The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has called on Nigerians
\nliving in the Diaspora, especially those living in the developed and
\nadvanced democracies, to bring their much acquired skills to impact
\npositively on the building of a new Nigeria under the Change Agenda of the
\ncurrent administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.<\/p>\n
In a speech delivered today at the 7th National Diaspora Conference held
\nat the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Prof. Osinbajo noted that
\nthe Diaspora has become a huge platform for several nations to leverage
\nfor the realization of their national developmental aspirations.<\/p>\n
The Vice President cited the experiences of India, China and Korea whose
\ncitizens abroad have contributed immensely to their phenomenal economic
\ngrowth and development. He then urged Nigerians abroad to sacrifice adding
\nthat the India Diaspora would not have possibly impacted their nation
\nwithout sacrifice.<\/p>\n
Outlining some of the economic plans and policies of this administration
\nbased on the bottom-up approach, Prof. Osinbajo said government\u2019s
\nintervention will come in the provision of physical, infrastructure,
\nimplementation of robust economic and social policies that will provide
\nopportunities and succor for 110 million poor people in the country.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he disclosed specifically that \u2018\u2019 in the power sector, the
\nadministration aims to consistently generate 5,000 megawatts of power
\ngoing into first quarter of next year\u2019\u2019; adding that this would involve
\naggressively ensuring that all power related projects are speedily
\nconcluded.<\/p>\n
He also mentioned that in the hydro-carbon industry, the administration is
\npursuing a long over-due reform. For instance, \u2018\u2019in the short and medium
\nterm, the NNPC would be re-organized and this has already begun as the
\nleadership is being held accountable for revenue shortfall in past years.
\nIn agriculture sector, government would pursue self-sustenance in the
\nproduction of items such as rice, wheat, cotton and therefore considerably
\nreduce foreign exchange requirement for importation of these items as rice
\nimportation alone consumes about $4 billion.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
While pledging massive job creation particularly for the youth, the Vice
\nPresident disclosed that the government intends to give the textile and
\ngarment factories a new lease of life in the shortest possible time. He
\nlikewise promised investment in the area of infrastructure, agriculture
\nand mining sectors which will absorb many of the qualified unemployed. In
\naddition, he declared that government\u2019s job creation plan will include a
\none meal per day programme for primary school pupils expected to create
\nseveral job opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019 I have gone to this length to underscore the important role that
\nNigerians in Diaspora can play in the new Nigeria which is now under
\nconstruction. It is well known that several nations of the world have
\ntapped into the wealth of knowledge and exposure of their Diaspora mixed
\nwith those at home to build a thriving economy. India has attained its
\npresent global status in part because of the contribution of its
\nDiaspora.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The Vice President averred that now is the right time for Nigerians in
\nDiaspora to make sacrifices towards contributing their quota to nation
\nbuilding, especially when the country is presently facing numerous
\nobstacles and challenges.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019I propose that the impact the Diaspora of those nations have brought to
\nbear would not have been possible if they were not prepared to make
\nsacrifices. If many of them had waited for the home environment to be
\ncompletely ideal, before they start to actively get involved and engaged
\nin their home countries, they would probably still be waiting up till now.<\/p>\n
He assured the Diaspora community of the resolve of the Buhari
\nadministration to resolutely tackle some of the numerous challenges
\nconfronting the country, emphasizing that the Federal Government is poised
\nto take the critical steps in repositioning Nigeria towards the path of
\ngreatness again.<\/p>\n
Amb. Babagana Kingibe, who was chair of the occasion, stressed on the need
\nfor the citizens in the diaspora to organize themselves in keeping their
\nlinks to their motherland for the purpose of contributing to her
\ndevelopment. Amb. Kingibe urged them to key into government\u2019s effort at
\ncreating a new Nigeria.<\/p>\n
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs, Office
\nin the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mrs
\nIbukun Odusote, commended Nigerians in the Diaspora for their individual
\nachievements which has given the country a positive image. She stated that
\nthe objective of the Conference is strictly on harnessing the skills and
\nexpertise of the Diaspora community to address issues in critical sectors
\nfor national development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has called on Nigerians living in the Diaspora, especially those living in the developed and advanced democracies, to bring their much acquired skills…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n