Thursday 24 October 2013

Foreign Policy and Nigerians in Diaspora: An Analysis of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Foreign Policy Review (2011)



Foreign Policy and Nigerians in Diaspora: An Analysis of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Foreign Policy Review (2011)








By






Adelusi, O.P. (Ph.D




and 
Oluwashakin, A. (Ph.D)




















Abstract
The paper examined Nigerian foreign policy since 1999 and the gradual importance being accorded Nigerians in the Diaspora. It posited that from the minimal attempt made by former President OlusegunObasanjo during his tenure to always hold meetings with Nigerians living in the countries visited by him, to organize medical teams and sent them to selected states in Nigeria by Nigerians in Diaspora, there has been gradual recognition being given to them in the scheme of things. The study unveiled the new developments concerning the Nigerians in Diaspora, such as the creation of a committee of the House of Representatives in Diaspora, acknowledging their involvement and contributions towards Nigeria’s omnibus economic state. President Goodluck has made concerted efforts to review (reform) Nigeria’s foreign policy to be investment oriented. In this regard, the role of Nigerians in the Diaspora is viewed as crucial to vigorously market the country as a conducive environment to do business. But that cannot be divorced from the need to have a sustained democratic good governance to leverage their expertise for national development.















1.       Introduction
            Nigerian foreign policy crisis in the last 50 years calls for concern and urgent need of reorientation. The concern and reorientation can be addressed from several factorial areas. One of such areas is currying the expertise of Nigerians in the Diaspora. These Nigerians abroad are among the best of minds in the field of technological developments. Given their integrity and resources in their various host countries, and the scandalous image and economic crises the Nigerian state is burdened with, they have a role to play in the Nigerian foreign policy investment agenda. Most of these Nigerians in the Diaspora are competent, successful professionals whose contributions could be enormous towards national image redemption and economic development. But a high premium is demanded for democratic good governance to encourage and attract these Diaspora Nigerians to invest at home. Good governance is required, and can be acquired to articulate a robust foreign policy.
            President Goodluck Jonathan, following his victory in the 2011 elections, before the anxious 100 days in office, directed the Presidential Advisory Council on International Relations (PACIR) to coordinate the reviewing (reforming) Nigeria’s current foreign policy to be investment oriented. Coupled with his interactive pulse with Nigerians abroad during his foreign visits, the President asked the nation’s foreign policy experts, seasoned diplomats, professionals and the intelligentsia to ‘chart a new way for the future without discarding the past’ (Onuorah and Oghogho, The Guardian (Lagos), August 2, 2011, p. 1). Given this intent, the analysis proceeds in five parts, with this introductory section as the first part. The second part takes a cursory look at the background to Nigeria’s foreign policy and a theoretical framework of analysis. In part three, a case is made for the Diasporas in Nigeria’s foreign policy. Part four examines the contributions of the Diaspora to evolve a robust foreign policy, particularly the involvement and the contributions diasporan Nigerians can make to enhance the country’s economic development. Section five draws a conclusion on the strength of the analysis presented.




2.       Background to Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and A Framework of Analysis
Background to Nigeria’s Foreign Policy
            From the cradle of the Nigerian statehood in 1960, the principles of Nigerian foreign policy had remained profoundly as follows:
The principal objective of Nigeria’s foreign policy, indeed that of any country, is to promote and protect the country’s national interest in its interaction with the outside world and relationship with specific countries in the international system. There is a general agreement in Nigeria that these national interests consist of (i) the defence of the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, (ii) the restoration of human dignity to black men and women all over the world, particularly the eradication of colonialism and white minority rule from the face of Africa, (iii) the creation of the relevant political and economic conditions in Africa and the rest of the world which will not only facilitate the preservation of the territorial integrity and security of all African countries but also foster national self-reliance in African countries, (iv) the promotion and improvement of the economic wellbeing of the Nigerian citizens, and (v) the promotion of world peace with justice. (Olusanya and Akindele, 1986:511).


