The Economic Activation of Diaspora Youth for the Betterment of Nigeria

Dear Ambassador,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am Vasilis-Chukwunonso Onwuaduegbo, the first son of Nigerian immigrants that met and started their family in Greece. Before completing my secondary school education in Nigeria, my undergraduate studies in Indianapolis, Indiana, and my master’s in Paris at the grand ecole, Sciences Po, I lived and schooled in County Cork, Ireland; a country you were assigned to as ambassador before your current appointment.

I was born in 1996, on what some might call the cusp of the millennial generation and generation z. But even without reference to generation categories, an individual born in 1996 will be 28 by the end of 2024 and this reveals the changing face of the youth, both inside and outside Nigerian spaces.

Individuals born as late as 2006 will be 18 next year, and we can see that the tomorrow that people refer to when they say, ‘leaders of tomorrow’ has come and is rapidly accelerating to yesterday. We, all of us as citizens of the world (and more specifically, Nigeria), have a commitment to the future of our planet and our individual states to inspire and support young individuals as they pick up the skills, the knowledge, and the experience to pick up the mantle of leadership when the time comes.

Estimates, from the UN, place the number of Nigerians students studying abroad between 70,000 and 100,000 and that was just for the 2020 school year. There is a huge pool of Nigerian citizens that left Nigeria (or whose parents left Nigeria) and they received their education abroad, as well as their first few years of professional experience in the job market. Within this pool, there are the groups of people that would thrive tremendously if they were given the opportunity to be economically and politically involved in and with the Nigerian state.

During President Tinubu’s address to the UN this past September, he said, “We welcome partnerships with those who do not mind seeing Nigeria and Africa assume larger roles in the global community.

The question is not whether Nigeria is open for business. The question is how much of the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner.

Direct investment in critical industries, opening their ports to a wider range and larger quantity of African exports, and meaningful debt relief are important aspects of the cooperation we seek.”

It is worth repeating the question our president posed, ‘how much of the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner?’ I think the most obvious, immediate response is the multitude of people with a sentimental, an ancestral and a spiritual connection to Nigeria, and Africa as a whole. The World Bank estimates that personal remittances to Nigeria in 2022 was about (US) 20.13 billion dollars. A question I would pose in response to President Tinubu’s is how can we enable the economic powerhouse that is the Nigerian diaspora, and the wider Africa-descended, -related diaspora, to invest, create jobs, work, study, research, network, engage creative industries in Nigeria? How do we not just enable their economic investment in Nigeria, but also receive the gift of their creativity, their work ethic, and their ability to positively impact their environment both at home and abroad?

I think a good start would be a specialized office at the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, DC that is dedicated to the youth and provides them with services that assist them as they seek:

·      Passports

·      Work or Study Visas

·      Information and Support with NYSC

·      Information on requirements to live and work in Nigeria

o   e.g. BVN

o   NIN

o   Educational certificate accreditation

o   Driver’s license, etc.

This is an inexhaustive list.

The youth of today deserve dedicated support that empowers them to be active citizens that participate in the creation of the future they will lead, while allowing them to be better positioned to help the future youth succeed earlier and more effectively.

I had visited the Embassy in October, and I was fortunate enough to speak with a staffer over the phone, and he suggested I write you a letter explaining my idea of working to inspire and enable diaspora youth to be more engaged with Nigeria and continental Nigerians.

I put myself forward as the individual that will spearhead and lead (at least the initial iteration of) the project. I do also look forward to discussing this more, ideally in person, where we consider the multiple aspects of this project, including budget and remuneration.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Vasilis-Chukwunonso