenges, must cease
their skepticism and cynicism.
It takes the passion and commitment of a few, sometimes
to accomplish great things and great changes, it takes
the vocal and focused few to triumph over the complacent
or passive majority and in NIDO as in Nigeria, successfully
running activities, will require a singular and spectacular
dedication, commitment and passions of a few good ones.
Nigeria is redeemable, the economic and political challenges
we face are not peculiarly unique, Nigerians, are insufferably
tougher than any circumstances Nigeria face.
Our myriad challenges are surmountable, we should adjust
our attitude towards Nigeria and speak and act more positively,
have more favorable disposition to Nigeria and fellow
Nigerians and Nigerians and Nigeria will surely overcome
the funks and malaises.
There are no monuments built anywhere in the world in
commemoration of pessimists.
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