            For 50 years, the thrust of Nigerian foreign policy has remained Afrocentric, which has paid off with the total decolonization of the continent. In particular, the dynamism of the Nigerian foreign policy had its “golden era” during the 1975/76 Murtala – Obasanjo military government which orchestrated the eventual liquidation of apartheid in South Africa. During the Babangida military administration, (1985-1993), Nigeria had Economic Diplomacy as foreign policy thrust, which has continued to the president Jonathan’s civilian government in one form or another. But not much has been gained from the country’s  foreign policy in terms of economic relations with the international community, except the minimal (about 60%) foreign debt write-off under Obasanjo’s administration in 2006. This arguably, explains, the current review of the country’s foreign policy to be investment-oriented, realizing that “you don’t give for free in international relations without getting something back in return”. (RaheemOluwafunminiyi, The Nation, 2011. http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index. php/editorial/letters/9168-as-jonathan-rebrands-nigeria%E2%...) Retrieved July, 30, 2011).



A Framework of Analysis
            Foreign policy is a stimulating body of study due to its dynamic nature. Joseph Frankel aptly captures this essence when he states that ‘foreign policy is a dynamic process of interaction between the changing domestic demand and supports and the changing external environments (Frankel 1975:9; Dauda 2002:2). Although foreign policy may take on various definitions, however, there is general consensus that foreign policy is all about national goals and the ways and means of articulating and achieving them. It also include a common recognition that foreign policy is not only a by-product of the external forces to which it is focused, but also as much determined by domestic factors and forces (Birai 1983:115; Dauda 2002:2).
            Aside from the dynamism and forces that shape foreign policy, there is equally the all important aspect of the several approaches to the study of foreign policy. These approaches include liberalism, realism, decision model, linkage, policy making model and personality approach. Of these approaches, the linkage approach to the analysis of foreign policy holds that there is a link between domestic processes (politics, economics, social, cultural, religion, and so on) and the external situation towards which foreign policy is focused. (Dauda, 2002:24). Reflecting on the imperative of domestic factors to the understanding of the dynamics of foreign policy, Rosenau comments:

Domestic factors may be of considerable significance even if they are not primary sources of foreign policy and on some issues they may well be dominant (Rosenau 1967:2).

            Indeed, Rosenau defines the linkage idea as “any recurrent sequence of behavior that originates in one system and is reacted to in another” (Rosenau 1967:45).
            Dauda points to the two important features of the linkage concept as: (i) the general context it provides for a link to be established between the domestic situation of a country and the external environment in which foreign policy is being analysed. The idea of a linkage between the domestic situation and foreign environment allows for an analysis that sufficiently examines the extent to which interaction between the two environments can create a hindrance to the formulation of an efficient foreign policy, (ii) the linkage approach equally provides a specific context for knowing the extent to which specific forces can positively or negatively impinge on the success of a given foreign policy (Birai 1996:13; Dauda 2002:25).
            The linkage between domestic and foreign situations that result in a country’s overall foreign policy is what Kegley and Wittkop call intermestic politics (Kegley and Wittkop 2001:62).
            Of the various approaches to the analysis of foreign policy, the linkage approach seems to be most appropriate for this paper. First, because it holds that there is a link between domestic processes such as social, political, and economic factors. As President Jonathan succinctly says:

I agree with those who feel that a review is necessary to inject new dynamism into our foreign policy. It is about how we can deploy our foreign policy to the service of our domestic aspirations and priorities (The Guardian (Lagos), August 2, 2011, p.1).


            Second, the linkage approach provides a specific context which identifies the extent to which specific issues can positively or negatively exert influence on achievement of a given policy. Again, as affirmatively stated by Vice President NamadiSambo, acknowledging the prime place of diasporan Nigerians:

As a group, the Diaspora constitutes a force for positive change which should be maximally harnessed for the development of our homeland (Sambo: The Punch, July 26, 2011, (www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201107263332446).

            Clearly, Sambo recognized the Nigerians in Diaspora as critical ‘stakeholders in the Nigerian project’. As the rest of the analysis will reveal, the Nigerian government under President Jonathan is poised to rejuvenate Nigerian foreign policy to be investment oriented in which domestic economic factor is linked to foreign investment inflow, in which the expertise of the Diaspora is a critical factor.

