 And welcome back to the breakfast here on Plus TV Africa. Our first major conversation this morning is going to be speaking on the Nigerians in diaspora conversation, you know, and trying to expand it as much as possible. The 25th of July is stated as diaspora day here in Nigeria. And there is something that is going to be run throughout the week. It's called a week in and for Nigeria. This morning we're going to be speaking with members of Nigerians in diaspora organization, Mr. Chibuzo Obuuchi, who's the chairman of NIDO and also Susan Weyer, membership officer also of NIDO. Good morning and thanks for joining us. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you very much. I'm honored to be here. Thank you. Fantastic. I'm going to start with the chairman NIDO. It's titled or the theme is a week in and for Nigeria. So tell us a little bit about this and why all of this is taking place this time. Good morning viewers and good morning and thank you for the question. As we all know, as stated, 25th of July annually is celebrated as diaspora day just as we have the democracy day and we have the independence day. And we do thank the governments, especially the government of today for making it official and gazette it in the national diary for Nigeria. So what happens each year is that on 25th of July, we celebrate diaspora day. Nigerians celebrate their diaspora. So what we talked about is coming for a day is simply to celebrate us, the diasporas. We say to have a program so that we can have a week to engage and celebrate Nigerians as well as they are celebrating us. So the idea of a week in Nigeria or a week in for Nigeria was born out of not only celebrating a single day, but celebrating a whole week. So what diasporas have that done is instead of coming for a single day, we come in for a week, have programs planned before the 25th of July, and some programs planned after that. So it's 22nd of July to the 29th of July that we celebrate this. A week in Nigeria is for the diasporas that can come into the country. And a week for Nigeria is for those who cannot come, those who want to do something for Nigeria. And just to bear in mind, it's not only for diasporas, but we say a week for Nigeria. I think you as well can do something for Nigeria for one week. And that's what we call for. Thank you. Okay, let's bring in Mrs. Wyre here. Could you give us a bit more information about what sort of activities you've been doing here in Nigeria and what sort of things should Nigerians be expecting to do? Thank you very much for your question. As we know, the main purpose of this vision is to bring Nigerians living in the United Kingdom together and to identify those living willing to offer their skills in the health sector, economic and education, as well as public governance. And, you know, it's all doing assist Nigeria here. I mean, development of Nigeria are here. So which brings us to the week in Nigeria and for Nigeria. This is a self-funded and we are really, really grateful for those Nigerians in diaspora that have come together, put their resources together because this is self-funded to make this initiative successful. We've got a lot of programs lined up this week. We started with our meeting yesterday. It's going to continue today with some visits. The chairman will shine more light on those visits later on in the program if you ask him. One of the most important things we're going to be doing this week will be on Saturday a visit to the orphanage in the federal capital. We are going to be renovating their facilities and then as well as having lunch with the orphans and, you know, kind of talking to them and making them feel loved as well. You know how lonely it is when you're in an orphanage. So this is what we'll be doing. And I'm so happy to be part of this initiative. Could you see a chairman who has got this and this has become a very successful initiative, which we are going to take forward in the next leadership. And we're not going to stop there. Thank you very much. All right. We'll come back to you, Mrs. Y. I want to go back to the chairman, Mr. Chibuzo Ubochi. Can you paint us a picture for us? Because a lot of people aren't very clear on what exactly it means to be a Nigerian in diaspora. There's some confusion. Is it those who were born over there? Is it those who have, you know, relocated and have citizenship in other countries? You know, but originally from Nigeria? Or is it just any Nigerian who travels abroad and is able to start a new life in a different country and sends money home every now and then? And also, what's the picture of the life of a Nigerian living in diaspora? Thank you. I think you've captured all what makes a Nigerian in diaspora, but there's something new that I want to introduce. Because we know what Nigerians in diaspora are known for, especially if there are bitances to Nigeria. But I want to introduce the idea that some people living in Nigeria currently, working online abroad and earning money even more than those living abroad. So it's possible to be in Nigeria and through your internet activities and online platform, you are working in diaspora. So we are introducing the idea that you should consider yourself as earning money from diaspora, saying to Nigeria, so you may become one of us Nigerian in diaspora. But the idea of Nigerians in diaspora is something that we want to water down because we've seen that we've been discriminated against. Once you see a Nigerian in diaspora, you think it's somebody strange, somebody that's a foreigner, want to be seen as Nigerians. So we're no longer Nigerians in diaspora in court. We are Nigerians who