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- Says frustrations caused by past leadership
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, New York
President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians residents in the United States to forget the frustration of the previous years’ leaderships and return home to deploy their expertise, saying Nigeria is home for business opportunities saying: “We need you back home, Nigeria has arrived.”
Tinubu gave the advice at the Presidential Townhall Meeting with Nigerians in the diaspora on Wednesday night in New York.
The Townhall Meeting was organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
He also urged Nigerians living in the United States to overcome setbacks by adopting a new mindset that would enable them to succeed in all of their endeavours.
“I want to give you a measure that will resonate with you. I was once a diasporan. What you have been through, I have been through it. A change of mindset is necessary.
“Take it this night that Nigeria is home for business opportunities.
“Also, anywhere you stay, there is always going to be an opportunity in it, and in everything you do, there is always going to be an opportunity if you know how to search and put your mind to it,” he said.
The President said he was pleased with how Nigerians have remained exemplary in their conduct and how they had continued to do well in their country of residence.
“You are lucky to be among those who are celebrated for good manners and behaviour and are operating in an acceptable manner.
“I’m very proud of you; I have also been a beneficiary of inspiration, determination, commitment and perseverance and that is all you need to pull through.
“But, we need you back home, Nigeria has arrived; forget the frustration of the previous years’ leaderships,” he said.
Tinubu, who commended the efforts on out-of-school children, the healthcare programme and the need to eradicate poverty, said Nigeria was a blessed country.
Tinubu said: “Sincerely, we don’t have any reason to be poor. We are just poor in some leadership areas.
“That is what I harped on during my campaign. It was a very gruesome campaign but I won the election. If I didn’t throw myself into it with strong determination and resolve, I wouldn’t have won.
“There were so many hurdles on my way that would have stopped me. I refused to be stopped. Many of you here that are contesting elections can do the same.”
He also urged the Nigerians abroad to embrace one another, stressing that there should not be sentiments and discrimination among them.
Tinubu said: “You ought to embrace one another. No labeling, you should remove ethnic identify that tend to differentiate us.
“We are one single family, living in the same house but living in different rooms.”
Earlier, the Chairperson of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa introduced some Nigerians excelling in their chosen fields in in the U.S. to the president.
Some of them who spoke expressed their delight in the leadership courage of the president, pledging to continue to support him in his efforts to reform Nigeria.
They promised that they would continue to make Nigeria proud in their host country and also contribute their quotas to the development of the home country.
In his remarks, the first Nigerian-American elected into the United States Congress, Oye Owolewa, said 25 per cent of business owners in the U.S. were black but 1.7 per cent got federal contracts.
Owolewa, who represents Washington DC, said they have been supporting people to take advantage of such opportunities for their economic empowerment.
“Those are the opportunities to make investors biggest in New York.
“In my office, we do not just talk, we teach our people how to get contracts, we teach our people how to get grants,” he said.
Also speaking, a Nigerian-American, Olufunmilola Obe, an Inspector working in the New York Police Department (NYPD), briefed the president on her efforts to make Africa, especially Nigeria proud in her office.
She told Tinubu that she was the coordinator of an African Law Enforcement Organisation, an association within the NYPD, as Vice President.
Obe is the first African ever to be promoted to the rank of an Inspector in the history of NYPD.
Also speaking, Zuriel Oduwole, an American education advocate and film maker best known for her works on the advocacy for the education of girls in Africa, said notwithstanding her work which also includes her involvement in peace mediation, including that of 2015, peace mediation between Guyana, Venezuela, and 2018, invited by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi of Egypt to help get peace there as well, she remains proudly Nigerian.
In attendance at the Town Hall meeting were Ministers of Foreign of Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande
Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Uzoma Emenike and her husband, High Chief Ikechi Emenike; Consul General of Nigeria in New York, Lot Egopija; and Consul General in Atlanta, Amina Samaila were also in attendance.
Others were: Governors of Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno, Kaduna, Uba Sani, Kwara, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara, among others.
Among the Nigerians doing exploits in their different sectors who were also recognized during the event that was well compered by Mr. Sumonu Bello-Osagie of the Nigerian Consulate, New York, include Oje Russel, CEO Healthcare Logistics, Hon. Bobby Diggi Olisa, a community activist and President of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), New York chapter, Dr. Adeola Popoola, President, NIDO New Jersey, Ola Fadiran, a youthful Artificial Intelligence (AI) guru and CEO CHIPLAB, Dr. Nelson Aluya, renowned Physician and President of Nigerian American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC) and a highly respected New York-based medical practitioner, Dr Bola Omotosho.