3.       The Diaspora in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy
            Diasporans migrated from their homelands to different parts of the world, especially to the developed countries in search of economic well-being, in most cases. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) based in Geneva, Switzerland, estimates that African States might have lost one third of their skilled population to economic migration. While some migrated on their own volition, others were forced to move out due to economic hardship and socio-political recklessness of govenrments. In the eighties, for instance, many Nigerian professionals and academics (University teachers) left the shores of Nigeria in scores to escape the highhandedness of the military governments, in search of better pay and freedom. Most of them migrated to the developed countries of the West and Middle East.
            According to the Presidential Committee set up in 1988 to look into the flow of migration of professionals, ‘about 10,694 professionals left Nigerian tertiary institutions between 1986 and 1990. An estimated 30,000 persons also left the country from both public and private organizations’ (UcheIgwe, The Punch, July 21, 2011, p. 16). It is also believed that some 53,470 lecturers might have left Nigerian universities till date. In 1995, some 21,000 Nigerian medical doctors were said to be practicing in the United States alone, far more than the number of doctors in the entire Nigerian public service at that time (Igwe, The Punch, July 21, 2011, p. 16). These staggering figures and the number of Nigerians abroad, including thousands of nurses, engineers and other professionals. This is the large bodies of skilled manpower that constitute Nigerians in Diaspora towards whom the review or reform of current Nigerian foreign policy should be partly focused.
            Chinua Akukwe has rightly argued that the refocused foreign policy should “attract Nigeria’s best minds and practitioners in international relations, global economy, political history, statecraft issues, bilateral and multilateral partnerships” (Akukwe 2011). Specifically, Akukwe states:

The relationship between Nigeria and Nigerians in the Diaspora will increasingly grow in importance in a refocused foreign policy. Today, Nigerians in the Diaspora have a formidable online presence, with media sites owned by members of the Diaspora already exerting oversized influence on governance and accountability issues in the polity (www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php? Retrieved 7/27/2011).
Process of Grafting the Diaspora as Foreign Policy Content
            Once there is a political will there will always be a political way to establish and actualize a recognized and an accepted idea. The recognition of the Nigerians in Diaspora as a foreign policy resource has set in motion the process of formulation of foreign policy around it. At the 5th National Diaspora Conference, organized by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, affirmed that the Nigerians in the Diaspora “constituted the human capital necessary for development”. (The Punch, July 26, 2011; www.punchng.com/Article.aspx?theartic=Art201107263332446. Retrieved 7/30/2011). In the same vein, the Vice President Sambo declares: “We recognize you (the Diaspora) as important stakeholders in the Nigerian project”. Indeed, the Jonathan Administration has called on the Nigerian Diaspora Community to join hands with it for the transformation of the fatherland. (Geoffrey Teneilabe 2011, http://nigeria-consulate.atl.org/site/?p=707. Retrieved 7/20/2011).
            What is expected of the Diaspora is simple and unambiguous. Teneilabe, Nigeria’s Consul-General in Atlanta, USA, cites what other diaspora communities are doing to advance the economy of their home countries:

The Diaspora communities of the states of Israel, Labanon, Egypt, India, Pakistan and even Ghana made and continue to make significant contributions to the development of their respective countries…. The focus of Nigerian Foreign Policy, besides Citizen Diplomacy, is Economic Diplomacy, which you (Nigerians in Diaspora) can help government to drive to its logical conclusion (http://nigeria-consulate-atl.org/site/?p=707).

            The grafting of Nigerians in Diaspora as foreign policy content has taken some processes including international public relations drive, part of which has been alluded to above. Other processes include legislation to ensure their voting right, an establishment of a Diaspora Commission in the National Assembly and a Functional Diaspora Organizations in several foreign countries.

Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO)
            The formation of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization is significant as a credible body that the Nigerian government can partner with at official diplomatic level. NIDO exists to:
  • Encourage the participation of Nigerians in Diaspora in the affairs of the country.
  • Provide a forum to organizations for the exchange of views and experience
  • Through networking, enhance the image of Nigeria in all ramifications.
  • Partner with Nigerian stakeholders in pursuance of national development
  • Build a database of Nigerians with professional skills and make such database available for the benefit of government, the private sector and Nigeria’s partners.
NIDO has functional chapters in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Luxembourg, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine. It needs to be stressed that in each country, NIDO should have its secretants within Nigerian Missions abroad for easy coordination and efficiency. (http://www.nidoeurope.org/nideo/shtml/index.html). Retrieved July 30, 2011.