want to be able to vote, want to be able to live in Nigeria, want to be able to come and go, want to be able to earn money in Nigeria, earn money abroad. The world is becoming a global village. I know that my friends are here that came back, they are back in Nigeria, but they still work for their companies abroad. Are they Nigerians in diaspora? Just because they live in diaspora? So those are questions we should ask ourselves and begin to see that we are all Nigerians. Let's leave the diaspora aspect for now and concentrate on being Nigerians. One thing that gets so worked up is when you see us as strangers, we live abroad and we come to our own home country and you consider us as being diasporans. It's good to differentiate and have that diversity to say you live abroad, but we are Nigerians. So one of the key words we want to leave today or this program is that of inclusiveness. We want that inclusion to be seen as Nigerians. So Nigerians in diaspora for me now means all Nigerians that are living abroad, all Nigerians that live abroad, all Nigerians that have gone, they have a first generation Nigerians, half second generation Nigerians, half third generation Nigerians that are there. My children were born abroad, they have been coming home and they joined Nigeria, they are Nigerians. So we want to get to that level where Nigerians will be seen as Nigerians. So thank you and I think we are all Nigerians. We'll talk more about Nigerians in diaspora but you just mentioned the point I want us to elaborate on. So when it seems that when Nigerians living in diaspora return to Nigeria, there's a certain way they're looked at. Could you expand shade on that? Why does it seem like there's a perception of Nigerians living in diaspora that had just returned home and for those who decide to relocate to Nigeria, what exactly is the motivation behind thoughts that they had made the wrong decision? Thank you. One of the most important things is that we respect the rule of law. I will not go and park my car on the road and expect not to be fined or expect my car not to be clamped. I will not want poor services from any individual. So those are things that make us different. When I come to Nigeria and I expect to give somebody a tip for doing their job, the job that I expect to do, I feel bad about it. If something you are being paid for, you should be happy doing what you are doing. If you are not happy, look for a different job. If I'm a truck pusher today, I want to be the best truck pusher in Nigeria. If I'm a conductor, I want to be the best conductor in Nigeria, I don't want to be there having a sad face, blaming the government and still doing the job. I better leave and quit and do something else for myself. So we in Nigeria in diaspora will have that belief that we have learned a different way of doing things, the best global practice and one that we embedded into all Nigerians. Do the job you are doing happily and be compensated for it. Okay, Mr Abachi. So it's an issue of mindset, how you have been acclimatized regarding what is obtainable in this country. So when you come here to practice that, it then seems like you have been different and that's the motivation for that. That's what you are saying, right? That's what I feel I'm saying and that of time keeping. I don't go into things but we have that concept of Nigerian time. People come to, we have still servants that don't know what they do. We should all have what we do, be sure what they are doing and make sure we end a little bit. We don't come to work from 8 o'clock and by 3 o'clock you are gone. And you expect to be paid for five hours. We pay on hourly basis. I put in the hours. I'm a worker holding. I do three, four jobs. At the same time, I want to tax. And I'm happy about it. I end a living. It's my hard-earned money. I pay my taxes and I spend the government to be responsible and to be... I can't challenge the government any day in the UK because I'm paying my taxes. But in Nigeria because some people don't pay their taxes, they feel the government is ordering something because there's oil or you don't pay taxes and you're paying the government to do the roads. But if you pay taxes, if the government doesn't do the road, I think you'll hold them accountable. So one of the things we expect from the government and from Nigeria is our brothers and sisters is to pay your tax. If you're a banana seller, pay a tax for one naira. And because you're paying that tax for one naira, you know it's your money that you're paying to the government. If the government gets anything wrong, you should be able to challenge them because you put in your money to the government. But you don't pay a tax. Sometimes you lift things to life. So I want tax culture to be embedded in all of us as Nigerians. And those of us coming back also want to do that. We live by example. I want to be incorporated. That inclusion, I want to be able to be incorporated into what has been done in Nigeria. Okay. Let me bring... Let's go back to... Sorry. Can I ask you what the chairman says? If I may, please. Go ahead, please. Already Nigerians in the UK are already making significant contributions to the Nigerian economy. And I'm not just talking about the remittances and everything. Okay. You've got through programs and IT information, policies, tax sectors. You know, you've got sojourns from where you've got entrepreneurs that are in the country from the diaspora. And we just want to be given some fair treatment and opportunity to excel in this environment as well. There's so many other Nigerians who want to return home. You have politicians. You know, I'm a politician as