Former Anambra Governor Peter Obi has called on Nigerians in Diaspora to develop full interest in what happens in the nation.
He stated the task of developing Nigeria is for all Nigerians, whether home or abroad.
Obi who spoke yesterday at the inaugural investment conference with the theme of “Investing in Nigeria from the Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities ” by the Nigerian American Business Forum at Tampa, Florida.
The former governor compared the economies of China, Indonesia, India, Philippines, South Korea and Malaysia with Nigeria, submitting with empirical examples how the nation’s problem emanates from “leadership failure” over the years.
Obi said that nothing those countries did was “rocket science”, pointing out leaders and followers understood set goals and pursued them without distractions.
He thanked the organisers for thinking about Nigeria, saying that he was satisfied since “the very act of thinking about the rot in the country is a proof that Nigerians are becoming aware of the missing link in the development of the country.
“Once a people start re-orientating their consciousness towards developmental needs, their salvation could be said to be at sight.”
Using the history of Indians and Jews as examples, he said it was the history of a people whose Diasporas never forgot homes.
According to him: “Nigeria Diaspora remittances estimated at nearly $23 billion per annum are second only to oil as source of national revenue.
“Incidentally, most of these remittances are informal and uncategorised. Yet we cannot discount its value and the good it can do to nation-building if properly leveraged.
“Nigeria as it is, offers a huge demographic and consumer market.”
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