Popular musicians, Phyno and Flavour put in an appearance at a meeting between Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the Nigerian diaspora in Washington DC, the United States capital city on Thursday.
Obi shared photos of the meeting via his official Twitter handle on Friday.
The Herald can report that the presidential candidate was earlier in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a similar meeting.
At the Washington DC meeting attended by scores of Nigerians from across the United States, Obi explained that the majority of Nigerians that sojourned to the United States did not do so by choice but were compelled by “our national circumstances.”
“Some of you are here in the United States by choice; but majority are stranded here, but not by choice.
“Our national circumstances have compelled your sojourn here. But I am certain of this: If your hearts were not in Nigeria, if you were not patriotic, you won’t be here today.
“It is our shared common value to build a democratic, just and egalitarian Nigeria that has brought us all together today.
“Membership, they say, has its privileges. Thus, Nigeria Diaspora has a continuing role and responsibility toward nation-building and national development,” he said.
Meanwhile, he appreciated the Nigeria Diaspora’s contributions to the nation’s economy back home.
Obi added, “With $20 billion in remittances in 2021, Nigeria ranks 6th behind the top five recipient countries; namely; India Mexico, China, the Philippines, Egypt, and Bangladesh.
“Expert assessments indicate that with proper policy and planning, we can leapfrog to about $60b in remittances annually. That will translate to about 14% of our total GDP.
“In 2021 Nigeria’s foreign direct investment (FDI) was $4.8 billion. Therefore, I see Diaspora remittances as the new normal and becoming Nigeria’s Official Development Assistance (ODA); some kind of foreign loan-without interest.”
However, he promised to enthrone governance if elected president in Nigeria in 2023, which would discourage sojourning abroad for greener pastures.
“We will trigger every known technological and knowledge transfer initiator. Nigeria’s brain drain will be turned into brain gain,” the presidential candidate said.
He added, “Good governance simply translates to eight critical governance values and an unfettered commitment to upholding them.
“These are a leadership or government being: Accountable, Transparent, Responsive, Equitable and Inclusive, Effective and Efficient, Follows the rule of law, participatory and consensus oriented.
“What they require, is a leadership imbued with competence, capacity, credibility and commitment. These are the 4 Cs, and leadership values required to turn Nigeria around.”
He added that the primary responsibility of the citizens in governance is twofold: to elect their leaders and to hold such leaders accountable.
He added that the Nigeria Diaspora family has the capacity to catapult Nigeria from good to great.
“We have to ensure that by 2027 general elections, Nigeria Diaspora must have a voice to collectively express themselves via absentee ballots,” he noted.
Obi disclosed that his next stop would be Atlanta, Georgia.
On September 4, Obi will be at Columbia University, New York for a similar meeting to be hosted by Columbia’s Africa Business Club and Black Law Students Association.
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