Nigeria Diaspora Alumni Network (NIDAN)
            As NIDO exists overseas to take care of Nigerians currently living abroad, as partial or permanent residents, so also Nigeria Diaspora Alumni Network (NIDAN) exists at the domestic level to accommodate diaspora returnees. NIDAN is an organized body, established to function as an independent, non-governmental, non-political and non-partisan forum for Nigerians in the Diaspora aimed at “promoting and advancing economic, political, social and professional interest of Nigerians who have spent at least one year outside the country, and have returned to contribute to national development” (The Nation (Lagos), July 20, 2011, p. 38).
            NIDAN was formed October 1, 2010, to accommodate Nigerians who have either finally returned to the country or are spending major part of their times in the country. Basically, its modus oprandi is networking, investment promotion, national image projection, collaborative pairing, political pursuit, among others, including mentoring those who are still apprehensive or pessimistic to return home.
            NIDAN operation is founded on ‘the principle of global best practices in every aspect of national development and draws its membership from a wide array of Nigerian professionals and academics with diverse skills acquired during their residence abroad. Membership of the Network is structured such that it allows every member the opportunity to act as a change agent in all sectors of the nation’s economy through participation in one of its 12 fora (The Nation (Lagos), July 20, 2011, p. 38).
            The wide array of membership of NIDAN is set to increase by over 400 Nigerians in the Diaspora, who have registered to return to the country. TaiyeHaruna, Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), affirms that over 400 Diasporas registered to come back to Nigeria to contribute to the growth of the economy. Haruna says:
The government has, over the last four years, intensified efforts to mobilize and engage the Nigerian diaspora towards national development agenda. The diaspora engagement policy is driven, by the need to harness the immense human capital and resources of Nigerians living abroad for the development of the nation – state (Franca Ochigo, The Nation (Lagos) July 22, 2011, p.5).

A Bill to Establish Nigerians in Diaspora Commission
            A Bill has been proposed to establish Nigerians in Diaspora Commission. In 2009, the Bill was proposed with this explanatory memorandum:

This Bill seeks to establish Nigerians in Diaspora (Establishment) Commission, provide for the engagement of Nigerians in diaspora in the policies, projects and participation in the development of Nigeria and for the purpose of utilizing the human, capital and material resources of Nigerians in diaspora towards the overall socio-economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria.

            The function of the Commission shall be:
(a)        to register adult citizens of Nigeria who reside outside Nigeria as a member of Nigerians Diaspora in their respective continent and any other continents to which they might relocate from the commencement of this Bill;
(b)       to issue a coded Commission membership card, to the member which shall bear his/her passport photograph and other coded information;
(c)        to assist the Government in policy formulation and implementation in the areas where foreign expertise is required:
(d)       to proffer mechanisms for identifying and involving qualified Nigerians and expert in developing relevant policies and operations in all sectors of Nigeria and such mechanisms shall extend to implementations and success;
(e)        to invest and execute meaningful project in collaboration with various Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies;
(f)        to enhance projects introduced by the Nigerians in diaspora and maintain interministerial co-ordination.
(g)       to liaise with the Nigerians in diaspora and identify their needs in pursuit of national development;
(h)       to facilitate diaspora contact with government agencies at all levels of Government;
(i)         to ensure that all proposals from the Nigerians in diaspora to Government on developmental issues are presented at the appropriate quarter;
(j)         to ensure Nigerians in diasporas’ participation in the planning and execution of major activities and projects centered on socio-economic, cultural and political goal;
(k)       to facilitate effective working relationship between NIDO, professional groups, socio-cultural groups and other diaspora groups;
(l)         to collate data and information on developmental aspirations either requested from bodies in Nigeria or proposed from the Nigerians in diaspora and provide to the interested parties;
(m)     to engage in research in relevant areas in respect of its functions whenever the need arises; and
(n)       to institute strategies, promote and market the skills of NIDO members, professional groups and socio-cultural groups in order to fund and facilitate the Organization.
This Bill is being sponsored by Hon. AbikeDabiri-Erewa, among other seventeen co-sponsors. If the Bill becomes law, it will formally establish the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and placed under the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The composition of the Board of the Commission, among others, shall include “a representative each from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian Embassies, Consulates and Missions, qualified in that regard for not less than ten years. Also, representatives each from Nigerian in Diaspora Organization in: the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Professional Groups, and Socio-cultural groups from various continents and countries with not less than 10 years experience in foreign affairs and Nigerian matters”.