well, but I'm not going to talk about politics today. I know how I suffered from 2015 when I contested. Plastic come to support the politicians and put them where they are there. And after all that, they share these powers and everything. And forget about us. You know, I have to start going back to start all over again. I want to come back home. I'm going to be 53 next year. I want to come back home. I want to be empowered and not just me. I want other Nigerians to be empowered and encouraged to come back home and contribute positively. And I think it's a very serious matter that we should add the Nigerian government should start taking seriously. We are not outsiders or outcasts. We are just Nigerians living in diaspora trying to make a difference. So I hope that helps as well. Okay. So let's stay with that in that space. I want to ask about helping what is needed to change the narrative of Nigerians living in diaspora, being seen as people who are committing crimes in other countries. If you see when some of the stories are posted of, you know, well, very, very bad stories, there's always a feeling, you know, that you get from the comments section, the reaction of a lot of people saying, oh, Nigerians have gone to disgrace us again and things like that. So how can we shed more light on the Nigerians who are doing exceptionally well in sports and information technology and science and technology in healthcare? There's so many of Nigerians who are living a very honest and, you know, a beautiful life outside Nigeria. So how can we shed more light on those Nigerians and reduce the amount of attention that, you know, the bad stories get? Thank you very much for that question. You see, I'm a mother. I've got two young boys. They are graduates at master's level, came back here to serve in the NYC. And they are working, you know, but you've got very few Nigerians who live here and go abroad and start getting involved in some shady businesses. If you do your research properly, you will see that the Nigerians living abroad, living in the diaspora are not really involved in this act. You know, you've got Anthony Joshua, who is doing us proud. You've got the nurses who lost their lives during the COVID. Nigerian nurses and doctors and surgeons who lost their lives in the fight for COVID. Just trying to say, you've got a whole lot of professionals out there who are doing exploits. You've got so many success stories. And in fact, I'm sure our only good distribution was the one that is a Nigerian returnee as well in the diaspora. Who is she today? Look at how she is doing. You've got Honorable Debri, who was in the UK there with us. And she's doing wonderfully well. So we should be talking about this positive, you know, positive, how do I say it? Positive vibes from all these leaders or from all these youths. I'm trying the right ways, the right words to put it. So maybe such rules can help me with that. But we are doing quite well over there. And I think we should be encouraged to do more. Indeed. I want you to pick up from that. How exactly can we encourage Nigerians? So we can begin to change that narrative of Nigerians being criminals in other parts of the world. So regarding this perception of Nigerians committing crimes, even in nearby countries like Ghana, Benin Republic, friends of mine who live there say, oh, if you were Rob, it's most likely in Nigeria, not even a citizen of that country. So is it that most Nigerians who are abroad cannot get jobs? Is it a lack of education? What exactly is the root cause of this perception that Nigerians go abroad to commit crimes? Thank you. I think I'll have to be practical on this. We estimate to have over 7 million Nigerians in diaspora. Of this 7 million Nigerians in diaspora, 99% of them are good citizens that don't commit any crime. It's just a few percentage that will always hear committing crime. But one practical thing that can be done is for the government to facilitate an umbrella organization. And we already have NIDO, which we know the Nigerians in diaspora organization is NIDO. If we can have the government facilitating NIDO and making sure all Nigerians in diaspora belongs to NIDO, that will go a long way. What we mean is that every Nigerian abroad will be a member of NIDO. And once you're a member of NIDO, you have that network of connectivity. You have network of friends. You have people you can always relate with. You have people that can ask questions. And one other cultural thing that I like about the Igbo is something called the age group. When you are in a certain age group, you know your mates. You know your friends. You can commit crime. If you do commit crime, your friends know who you are and they can always checkmate you. So if you have an umbrella organization like NIDO where all Nigerians in diaspora are encouraged or promoted to belong to, you have that ability to know who is who in Nigeria and who is who in the diaspora, who are the ones committing crimes. How can we work with them and encourage them? Sometimes crimes are committed because of necessity. Not that it's a good thing, but when you cannot eat, you cannot pay a rent. Some people decide to use other shortcuts to get it. But when you are illegal, you have to regularize your papers. So who use shortcuts to get there? One thing we did in NIDO-UK South recently in the UK was to pay the rents of some Nigerians that lost their jobs. They were unable to pay their rent due to call for me. We have to pay their rents. If unfortunately we are not able to pay their rents, they may be forced to do certain things that will not be permitted by the law. So encouraging an umbrella