Just ordinary people… By Paul Inyang

Nigeria gets a bad rap a lot of times! There are all sorts of things written and said about us. We appear to be the outcasts of Africa. Boisterous, pushy, arrogant, corrupt… and whatever else one can envisage. If you happen to be outside the country the burden is unimaginable. One is almost always suspect and a spotlight is cast on one in ways citizen within the country can never imagine. It is expected from Europeans and Americans but when your own kind piles on, then, you know there is definitely a problem. We who are referred to by our fellow Nigerians as Diasporans have the fortune of bearing the additional concern of how we are perceived by the elites of our Nigerian society. The term diaspora has become the dirty word of today just like the phrase of yester-years “been-to”. A trip to Nigeria is often laden with anxiety, worry and elation—mixed feelings for many. I have given some time to reflecting on the relationship with our people at home and whether we can be part of a risen Nigeria as our fathers were and explored the causality of such a strain.
On my many trips back home, I get a chance to meet different categories of people—politicians academics, technocrats, the poor, rich and assorted. I am amazed by the range and depth of characters which speaks to the uniqueness of our people. Not surprising to me, what is striking is the intelligence, resourcefulness, creativity and happiness of our people. On all levels I find us to be very enterprising, honest, hard-working people similar to those I am accustomed to meeting when abroad. I find no other group of citizens as intriguing as my own people. Within and outside we are as similar as they come, in the way and manner in which we operate, set up our communities, our life styles and so on. It is the same in the township as well as in the villages. There is not much that differentiates us even down to our aberrant behaviors which every country in the world has. Such range of characteristics is not unusual in any society, so it is then hard to explain our notoriety. Our cultural variations though many are not dissimilar. The only differences I see, being their expressions and interpretations but spiritually they come from the same stock. There is more that unites us than separates us. 
Most of us who live abroad left home with the genuine intention of returning home to serve our country with our talents like our fathers before us. We learned rabidly and attempted to consume as much knowledge as possible in order to make it back home. Some were able to do this in a timely manner and accordingly returned home immediately. Unfortunately for some of us so much time passed by that the country changed dramatically, especially during the military era and for those who could not travel it became almost unrecognizable. The dynamics of our relationship with the folks at home changed. Hereto, we were accustomed to depending on the resources of those at home who were primarily our parents and relatives. These changes brought on new responsibilities. Many quite happily began to bear the obligations and financial responsibilities of our brethren back home. A great many were getting older and took on the added responsibility and challenge of raising families abroad as well. Additionally, some also brought other family members across the ocean adding to their quandary. It did not matter whether one had completed one’s education or not unless one was fortunate enough to come from an affluent family—these are the facts. It required that in some cases that folks reconsider their long range plans to remain, for most not indefinitely but still temporarily as the new realties required. There are many more reasons, these are just a few. Infact, many families at home encouraged their own to remain abroad as the country in their eyes had changed irrevocably for the worse. Incidentally, this is still the case today for many. Believe it when I say that most of us engage in incessant preoccupations about the needs and concerns of our people and are perplexed and anxious when what we do does not seem to be enough. Now, please consider the task of caring for others, raising a family and still managing to complete what is left of your education. Still today, I am sure that there is not a month that passes that one does not get one of those emergency calls. Western Union and Moneygram are always glad to oblige. The greatest beneficiary has been Nigeria. Our economy and foreign exchange have become quite dependent on the financial largesse of these transactions. At a minimum this is an immeasurable contribution not to talk about other in-kind contributions that we make. Please do not consider this a boast it is a contribution that Nigeria cannot afford to lose. It is also not an attempt to apologize.
It is therefore worrisome when I read of attempts to divide us and minimize the contributions of caring people who are just trying to play a part in our society. If a great many have not returned to serve politically and otherwise, it has not been for a lack of the desire to do so. There is a schism that exists between our political class at home and those abroad. Concerted attempts to participate have been thwarted in significant ways. For instance, Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world that does not allow its citizens abroad to vote in any manner. We be in awe when we observe citizens of other countries line up to vote in their elections. What is so threatening about our vote and participation? Is there a price we should pay? Politicians will tell us to our face that we are not their constituents and they owe us nothing. If we make critical comments, we are told we abandoned country for our selfish end and have forfeited our rights even to express our opinions. We are totally disenfranchised and stripped of our rights as if we do not matter. There is no adequate explanation for this at all. A recent legislative attempt to address this anomaly was voted down unceremoniously with no adequate explanations. We are told that if one has dual citizenship one cannot run for political offices when other countries are competing to get those talents. Nigeria has failed to incorporate the lessons of countries like India, Korea, Japan and indeed China who have embraced their talents from abroad by encouraging them to assist in building their nations. What does Nigeria know that other countries do not? 
This does not diminish in any way the excellent contributions of our compatriots who have stayed home to do some of the grunt work and sacrificed in ways that we could not. It is greatly appreciated by all Nigerians; more so by those who were/are away from the country during times of great stress and suffering. One must also note that a great deal of the suffering in the nation is self-inflicted by the leaders of our country. There needs to be a transformation in attitude to that of inclusion and openness to embracing change. Those who do not embrace change are doomed to fail and remain stagnant. We cannot continue doing the same thing and expect different results. We realize the need for the unity of purpose and recognize that Nigeria would be a better place if we simply collaborated—all hands on deck. It is ugly and unacceptable to be considered unpatriotic and a usurpers if we dare to want to be a part of building this great country. We are all just ordinary people trying to do the very best that we can to contribute to the revitalization of our dear country. None is more special than the other. Our fears and concerns are the same. Our destinies are after all tied—we sink or swim together; it is our choice.