By Aihawu Victor Nigeria celebrates its citizens abroad for their remittances, investments, professional achievements and contributions to n...
By Aihawu Victor
Nigeria celebrates its citizens abroad for their remittances, investments, professional achievements and contributions to national development. But how often do we celebrate citizens of other countries who have made Nigeria their home and contribute to our economy? We call them foreigners or migrants. I call them the diaspora within.
Across the world, governments have established institutions dedicated to diaspora engagement. Their responsibilities include mobilising investments, encouraging knowledge transfer, promoting cultural diplomacy, protecting the interests of citizens abroad and strengthening their participation in national development.
Nigeria has embraced this approach through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and other initiatives designed to maintain productive relationships with Nigerians living overseas. The underlying principle is clear: citizens who live outside their homeland can remain important contributors to its development.
But this principle raises an important question. If we recognise the economic and social value of Nigerians living abroad, why do we pay comparatively little attention to foreign nationals who have chosen to live, work and invest in Nigeria?
Consider the Ghanaian entrepreneur operating a business in Abuja, the Indian industrialist employing Nigerians in Lagos, the Lebanese family whose business has served generations of customers, or the foreign professional transferring valuable expertise to a Nigerian institution.
Some arrived as students, traders or employees. Others came seeking opportunities, married Nigerian men and women, raised families and established permanent roots in our communities. Their children may speak our languages, embrace our traditions and identify Nigeria as home.
These individuals are not merely passing through our country. Many are active participants in its economic and social development.
Strictly speaking, they belong to the diasporas of their respective countries of origin. A Ghanaian residing in Nigeria is part of the Ghanaian diaspora, just as a Nigerian residing in Ghana belongs to the Nigerian diaspora. However, from the perspective of Nigeria's national development, these communities represent an important population whose contributions deserve greater recognition.
They are somebody else's diaspora, but they are also stakeholders in Nigeria's development. That is what I mean by the diaspora within.
The distinction is important because diaspora engagement has traditionally been viewed from the perspective of countries seeking to benefit from their citizens abroad. Yet host countries also benefit from the skills, investments, enterprises and international relationships that migrants bring.
A Nigerian entrepreneur establishing a business in Manchester contributes to the British economy. Similarly, a Ghanaian entrepreneur establishing a business in Abuja contributes to Nigeria's economy. Both create opportunities in their host societies, irrespective of their nationality.
If we celebrate the first, should we not acknowledge the second?
This is not an argument that diaspora institutions should abandon their responsibilities towards Nigerian citizens abroad. Neither is it a suggestion that foreign nationals should enjoy privileges outside established immigration and investment laws. Rather, it is a call for a complementary national development approach that recognises the contributions of resident migrants.
National development should not be measured solely by the nationality of those who contribute to it.
There is also an important economic dimension to this conversation. Countries compete to attract entrepreneurs, investors, skilled professionals, researchers and innovators. Nigeria cannot afford to approach this competition exclusively from the perspective of encouraging Nigerians abroad to return or invest at home.
We must equally consider how to attract productive individuals from other countries and create conditions that encourage them to establish meaningful economic relationships with Nigeria.
A foreign entrepreneur who succeeds in Nigeria may encourage others to invest. A professional who finds opportunities for growth may introduce international partnerships. A student who studies here and returns home with positive experiences may become an advocate for Nigeria.
These relationships can strengthen trade, tourism, investment and cultural diplomacy in ways that extend far beyond the immediate economic activities of individual migrants.
However, such benefits cannot be taken for granted. People are more likely to develop lasting commitments to societies where they feel respected, secure and able to participate productively.
A welcoming environment must therefore be demonstrated through fair treatment, transparent procedures, respect for rights and responsible migration governance, rather than through hospitality alone.
Nigeria should begin to ask how effectively it understands and documents the contributions of migrant communities. What proportion of businesses are migrant-owned? How many Nigerians do they employ? What skills and international networks do they bring? How can these relationships support our economic diversification and investment ambitions?
Reliable answers would help policymakers identify opportunities that may currently receive insufficient attention.
Recognition should also extend beyond economics. Foreign nationals contribute to Nigeria's cultural and social life through education, marriage, community service, cuisine, music, art and everyday interactions. These relationships enrich our understanding of the world and strengthen people-to-people diplomacy.
This thinking inspired the Cultural Hangout Festival in Abuja, commemorating the United Nations International Migrants Day. Beyond celebrating music, food, fashion and cultural diversity, the initiative seeks to encourage greater recognition of migrants as contributors to the development of the societies in which they live.
But this conversation must extend beyond festivals and ceremonial celebrations.
Nigeria needs stronger cooperation among institutions responsible for immigration, investment, labour, culture, tourism and international relations. Migrant contributions should become a more visible consideration in economic development discussions, while migrant communities should have opportunities to share their experiences and legitimate concerns.
The objective is not to create another government bureaucracy. It is to recognise an existing development resource that deserves greater attention.
We must also be prepared to apply to ourselves the standards we expect other countries to uphold. When Nigerians abroad experience discrimination, exclusion or unfair treatment, we rightly demand respect for their dignity and contributions. We should demonstrate the same commitment towards foreign nationals living among us.
The diaspora is not always across the ocean. Sometimes, it lives next door, operates the business down the street, teaches our children, employs our young people or has become part of our families.
Nigeria's future prosperity will depend partly on how successfully we mobilise the talents of our citizens, both at home and abroad. But it will also depend on our ability to attract, retain and appreciate the contributions of people from other countries who choose to participate in our development.
They may be citizens of other nations, but they are stakeholders in Nigeria's development.
Let us continue to celebrate Nigerians abroad. But let us not overlook the diaspora within.
Aihawu Victor is the Director of the Platform for Cooperation on Mixed Migration (PCMM) and Founder of the Cultural Hangout Festival (CHF). He writes on migration, cultural diplomacy and inclusive development.
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