organization like NIDO and the government, ensuring that all Nigerians in diaspora are encouraged to be there, not having one million different organizations and not promoting an umbrella organization, that will make people to diverse and do different things. So I will encourage that all Nigerians in diaspora should key in and become members of NIDO. They don't have to pay, there's no membership fee they want to be. They can't just be members without paying any membership fee. That will encourage them to network with Nigerians living abroad in their own local communities and get help whenever it's needed. And one of the things that you can do for us as journalists is to promote a good image of those of us that are doing good positive things for Nigeria. We know recently, I think last week, a Nigerian was nominated to be by the UK for the International Law Commission. It's a Nigerian and it's a global well-renowned organization in the ILC. So Nigerians are doing great things. We know about who owns the Gadwick Airport in the UK. It's a Nigerian. We know a lot of councillors and MPs that are Nigerians, not only the UK but in Italy and also in Belgium. So Nigerians are doing great things and journalists are to promote these things and the government should also encourage everyone going abroad maybe to become a member of NIDO. So you have that network of friendship, network of calling your being a broader skipper and then be able to prevent all negative activities. There's also certain angles. Every now and then we also talk about Nigerians who are in either captivity or imprisoned in different countries. Is there any work that you feel NIDO needs to maybe do to give support to these people? If you remember a couple of years ago, there was this story that went viral of Nigerians being slaves in Libya and other stories like that. Is there any extra work that needs to be done by NIDO and other similar groups to help Nigerians who are in very bad situations in other countries? Let me start with that. NIDO is doing a lot on that basis. I think some of those things went viral because NIDO was involved. I remember the one in India. NIDO has to have a social media campaign and it went viral. NIDO visits, you visit our brothers and sisters in prison and we do talk to them and ask them how I help them. I happen to be a practicing lawyer in the UK and I happen to have done prison law before version now to family law and other criminal law matters. But there was a time my specialist was on prison law and I visited. I think I visited all prisons in the UK. So NIDO visits members in prison. One thing which I'm going back to what I said before is for us to encourage all Nigerians to be part of NIDO. Once you are part of NIDO, we put on here from you within some few weeks. So that's where you are and try to be our brother's keeper. But when you are not part of NIDO and you are hiding somewhere, we don't know you are there, this may go wrong and you will not have anybody to know what has happened. Perhaps somewhere that died recently in the UK was locked up for about 2-3 days before the police brought his home. But if it was a member of NIDO, so one member, our welfare department would make contact. So going back to that, if any Nigerians are listening to us today, please look for the local NIDO in your area. Do join. If you don't have the money to pay to be a financial member, do join as a member and make sure you have your details of welfare department from time to time check on you. What we did during the COVID-19 pandemic was to call most Nigerians in the UK and I think all that chapters do replicate what we are doing. We are calling our friends, our brothers, every Nigerian we are calling them to find out how they are faring and we did even give financial benefits to some of them that lost their loved ones. These are charitable things that we do from NIDO's angle without any government intervention or support. But if the government happens to pay into what we are doing and recognize NIDO as the sole umbrella organization for all Nigerians living in diaspora, that will encourage and promote people to take NIDO seriously and join NIDO and will all be our brothers keeper. Okay, thank you, Mr. Uboji. Let's bring in Mrs. Waya now. Mrs. Waya, how can Nigeria come in to make sure that Nigerians in diaspora are protected because at the end of the day they are Nigerians. So how do you think the Nigerian government can come in and I know you might not want to exactly say where exactly we are lagging behind in terms of the government, but how exactly can they come in? What holes can they feel? Well, thank you very much. I think the Nigerian government will provide an enabling environment for all citizens to make a whole lot of difference to see we've got these issues of insecurities, kidnapping and the rest of them. And even in your house, at schools and everything, you know. So if they will provide, if they will take care of these insecurities and all that, I think Nigerians will be happy to move about freely doing their own businesses. And that is number one, you know. I mean, if the security is there, I think everything will be made possible for the citizens because we all deserve safety. We deserve an enabling society. But you know, without that, I don't see how we can function properly. And you know, despite the new me story about kidnapping and everything, we still made our time to come out to carry out this initiative a week in Nigeria and all that because Nigeria is our country. We can't keep running away from it. But the government, they need to do more. They need to do more and it's so easy. They can