Voting Rights of Nigerians in Diaspora
According to Teneilabe, the Consul-General in Atlanta, Georgia, USA,

The Federal Government had already promised to work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other organs of government with a view to reviewing the necessary laws to ensure that Nigerians in Diaspora exercise their franchise in future polls. (http://nigeria-consulate.atl.org/site/?p=707. Retrieved July 30, 2011).

Prior to President Jonathan’s promised initiative to work with INEC to review the necessary laws to ensure that the Diaspora exercise their franchise, an action had been initiated earlier on: “Pursuant to the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by Justice A. Bello, dated 18th December 2008, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/370/2007 Between Hon. OLUWAFOLAJIMI AKEEM BELLO and 19 Others vs Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Attorney General of the Federation.
The judgement of this case engendered a memorandum for the insertion of a section in the Electoral Act of Nigeria, to enable Nigerians in foreign countries to participate in both Presidential and Gubernatorial elections in Nigeria. The insertion to the amended Electoral Act is: “Section (XXX): Rights of non-resident citizens of Nigeria to vote”.
The section reads in part:
(1) Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Act or any other Act of the National Assembly, a citizen of Nigeria of the age of eighteen years and above, resident in a country or territory outside Nigeria shall be eligible to vote in all Presidential and Gubernatorial elections (general, bye-, and supplementary) held in the Federation; provided that such non-resident voter is not subject to any legal incapacity to vote and is registered as a Nigerian citizen in the Nigerian Embassy or High Commission in the country of residence.
(2) Accordingly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (the Commission) shall make rules to enable Nigerian foreign residents of the age of eighteen years and above to vote in all Presidential and Gubernatorial elections held in the federation, to include but not limited to the following:
(a)   Registration Procedure;
(b)  Qualification for registration and eligibility to vote;
(c)   The use of Nigerian embassies and missions and any other designated centers as polling venues;
(d)  Designation of electoral functions to Nigerian Ambassadors and Heads of Mission and any other governmental and non-governmental entities;
(e)   Vote counting in the foreign countries;
(f)   Release of votes counts in the foreign countries; and
(g)  Carrying out such other activities and duties as are necessary in giving effect to the provisions of this Act.

Beyond these provisions of voting rights of Nigerians in the Diaspora, for their votes to count and meaningful, there should be mechanisms to ensure the conduct of fair, free and credible elections in Nigerians. In this regard, the gains of 2011 elections which have been adjudged as free, fair and credible by both domestic and foreign observers must be sustained. This will build confidence in Diaspora Nigerians that their votes not only count but also a stable polity is ensured and a conducive business environment is guaranteed. With a renewed confidence in the country’s democratic consolidation, the diaspora Nigerians can join “to articulate and vigorously market the country as a conducive environment and viable economy to do business with”.
With the diaspora organizational structures known as the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization and Nigeria Diaspora Alumni Network in place and, when the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission bill becomes law and as their voting rights are ensured and incorporated into the Nigerian foreign policy as being documented by the Jonathan administration, Nigerians in the Diaspora become or form part of the contents of Nigerian foreign policy in the 21st century.

4.       Contributions of the Diaspora Nigerians
Nigerians in the Diaspora and the Nigerian government both recognize the need to develop their country. Diaspora Nigerians have come together under the aegis of NIDO and NIDAN, while the former is off-shore-based, and the latter is on-shore-based. Both organizations can work collaboratively or separately, but all towards achieving the same goal of civic responsibility of contributing their quota to the Nigerian national development. They are doing this is several ways but three of such ways are noteworthy: financial remittance, medical support and technological transfer.
In clear terms, the areas Nigeria needs all round assistance include reliable Power Supply, Infrastructure, Food supply, National Security, efficient Transportation (the rail system in particular), affordable Housing, zero-Poverty, quality Education, provision of clean Water, among others. These and more are areas of development needs to which the Diaspora are in position to contribute their expertise, of which the following cases demonstrate:

