Exit and voice : diaspora population and national development in Nigeria

Abstract

This article interrogates the role of the Nigerian Diaspora in contributing financial and intellectual remittances for national development. It does so because conventional diaspora studies have focused on how various diaspora populations adapt to the social, economic, and political realms in the countries of settlement even as they seek to maintain their own traditions and cultures. Recent developments indicate Diasporas have played prominent roles in the political, social, and economic development of their countries of origin. As a result, it becomes crucial to integrate the role of the Diaspora in contributing not just financial but also intellectual remittances to enhance national development. This is because intellectual remittances are critical for institution building and addressing leadership deficit which will in turn channel financial remittances into proper national development agenda. Yet, this is too often neglected in the extant literature. Relying on the diaspora option theory and Hirschman’s exit, voice and loyalty theory, with data gleaned from a structured questionnaire survey, interviews, institutional reports, and other secondary sources, this article explores how diaspora communities serve as critical bridges that facilitate national development through financial and intellectual remittances. The study revealed that whereas financial remittance is important for addressing development gaps, it becomes more forceful when combined with other forms of remittances such as intellectual and social remittances. IMPACT STATEMENT :

The motivation for this study was to understand the contributions of the diaspora population who in spite of their physical exit from home continue to make their voices heard and felt by contributing both knowledge and financial resources towards the growth and development of Nigeria. Nigeria faces scary challenges of national development, and the quest for socio-economic transformation led the government to devise an engagement strategy to draw from the experiences and expertise of her citizens living outside the country known as the diaspora population. Incidentally, this segment of the population living outside the shores of their home country is sometimes forced by dire socio-economic circumstances to migrate and settle in other climes where they not only contribute to the growth of their host country but make monetary and knowledge contributions to families and communities back home. The study concludes that the diaspora contribution is crucial and pivotal to national development but it is not a magic wand or elixir that can fix all the challenges affecting the country.