do it. It's done. So what can they do? And how responsive is the... Can you hear me, Mrs. Waya? I can hear you. I'm saying impractical. And I understand where you're coming from. Talking about how the insecurity in Nigeria seems to have an effect on the perception of how Nigerians are seen in diaspora. But what exactly can the Nigerian government do for people in for Nigerians in diaspora? And also how responsive is the Nigerian Embassy in the UK to the needs and concerns of Nigerians in diaspora? Well, I think, okay, with what is happening on the diaspora day 25th, I'm looking forward to that discourse, which is a diaspora integration and national peace and development. And I'm sure they're going to be covering all the expectations. I'm looking forward to that. And as regards to the Nigerian Embassy, they are doing their best. I think they have revamped the high commission with the new high commission in a lot of changes. And even see changes when you apply for passports now online. You get it immediately within a week. Within a week, you just get your passport and every other thing. So it's a continuous process. And I'm sure we are getting more positive results to that again. And the other great thing which I have forgotten, I don't know what it is that you are. I was asking what specifically can the Nigerian government do to protect Nigerians in diaspora? To protect Nigerians living in the diaspora is just to provide them with, to engage them, you know, such people though. Could you just share more like online? I mean, apart from protecting them and engaging them and involving them in a whole lot of discuss. All right. Mr. Obochi, you can come in. Yeah, thank you very much. I think the key word that I will repeat again is inclusion. Inclusion. Everything that has been done, we are Nigerians. We want to be able to vote and be voted for. That's so important to us. Once we are able to vote and be voted for, we feel part of the whole, part of Nigeria, once we cannot vote and cannot be voted for, we feel discriminated. So the most important thing the government can do for us now is to ensure, what I mean the government, the National Assembly, especially for now, is to ensure that we are able to vote and be voted for. This is the right time for it to be done. Countries like Chad, they are already, like diasporas have voted, so why not Nigeria, the giant of Africa? We should be able to vote and be voted for. Then secondly, we need to have the condition of NIDO as the central organization for all Nigerians living in diaspora. I know the government has said so in the past and many times, but it needs to be very emphasized and known to all Nigerians living in diaspora that we have an organization called NIDO. They should all pay into it and throw it. We should be able to engage with the government. We also need to... The government needs to facilitate some incentives for diasporas to return. We know they say there isn't doing business in Nigeria, but I think it's getting a bit difficult now, especially with the CAC. Racing company in Nigeria may be easy, but things that follow after that, the regularization, the filing of papers, they are getting a bit difficult. So those are things that can be facilitated as well. So for us, the most important thing is inclusion. Inclusion, inclusion. Make us feel Nigerians. Make us feel part of what is happening. Make us part of the government. And the only way this can be done is by giving us that right to vote and be voted for. All right. The diaspora of voting conversation, I believe I would agree, is very, very important. It's one of the things that I think will be a continued conversation. Susan, why I'm coming back to you. I want you to share with us what for you is the most exciting part of this week of Celebrating Nigerians in diaspora. I look forward to visiting the orphanage. And that will be the most exciting time of my life. I'd love to visit the orphanage. We're all looking forward to visiting the orphanage and doing a renovation of their facility and then attending the diaspora day and hearing what the discourse is all about. And seeing and hearing about ways the government is going to include us in decision making as well. I'm looking forward to that. I'm so fine. I've been a very peaceful visit. Oh, thank God. I was going to ask, how can other Nigerians also get involved with the activities this week? Do they meet you at the orphanage? Do they have to maybe donate funds? Or do they just join the programs all through the week? I mean, they could donate. They could join us at the facility. They could meet us at the modern area. This is what we're all about. It's not just us, okay. But it's with everybody. And that would be really nice. We're prepared to host our Nigerian drivers and sisters here. And the donations are welcome. Like I said, this is self-funded. We are not asking people to go out of their way. We know how difficult things are. But the modern area and more donations are coming so we can pay more and renovate more schools, facilities for the orphanage and other facilities that meet, requires renovating. That would be a welcome idea. Thank you. Fantastic. Thank you very much, Susan Wyatt, the membership officer of Nigerians in the Asperger Commission, Nido. And thank you, Mr. Chibuzo Bocci, Chiaman Nido, UK South. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Have a great week in Nigeria for Nigerians. Thank you. If it's over, I was hoping that you would offer us a cup of tea since it's a morning breakfast. We will be sending that over to Abuja. Do stay tuned. All right. We'll be talking about the Olympics next with Wally Scott.