They keep showing you this figure, telling you that Nigerians in the United States send over $20 billion home every year, as though it is simply a story about how well Nigerians are doing in America.
But ask yourself why you are constantly shown this figure.
Americans are not constantly being shown how much Americans living abroad send back to the United States. Nigerians are shown how much Nigerians abroad remit home because the number helps create a particular image that, Nigerians who leave are succeeding, making money and living better, so you should also take your talent and labour over there.
What they rarely advertise is the other side of the equation.
How much do Nigerians spend on visas and immigration processes every year? How much do Nigerians contribute to the American economy through their labour, taxes, businesses, consumption and professional skills? How much human capital leaves Nigeria every year? How much productive capacity is Nigeria losing?
They show you the money coming back while rarely showing you the value and talent going out. That is the part people need to understand.
You are being encouraged to look at migration from the perspective of what you can personally gain, while ignoring what happens to the nation when large numbers of its most educated, skilled and productive people are separated from the process of nation building.
This advertisement is simply telling you to bring your talent here. Bring your labour here. Build our industries. Work in our hospitals. Fill our universities. Work in our technology sector. Pay taxes into our economy.
Then send some money back home so everyone can celebrate the remittances.
That is how brain drain can be presented as a success story.
The question Nigerians should be asking is not only, “How much money are Nigerians abroad sending home?” Also ask, how much talent, labour, capital and productive capacity are we sending out every year, and who is benefiting from it?
I know some of you will say, “But the nation does not value their talent, so they had to leave.” I hear you.
But if the best of us keep leaving, eventually we won’t have a country anymore. The countries many of us want to run to did not become what they are because everyone who faced difficult conditions abandoned them. People fought, organised, sacrificed and built the countries they have today.
We can do the same for ours.
We can fight for a Nigeria that values its talent.
Leaving may improve your individual circumstances, and I understand why people do it. But we should also be honest about the collective cost when an entire generation of skilled, educated and productive Nigerians is encouraged to take its talent elsewhere.
One thing's for sure, Ghanaians are sentimental hypocrites. But if the government wants to implement something that will benefit the country, they will do it. It will take time but Ghanaians will comply.
@EiiScanty You buy from the hawker in traffic every day. You don't lift a finger to stop it. But the moment there's a bill to restrict it, suddenly it's 'government doesn't care about the poor.'
Pick a side. 🇬🇭
@MusahUkasha@Call_me_jewelz@jn_joey69 Moat of you read to reply not to understand, she never downplayed any part of societies struggles but business doesnt matter how you built it but how you maintain it. At the end of the day who is going to lose? So better to get steady income and customers thats what she is saying
@baessick1@mfadaray@CipsonNn@dammieololade If thats your answer to it then you are just a fool, trying to make excuses for something thats plain for even the dumb to see.
@Qofi_Hillinx@askghmedia@Qwamy_mony So what about about the vendor whom was working? They could have also decided not to work and rob people?
Sometimes we need not to put the blame on others but ourselves. If we do we can start seeing the problems and fixing them, if only we can start fixing our victim mentality.
@jaynhiJ Penis enlargement works, there are just a lot of fake vendors, and men can't call out fake vendors cus people will know they tried to enlarge theirs
@jeremyb___ This comment section made me glad, defending the boy to the fullest. Let's channel the energy and bash the right people that need to be bashed.
WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP! 🌍🇬🇭
This is surreal, the Black Maidens hold their nerve to edge out Senegal in penalties.
Congratulations, Girls 🎊
#ShineBlackMaidens✨
#FIFAU17WWCQ
@jebillll Bro yall use empathy/sympathy more than common sense on this app oo, someone gets 150 cedis per day, there teachers who earn 1500 cedis per month, but they make it work, 150 and you get 50 cedis remainder, why isn't he saving that 50? Na before na it was 40 and 50 kraa we saved.
@thenanaaba Seriously, you have being in this country way longer than this mans period as a coach of Ghana and you being a citizen couldn't hold your GFA accountable but you want someone who just accepted a job to do it for you, Aren't you the kne without any balls?
@itmix35@enokay69 Bruh yeah Giroud might have had a shitty world Cup performance but if me den you see Giroud then Jordan for park top, who you go fear sey he go make better impact.