Nigerian professionals living in the U.S. have expressed their eagerness to return back to Nigeria and begin investing in the economy to fast-track its development.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Nigerian-American Business Forum held in Florida, they said they were determined to use their wealth of experiences to develop and grow their fatherland.
They added that many of them started out from Nigeria where they had free world-class education and were able to compete and succeed on the global stage, adding it is now time to give back to their country.
The forum inaugurated several work groups tasked with creating practical solutions to some of the challenges currently opposing development in Nigeria.
The infrastructure and technology work group was constituted by professionals within America’s Fortune 500 Corporation, with expertise in engineering, information technology, architecture, electrical power and modern agriculture infrastructure, among others.
A member of the group, Mr Gboyega Aladegbami, said: “We have been doing great things in America and now, we want to transfer our expertise back home”.
“I am in charge of Smart Cities in Los Angeles; if I can do it for Los Angeles, I can do it for Nigeria.
“We have to change the narratives about Nigeria; we are ready to partner with the Nigerian Government”.
President of the U.S.-based forum, Mr Kenneth Shobola, said the group could take on any world-class building, engineering and technology project in Nigeria, including road construction.
Shobola, particularly, urged the Nigerian Government to utilise the group’s expertise for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, saying it has been under construction since he was young.
“We in the Diaspora are eager to come home. Most of us here are comfortable and don’t need to come home but Nigeria is our home,” he said.
Other work groups are the; Health and Business Development, Economic and Finance, and Social Responsibility.
