The African-British Returnees International and Ben TV International
has disclosed that Nigerians living in the United Kingdom “spends £300
million annually on British education,” which they said, would a wide
difference if the amount is spent on the sector in their home country.
Besides, the duo said more than 2.5 million Nigerians “are currently
living in the UK,” who they said, could have contributed substantially
to the country’s socio-economic development if they lived at home given
the feat many of them had attained in their callings and professions.
The figures were released at a recent news conference the Regional
Director of Ben TV West Africa, Mr. Lanre Ijaola addressed at the
station’s Lagos Office, Ikeja alongside the Head of News, Tunde Alabi
and the founder of African-British Returnees International, Mr.
Al-Ja’afaru Braimoh among others.
At the conference, Alabi said
Nigerians spent at least £300 million annually on British education
aside from a huge sum of money in pound sterling spent annually on
properties and rents, noting that they contributed immensely to the
British economy.
He said there “are a good number of Nigerians
living in the UK. They are doing well in their callings, especially in
healthcare, education and banking among others. In the British
universities, there are Nigerians, who are heads of departments, deans
of faculties and professors. They are doing well.
But according
to Alabi, a lot of people are struggling over there. For instance, the
UK economy is growing at 1.25 percent. Yet, its citizens are praising
the government for the growth rate. Nigerian has one of the fastest
growing economy in the world, but this does not really mean so much to
many countrymen.
Also speaking, Ijaola explained the mission of
Ben TV in the forthcoming elections, which he said, would give maximum
publicity “to events beyond Nigeria. Ben TV is the right platform of
choice reaching Europe, US, Middle East, Asia and the rest of the
world.”
He, also, announced the station’s partnership with
African-British Returnees International, an international NGO
specialising in assisting returning Africans back “to base, more so,
people who want to return back to their various countries to settle
down.”
He added that statistics “has revealed that the economic
impact through remittance from Nigerians in the diaspora is in billions
of Dollars annually and their wish and aspiration is for them to have
the right to vote. Unfortunately, we still await legislation to this
effect maybe in the nearest future.”
The regional director
noted that the country’s “huge diaspora population can be a potent force
for Nigeria’s transformation especially with the huge potential of
professionals in different field of endeavours.”
He opined that
they have been exposed to world best practice in their public, private
and entrepreneurial fields. Even with this, Ijaola lamented that less
than five weeks to the 2015 polls, Nigerians in United Kingdom “still
awaits legislation to participate in the country’s election processes.”
The regional director stated that the wish and aspiration of Nigerians
in diaspora was “to have the right to vote in the forthcoming elections.
We, also, pray for a peaceful election in Nigeria. Political gladiators
must respect the verdict and embrace whoever wins in the spirit of
sportsmanship.
Credit: Gboyega Akinsanmi/ThisDay
No comments:
Post a Comment