(i)        Remittances (of Investment for Development)
            According to the World Bank report in 2009, about $18.6 billion was remitted to Nigeria by Nigerians in the Diaspora. As stated by Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment, OlusegunAganga, “if we take half of that, ($18.6 billion) and channel it the right way into the country, we will have enough capital to invest in this country”. (YemiIfegbuyi, http://nigeriansabroadlive.com/diaspora-fun-is-key-to-nigeria%E2%80%99s-short-term-investment-drive-s... Retrieved July 30, 2011).
            2010 World Bank report shows that Nigeria is the 6th largest recipient of remittances in the world only followed by India, China, Mexico, Philippines and Bangladesh. In 2010, Nigerians in the Diaspora remitted more than $10 billion back home, excluding money transfer not formally accounted for. Worldwide, the World Bank pegs the sum of remittances (capital) flow at $440 billion (YemiIfegbuyi, Nigerians Abroad Live (NAL) Staff reporter, July 21, 2011).
            According to Geoffrey Teneilabe, addressing Nigerians in Diaspora Organization in the Americas (NIDOA), Chicago, also revealed that:

The contributions of members of the Diaspora world-wide in terms remittances to the Nigerian economy stands at between $10-13 billion a year, second only to revenue from crude oil. In this respect, it is worthy of note that contributions from Nigerians in the United States make up a significant proportion of this amount (http://nigeria-consulate-atl.org/site/?p-707. Retrieved July 30, 2011).


            Teneilabe further affirms that “many NIDOA members have served the Federal and State Governments in advisory and executive capacities; attracted businesses and investments to Nigeria; sent home medical and other supplies; operate charities and scholarship schemes for indigent students back in Nigeria, among other assistance”.
            Also, corroborating the financial remittance figures, Dr. KaluKaluDiogu, a leader of Abia State in the Diaspora, recently disclosed that about 12 million Nigerians in the diaspora remit over N23 billion home annually. (GordiAdeajah, The Guardian (Lagos) August 18, 2011, p. 3).
            Considering the volume of remittances flowing to developing countries, diaspora fund (diaspora bonds) has become a potential source of capital for financing infrastructure and development projects. Israel (from 1951) and India (from 1991) have been cited as two notable examples of countries that have successfully engaged their nationals through issuance of diaspora bonds. According to reports both Israel and India, “through issuance of diaspora bonds”, have raised more than US $40 billion in financing development projects (Ifegbuyi, 2011).
            With this realization of huge investment derivable from the Diaspora, Aganga states:
We have so many Nigerians in the Diaspora. The economies of many countries were built based on investments from people living abroad. We are in the process of structuring a fund, which we hope to put in place sometime in September when all approvals are in place. That fund will be targeting those Nigerians in the Diaspora (http//nigeriansabroadlive.com/diaspora-fund-is-key-to-nigeria…)


            The Diaspora Fund was planned to be floated in September 2011. But given the viral effect of corruption, the Nigerian government must demonstrate greater determination to deal with corruption so as to build confidence in the diaspora.
(ii)       Medical Missions: The Case of Ondo State
            NiyiAkinnaso characterizes many parts of Nigeria as “where there are no healthcare facilities or where existing ones lack adequate staff and equipment”. Hence, Nigerian doctors in the Diapsora have organized medical missions to several parts of Nigeria in recognition of the poor state of the healthcare industry. (Akinnaso, The Punch, July 19, 2011, yourviews@punng.com). The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americans (ANPA) is at the vanguard of these missions’ efforts.
            Ondo State, Nigeria, is described, as a place where “a medical revolution” is currently taking place. Why? A revolution occurs in different facets of society. In its rather simplistic form, the keynote of a revelation is said to lie in the fact of a “profound change” radically different from business as usual. A revolution is an activity having its ramifications not only in the fields of politics but also in those of economics, sociology, medicine (healthcare) and so on. Here we are talking about a fundamental change in healthcare delivery in Ondo State.
            The revolution is pivoted on three related healthcare projects: (i) the Abiye (Safe Motherhood) Program; (ii) the GaniFawehinmi Diagnostic Center, and (iii) the Emergency and Trauma Center (under construction).
            Following a revolutionary path, the healthcare system is structured such that various categories of health and medical facilities spread across the state, organized into a “a tiered health system”, as follows:
Tier A:            Four State Specialist Hospitals located in Akure (state capital), Ondo, Ore, and Ikare.
Tier B:            Five General Hospitals
Tier C:            Ten General Hospitals
            In addition to these, there are 18 Comprehensive Health Centers, which include mobile ones for riverine areas. Also, the state operates a Psychiatry Hospital at Akure and two Dental Clinics at Akure and Ondo. Moreover, each Local Government operates a variety of dispensaries and maternity homes in towns and villages. (Akinnaso, 2011). The medical missions to Ondo State is a response to Governor OlusegunMimiko’s outreach to Nigerians in the Diaspora.
            The current mission (2011) comprises obstetricians, gynaecologiests and pediatricians, core specialists critical to the Abiye Program. The mission team also includes hematologists, oncologists, nephrologists, psychiatrists, nurses and pharmacists.
            In 2010, medical mission to the state offer its services between August 13-21. It brought relief to over 3,000 patients, gave over 4,000 prescriptions and delivered four babies (all adopted by ABOFI). Additionally, the mission gave drugs and other medical supplies worth over N10 million (Akinnaso 2011). (ABOFI – African Business Owners Forum Incorporated – is a consortium of African business leaders and professional experts based in the United States).
            In two years (2010 and 2011) the medical mission has served the Ondo State people, all organized and operated by the US-based ABOFI, let by its President Franklin Akinkoye, a financial management expert. The 2011 mission was held August 13-24, with greater performance than the preceding year. ABOFI mission is to leverage members’ expertise and business networks to promote trade and investment between Africa and the United States. Ultimately, the objective is to bring development to African countries as well as assist in their sustainability (Akinnaso, 2011).

