Diaspora’s dilemma
It is a well-known fact that wherever you go in the world today, whatever country, and in whatever corner, you will meet Yorùbá men and women who are helping to contribute to the socio-economic and cultural lives of their host countries. They are the indispensable gifted professionals. They are people who have excelled in their chosen fields. They are the highly respected academics. They are extremely competent medical experts. They are the respected educationists. They are the outstanding sportsmen and sportswomen. They are the high-tech innovators. They are the successful businessmen and women. They are leading lights in their host countries. They are people who have achieved successes in diaspora – and have become big assets to their host countries.
Why they left
No one is surprised that so many intelligent and able-bodied people left Nigeria. Too many of the human resources which should have been there to make the nation great evaporated into other countries. Getting out of Nigeria and relocating to somewhere else, in fact, anywhere else, became the greatest aspiration of so many people. It is not a big surprise that so many people fled the country. People left Nigeria for various reasons, and the brain drain has been going on now for a very long time.
There are today diasporas of second, third and even fourth generations of Nigerians.
And the diaspora population is made up of mostly people from the southern part of the country, and in particular the Yorùbás
Missing home
No matter how wonderful the host country may be, one thing that most Yorùbás in diaspora have in common is their love for the Yorùbáland. While they may have indignation for Nigeria as a country and as a whole, the big majority of them simply miss home. And for some, very badly too. They miss their people; they miss the sunshine in the naturally endowed land that God of their fathers blessed them with.
They mostly keep contact with their families. Many have built beautiful houses at home and a lot of others are supporting family members back home
Nowhere to go
One may ask, if those in diaspora miss home so much, why don’t they just go back?
That is an interesting question. Most Africans in diaspora are very proud to say what country they come from. They are always looking forward to go back home. At Christmas and Easter, as well as on other holiday seasons such as in the summer, many of these people are happily heading home. Some of them go back home permanently to settle.
Sadly, that is not the situation with Yorùbás. Too many are too scared to go home, even for holidays. The country has been so badly destroyed that there is nothing to go back to. The security situation scares the hell out of many of them. Nothing works. Electricity supply is pathetic. The roads are death traps, in addition to being the kidnappers operating zones. Infrastructure for healthcare and health delivery is so bad, even the hospitals have become nothing more than death centres. Most of the drugs in circulation are fake.
Educational system has been so destroyed that Nigeria now pumps out every year, semi-illiterate graduates. Universities lack facilities. The staff are so poorly paid that they show very little interest in what they do. They are mostly and most often on industrial actions. Too many of the brightest brains in Nigeria now engage in criminal activities. No one trusts anyone. And many in diaspora that went back home to set up business venture have regretted doing so.
Taking their country back
Many people wonder why the diaspora has been the main push behind a new nation.
The answer is complex. Sadly, they realised that the large majority of the people back home are either uneducated or, they are educated but so brain-washed that they are unable to see the bigger picture. And those that know how bad the situation is, are being bribed with peanuts. They are living from hand-to-mouth, but have come to accept their lots. These are people that sell their votes for a little sac of rice and are ready to die for politicians that are looting the money that would have been spent to develop the nation
People in diaspora are more educated, more enlightened, and have broader view of how other countries (even with less resources than Nigeria) are run and what make them prosper. Those in diaspora are not corrupted by politicians and are fully aware that the political elite is a criminal gang.
It’s a teamwork
Those at home cannot save the Yorùbá race alone. The diaspora has no chance of success acting alone. But together, with all hands on deck, this movement is unstoppable. And success is assured. Like the Yorùbá saying goes: Agbajọ ọwọ ni a fi nsọya.
Whether you are at home or abroad, please join this movement. Your support counts a lot.