Hamzat and Stakeholders Call on Nigerians Abroad: A Blueprint for Diaspora-Led Nation-Building
By Oluwatope Lawanson and Lydia Chigozie-Ngwakwe
Lagos, Dec. 19, 2025 (NAN) – A powerful consensus emerged at a Lagos innovation summit: Nigeria’s vast diaspora community is not just a source of remittances, but a critical engine for sustainable development. The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, alongside leading entrepreneurs and government officials, issued a strategic call to action for Nigerians living abroad, urging a shift from critique to constructive contribution.
The Connected Diaspora Innovation Challenge and DOWA Start-up Challenge, themed “Building, Breaking and Believing in Nigeria,” served as the platform for this pivotal dialogue. The event transcended a simple appeal, evolving into a practical forum on how diaspora Nigerians can effectively engage with the homeland.
From Narrative to Action: Hamzat’s Appeal for Solution Providers
Dr. Hamzat, drawing from his personal journey of returning from the United States, framed the diaspora’s role in a new light. “The call is for Nigerians abroad to become solution providers by tapping into the country’s vast opportunities,” he stated. He acknowledged the nation’s well-documented challenges but identified a more insidious hurdle: the internalized negative narrative.
“A major challenge is the tendency to promote negative narratives about Nigeria at the expense of its positives,” Hamzat explained. This psychological barrier often prevents potential investment and engagement. His message was one of balanced realism—recognizing problems while actively seeking and scaling opportunities in sectors like technology, agriculture, and creative industries. His optimism, “that Nigeria would be great again,” was presented not as wishful thinking, but as a call to co-create that future.
The Entrepreneur’s Reality Check: Discipline Over Hype
Providing a crucial counterpoint to motivational rhetoric, Zinox Group Chairman, Mr. Leonard Ekeh, offered a masterclass in pragmatic entrepreneurship. He advised diaspora returnees to ground their ambitions in clear value propositions. “Be clear about the value you intend to contribute to the economy,” he cautioned, warning against the modern “fundraising trap” where spectacle often overshadows substance.
Ekeh, who returned over 40 years ago to found a tech giant in a largely unstructured economy, emphasized timeless fundamentals: discipline, patience, and the deliberate cultivation of trust. “When we came back, there was no structured economy and no diaspora commission to guide us. Everyone was a hustler,” he shared, highlighting that today’s returnees benefit from more developed systems, particularly in progressive states like Lagos. His most sobering advice? “Not everyone is suited for entrepreneurship,” describing it as a demanding path of sacrifice, best pursued by those with a resilient problem-solving mindset.
Structured Engagement: NiDCOM’s Partnership Model
The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, clarified the government’s evolving approach. The goal is not to guilt or force a permanent return, but to “foster partnerships and collaboration.” Initiatives like the Connected Diaspora platform are creating tangible pathways, connecting diaspora expertise and capital with local innovators, particularly in high-growth tech fields like AI and blockchain.
“The best place to be is home. We have our challenges, but we must not be the first to bring ourselves down,” Dabiri-Erewa stated, echoing the theme of narrative ownership. Her commission’s work signifies a shift from ad-hoc engagement to a structured framework facilitating investment, mentorship, and knowledge transfer.
A Movement of Builders: The Connected Diaspora Vision
The co-founders of Connected Diaspora, Messrs. Nosa Okunsebor and Siji Abere, outlined the operational philosophy driving the movement. It is built on a triad of principles: Believing in Nigeria’s potential, Breaking obsolete systems and mindsets, and Building sustainable solutions. Their focus on empowering Nigerians with frontier technology skills aims to create a globally competitive talent pool that innovates for local and global markets.
The New Diaspora Mandate: A Synthesis of Insights
The event synthesized a clear, multi-faceted blueprint for diaspora engagement:
1. Mindset Shift: Move from being critics abroad to solution architects, consciously balancing narrative.
2. Value-First Approach: Enter the ecosystem with a defined, credible plan for value creation, not just capital consumption.
3. Strategic Partnerships: Leverage structured platforms like NiDCOM and private-sector initiatives for support and collaboration.
4. Realistic Grounding: Understand the entrepreneurial journey’s rigors and assess personal readiness for the sacrifice required.
The gathering of young innovators, investors, and stakeholders underscored a tangible movement. The message is no longer a sentimental plea for help, but a strategic invitation to build. The call from Lagos is clear: Nigeria’s development is an open-source project, and its global citizens hold key commits to the code. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
LAW/LED/OCC
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Edited by Chinyere Omeire
Media Credits
Image Credit: instagram.com