(iii)      Technology Transfer
            It has often been argued that despite the abundance of highly educated and naturally gifted Nigerian scientists and technologies (both at home and in the diaspora) there is much still lacking at the level of policy towards technology transfer. As IkechiMgbeoji (2009) argues, “Nigeria has neither a pragmatic nor a result-oriented policy on technology transfer”. Whereas if such a policy is put in place among Nigeria’s best minds in the technological fields found in the Diaspora, “innovating and creating things we purchase at high premium”, could be part of the targets of such a policy.
            More than 50,000 Africans in the Diaspora, many of them Nigerians, now in possession of Ph.Ds, and have excelled in their chosen fields of expertise. UcheIgwe, a Nigerian diaspora, cites some other accomplished Nigerians in the Diaspora, in various fields of technology. They include Dr. Joseph Igietseme, a Bio-scientist and researcher with the Center for Disease Control (won the Charles Shepard Award for Excellence in Science); Prof. John Dabiri, a Bio-physicist, an Aeronautics and Bio-engineer (received a grant to help him “reflect, create and explore”); and Prof. George Ude, also received a grant, in collaboration with Dr. Gary Coleman, from National Science Foundation, (in U.S.A), “to train over 120 minority undergraduates and high school teachers on biotechnology techniques and skill for enhanced scientific inquiry” (Igwe, The Punch, July 21, 2011, p. 16). Also, in the field of politics and economics, we have a classic example in Dr. NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, who attained the managing directorial position of the World Bank. She has used her expertise in international economic relations (diplomacy) to strike a bargain in the cancellation of about 60 percent of Nigeria’s foreign debt in 2006. (Okonjo-Iweala had agreed to serve as Nigeria’s Finance Ministry twice, and briefly as Foreign Minister. First, under President Obasanjo (1999-2007) and second under President Jonathan (2011-2015).
            Igwe further reflects on how “we can tap into the abundance of high quality resources within the Diaspora to encourage a systematic remittance of scientific knowledge back” to the country. A systematic remittance of scientific knowledge, in other words, simply means technology transfer. Prof. Ude, a visiting guest lecturer at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, Nigeria, says “It is very sad to hear that Nigeria spends trillions of naira on food importation annually. We have the potential to become self-sufficient in food production and even export food by the year 2020”. Ude affirms passionately and explains that,

This is only if we are able to make the right investments in science. Biotechnology has brought simple hands-on skills that can boost agricultural production in Nigeria. I am coming home to teach the same skills that I teach and the same experiments we conduct at my Biotechnology Summer Institute at the Bowie State University here in the United States (Igwe, 2011).


