By Folarin Tony Olajide
Those of us whom I considered as ‘enjoying certain privileges’ should take advantage of that opportunity and challenge those areas we have witnessed a deficit in governance back home
President of Ggogi Emmanuel Foundation and member of the African Diaspora Initiative, Lt. Ghogi Emmanuel Abayomi (rtd) is drumming support for Diaspora Africans to take the lead in influencing structural development in the continent.
Speaking during the launch of his foundation in Owo, Ondo State, Ggogi Emmanuel Foundation, Mr. Gbogi lamented at the worrisome neglect of governance in the hands of politicians and elites whom he considered ‘disconnected’ from the realities of modern trends in nation building.
Everything the average African leaders are taking for granted are necessities of life that cannot be over-ruled, take for instance, electricity in the advent of green energy, education in the advent of the social media, communication and transportation in the advent of evolving technology that continues to challenge our ways of life every new day.
Members of the African Diaspora community will be doing Africa a lot of disservice by our continuous apathy and complaints of bad governance and societal failures when a lot of us are in the position to beat the challenge.
Those of us whom I considered as ‘enjoying certain privileges’ should take advantage of that opportunity and challenge those areas we have witnessed a deficit in governance back home. This is the reason why we set up the Foundation to provide desired skills and professional training for Nigerian school leavers in the areas of ICT, we are building partnership with some institutions in America and other Chinese organizations to support our work in revamping school classrooms, provision of decent learning environmental and equipment installation.
We are not the only one possibly providing services through a Foundation but taking a cue at what foreign organisatons are doing in Africa or the Oversea Chinese Associations where I had reside before relocating the United States.
Most innovation technologies in many of the developed countries were influenced by their Diaspora citizens from America and Europe, you will see a massive structure dedicated to the efforts of Diaspora members, they are playing major role alongside the efforts of their government.
Coming home to Nigeria, at many occasions we presume it is only when you take part in the politics or join a political campaign that you can begin to implement expected changes but reality has proved all that wrong because once you are fused up with the same packs of individual mindset that has subjected the citizenry to the sordid situations they are faced with nobody might notice the difference and we’re all back in the vicious circles.
In the United States alone, Diaspora Nigerians constitute the majority of the professionals and experts in various field of development and right there in China, Nigerian immigrants constitute majority of the business innovations springing up from the SME categories with focus on the Africa market, from their constant contacts with various industries and research and development companies, Diaspora Nigerians certainly have enough to bring to governance and economic development of the country by virtue of their relationship with the international community and that is I have resolved to replicate in Nigeria beginning from my constituency in Owo, Ondo State.
The home Government has a responsibility to harness these talents through the Diaspora initiatives scheme, that is what the Gbogi Foundation is promoting through our various affiliate groups.
Our prayers is that the people in governance would live up to expectation and provide basic amenities that is prerequisite to development of any kind – too much talking and analysis do not produce anything, it makes the mind lazy and kills creativity, we want people in governance to see the need for an urgent overhaul of the current situation that continue to chase Nigeria’s best brain away from home.
