The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has reacted to a comment credited to Bill Gates, an American billionaire, during his recent visit to Nigeria where he opined that the ‘Japa’ syndrome is good for the nation.
Recall that, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, on Monday at the State House in Abuja.
Gates’ visit to Nigeria aimed to address global health and development matters with national and local leaders, foundation partners, grantees, scientists, and young innovators.
During an interactive session titled ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’ held in Lagos State on Wednesday, Gates expressed his belief that the significant outflow of young Nigerians also holds numerous advantages for the nation.
“In a sense, people leaving is a good thing if you up the amount of training you’re doing,” Gates stated. “Having a big diaspora that includes people coming back into business, into government – that’s a very healthy thing.”
Obi, in a post via his personal Twitter handle, on Thursday, June 22, 2023, posited that the knowledge and experience gained by the diaspora Nigerians will be essential in rebuilding a new Nigeria.
“I read and agree with Bill Gates’s recent comment on the “japa” syndrome, where, according to reports, he stated that the recent surge of Nigerian professionals leaving the country for greener pastures is good and healthy for our country,” he tweeted.
According to the former Anambra State Governor, the wave may appear like loss today but would be a gain the nearest when the country start doing the right thing.
“I have always preached and maintained this same position on the “japa wave”. For years now, and throughout my campaign in the last Presidential election, especially during my tours from Canada, the USA, Germany, the UK, and other countries,
“I maintained that “Our brain drain today will be our brain gain tomorrow.” Nigerians leaving the country may look like a loss today, but when we start doing the right things and taking the governance of our nation more seriously, the knowledge and resources from them will be critical in the building of the New Nigeria, as it happened in China, India, Ireland and other developing countries.
Today, India prides itself as one of the countries with the biggest tech talents in the world, having produced some of the world’s top engineers and computer scientists. Many top global tech companies are headed by CEOs of Indian origin.
“So India’s success in the tech industry can partly be attributed to its ability to harness the knowledge and resources of Indians in the diaspora for their national growth,” Peter said.
He, however, added that Nigerians in Diaspora will return back with their global training, skills and resources as contribution when the country rebuild and prioritise investment in education, health, and support for small businesses.
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