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From Idu Jude, Abuja
The 2027 presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Dr Peter Agada, has called on Nigerian professionals in the diaspora to take advantage of the new American anti-migrant policy to return home and develop the country for a stronger economy.
Dr Agada, while reacting to what he described as a national embarrassment, ruled out condemning America, adding that every nation has policies working for its economic development, but blamed the Federal Government for poor visionary leadership.
“I do not blame the US for its policy. Every country has the right to protect its system. But I blame Nigeria for not having a plan to receive its own professionals when other countries push them out.”
For 20 years, he said, Nigeria celebrated Japa as remittance.
“We did not build Wards to receive them back. Now, our nurses in Houston who lose EAD will have no work. Our engineers in Chicago whose status is under review under Operation PARRIS will live in fear. Where will they go?”
“That is why I’m calling today: Nigerian professionals in cities and in the diaspora, plan your return home – not to Abuja, but to your Ward.”
The Ward Solution
Agada said Nigeria has 8,809 Wards, but most Wards today have no resident professionals because everyone has migrated to cities and abroad.
“My Labour Direct plan is to engage 350 professionals and artisans per Ward to reside and work in the Ward, for a total of 3,083,150 nationwide.”
A breakdown of the distribution:
- Healthcare: 40 per Ward (352,360 nationally)
- Education and Vocational: 70 per Ward (616,630 nationally)
- Agriculture: 50 per Ward (440,450 nationally)
- Water and Sanitation: 30 per Ward (264,270 nationally)
- Power, Renewable and Works: 80 per Ward (704,720 nationally)
- Security and Communication: 30 per Ward (264,270 nationally)
- ICT and Records: 20 per Ward (176,180 nationally)
- Housing and Maintenance: 30 per Ward (264,270 nationally)
“These are not jobs in Abuja. These are resident jobs in Wards where you were born.”
Agada observed that past governments told the diaspora to “come home” but offered no accommodation, no tools and no transparent payment. Professionals returned and went back abroad.
Under Labour Direct:
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- Materials would be procured directly by government via EPC reforms, with no contractor middleman.
- Ward accommodation would be provided via renovated public buildings.
- Residency allowance and monthly pay would be tracked transparently via 347# USSD.
- The programme would be phased: 50 per Ward in Year 1, 150 per Ward in Year 2 and 350 per Ward by Year 4.
To Nigerians in the US affected by the new policy:
“Do not wait to be pushed. Plan your return now. Your Ward needs you more than America needs you. In your Ward, you are not a refugee with 10 days to defend your status. In your Ward, you are an owner with 347# to verify your work.”
What is happening in the US – verified
Agada said he had followed with concern the new immigration policy announced by the United States Government.
On 14 October 2026, the US Department of Homeland Security issued an interim final rule, effective immediately, cutting the time a refugee has to respond to a Notice of Intent to Terminate refugee status from 30 days to 10 days. The rule is linked to Operation Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening (Operation PARRIS).
On the same day, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finalised a rule ending automatic Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) extensions for certain categories, including refugees and asylees. The final rule removes the 540-day automatic extension that previously allowed workers to keep working while renewal was pending.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that between 20,000 and 33,000 work permits could lapse during 18 months beginning May 2027, and that the new 10-day rule could affect as many as 186,000 refugees.
The US also increased immigration fees from 16 October 2026 for asylum, employment authorisation, parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
A federal judge in Boston, Judge Julia Kobick, on 27 October 2026, temporarily blocked the rule through 6 November, but the message to migrants is already clear: the door is closing.
“For Nigerian professionals in the US, the impact is direct: many Nigerians on H-1B spouses, asylum and green card waiting lists previously relied on automatic 540-day extensions while renewal was pending. That protection is now gone. If your permit expires before renewal is approved, you must stop working, even if you applied on time.”
“Those already admitted as refugees now have only 10 days to defend their status, down from the 30 days they had for 45 years. This is not just the US. The UK, Canada and Germany are all tightening.
“America is telling you its system is overstretched. Nigeria should tell you our Wards are understaffed, with 3 million vacancies waiting.
“The best response to anti-migrant policy abroad is not protest abroad. It is building home.”
He said he had instructed the Ward Labour Direct Database to open registration for Nigerian professionals in the US, the UK and Canada who want to plan their return to their Wards.