            As a plant breeding and molecular geneticist, Ude is the founder of the International Society for African Bio-Scientists and Biotechnologies (ISABB), he speaks with authority in his field. Through Ude’s modest but significant efforts, the Bowie State University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Joseph Ayo Babalola University in (JABU), Osun State, Nigeria, “to set up a state-of-the-art biotechnology laboratory as well as conduct hands-on training on basic skills of biotechnology research including DNA extraction, gene cloning and production of genetically modified organisms”. This collaborative effort on cross-fertilization of ideas was made possible through the initiative of Prof. AmaImevbore, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of JABU who signed the MoU between JABU and Bowie State University. He stated that “biotechnology for Africa is not a luxury but the fastest way to poverty alleviation in the continent”.
            In view of the enormous potentials available in Nigerian Diaspora in terms of financial remittances, medical services and technology transfer, we believe that with a visionary leadership and action-oriented domestic and foreign policies, the Nigerian project stands to gain immeasurable from the Diaspora.


CONCLUSION

            A cursory look at Nigeria’s foreign policy in last 50 years has revealed a posturing oscillating between sometimes dynamic and at other times apathetic. Each successive Nigerian government since independence has attempted to reposition the country’s foreign policy to make it more assertive and robust. The Jonathan administration’s current reform or review of Nigeria’s foreign policy to make it investment-oriented while laudable, must adequately address the issue of Nigerians in the Diaspora. Nigerian foreign policy must henceforth make Nigerians in Diaspora a key factor of investment resource in the country’s foreign policy calculus.
REFERENCES

Chinua Akukwe (2011), “Nigeria: The Need for a Dynamic Foreign Policy”, African Executive (http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazines/articles.php?) Retrieved July 27, 2011.
Frankel Joseph (1972), The Making of Foreign Policy: An Analysis of Decision-Making. New York: Oxford University Press, p.9.
Geoffrey Teneilabe (http://nigeria-consulate-atl.org/site?p=707) Retrieved July 30, 2011).
Independent National Electoral Commission (Section XXX): Rights of Non-resident Nigerians Citizens to Vote: Amended Electoral Act 2009.
KegleyJr, Charles W, and Wittkop, Eugene R. (2001), World Politics: Trend and Transformation, 8th Edition. New York: Bedford/SE. Martins, p. 62.
Nigerians in Diaspora (Establishment) Commission Bill 2009.
Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Europe (http://www.nidoeurope.org/nidoe/shtml /index.html).Retrieved July 30, 2011).
NiyiAkinnaso (2011), “Another Medical Mission is on the way to Ondo State” The Punch (Lagos), July 19, 2011, p. 16.
Ochigbo Franca (2011), “400 Nigerian Coming”. The Nation (Lagos) July 22, 2011, p. 5.
Olusanya, G.O. and Akindele, R.A. (1986) (eds), Nigeria’s External Relations: The First Twenty-Five Years. Ibadan: University Press Ltd, p. 115.
Onuorah and Oghogho (2011), “Chart a new way for the future without discarding the Past”, The Guardian (Lagos), August 2, 2011, p.1.
RaheemOluwafunminiyi (2011), “As Jonathan Rebrands Nigeria’s Foreign Policy”. The Nation (http://www.thenationonline/ng.net/2011/index.php/editorial/letters/9168-as-jonathan-rebrands-nigeria%E2%...) Retrieved July 30, 2011.
Rosenau James N. (1967), Domestic Sources of Foreign Policy. New York: Free Press, p.2.
Sale Dauda (2002), Foreign Policy: Formulation and analysis Ibadan: Caltop Publications (Nigeria) Limited, p. 2.
SamboNamadi, The Punch,http://www.punng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic= Art201107263332446) Retrieved July 30, 2011).
The Nation (Lagos), July 20, 2011, p. 38.
UcheIgwe (2011), “Brain Drain: Tapping Scientific Temper from the Diaspora”. The Punch, July 21, 2011, p. 16.
Umar Birai (1996), “The Nigerian customs and the ECOWAS” in Amdi I.E.S. (ed) 100 Years of Nigerian Customs and Excise 1891-1991. Zaria: ABU Press. P. 115.
YemiIfegbuyi, (2011), “Diaspora Fund is Key to Nigeria’s Development Agenda” (http://nigeriansabroadlive.com/diaspora-fund-is-key-to-nigera%E2%80%99s-short-term-investment-drive-s...) Retrieved July 30, 2011.

No comments:

Post a Comment