Carroll Ibanugo is a cognitive psycologist, and a member of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Republic of Ireland chapter. She gave an insight why Diaspora remittances is on the decline in recent time.
In this interview with select newsmen, she also bemoaned at the alarming rate professionals are leaving Nigeria.
Politics Editor, SAMINU IBRAHIM was there for SINL Nigeria Online.
EXCERPTS:
Qn: Can we meet you?
My name is Carroll Ibanugo, I’m from the Republic of Ireland. A member of NIDO, that’s Nigerians In Diaspora Organization and I’m a cognitive phycologist. I own an autistic clinic here in Abuja. We are here today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of NIDO which was founded by president Obasanjo twenty years ago. We have been in and out of the country for the past one week bringing charity from diaspora to homeland. We are doing great things outside the country but we want to connect so that our people will know that we care about them and that is why we are here today. We have checked on children who are suffering from cerebral palsy, albino foundation and the rest. So, we are giving back to the society.
Qn: Diaspora remittances have dropped in recently years, what do you think accounted for this?
It is due to the exchange rate. The exchange rate is actually pushing us down because we found out that we are bringing home money but the exchange rate fluctuates. Few days ago before I came in, Naira was sold to a Euro for 930 but the next day it was sold for 903, which is very frustrating. So many are holding to their Euros waiting for when it will go to a thousand naira before they start exchanging them. Hopefully, the government will give us a unified exchange rate and we will be able to move on with business as usual.
Qn: Are you worried with the influx of Nigerian professionals to Europe?
If everybody leaves who will do the job at home? I strongly believe for the diasporans like what India does, India has a department like a diaspora unit that sends in professionals and the professionals have certain percentage of money they remit back to the country. They are working abroad but they return certain percentage back to the country as professionals, I think Nigerian diaspora should do the same.Instead of our professionals just leaving the country, japa-ing up and down. It is very unfair. We cannot train you for so cheap in this country and you will now take your expertise else where. We have to regulate it, it is very important. The government must regulate it because other countries are doing it. Like I said, India has a ministry that supervises their experts going abroad, you go and the government regulate what you earn. Every month you remit part of your salary to the government and that is what the government uses. Ours are just going, education is cheap. To train a medical doctor from where I come from in Ireland is huge but they are getting it very cheap in Nigeria and at the end of the day you take it to another country. It is unfair.
Qn: Who should we blame, can we say Nigerians are unpatriotic or the government is not alive to its responsibility?
It is both. I will use doctors as example, on the medical doctors and the government. We must appreciate our own. If we don’t appreciate our own they will definitely go. We must bring in incentives to keep them here rather than leaving the country and giving whatever they have, the expertise and knowledge they have acquired here for cheap too. Money must not always be the factor, your country has given to you what will you also give back to your country? It is not what the country will give all the time, we must learn how to give back to the country. Because as medical doctors it is supposed to be humanitarian but I can’t see the humanitarian to it, it is all money.
The government must sit with the professionals and ask, what should we do and how do we come to meet each other half way. And what do we do to boost your field, to keep you in this country to use your expertise and make you comfortable. I believe the salary rate is very poor, allowances are not there and that is why they keep moving abroad.
Qn: You were at Wuse General Hospital during your medical outreach, what is the state of the facilities there?
What we saw in Wuse hospital was great. I was quite impressed. But my own thinking there was that the facilities are not enough for the thousands and thousands of people who visit there daily. We can’t have one hospital for that number of Nigerians. Nigeria’s population is huge and the facilities are less, if we have this kind of hospital everywhere we won’t be having this problem. We have few facilities, very high population.
Qn: How do you coordinate the activities of the various chapters of NIDO?
Those of here today are from the continental Europe which consists of the European countries and each chapter has its own leadership but we came together under one body for easy coordination. This program here today is a pet project of NIDO UK, South and this is the first time the whole continental Europe is keying into it because we’ve seen the great work they have done and we’re saying well done to NIDO UK, South. It is an eye opener and the whole of NIDO Europe is coming to support them. I am representing the Republic of Ireland.
Qn: What would you tell the president who is barely two months in office to do differently if you’re privileged to have an audience with him?
As I diasporan I will ask the president not to bring normal politicians to head ministries. We want square pegs in square holes. We want technocrats to come in and help us build this nation. This nation is going down but I trust the president hundred percent, I know the vision he has for Nigeria is great and I know this is the first time we have a president who truly prepared for this work. He prepared for it for over twenty something years, so I know their is going to be a difference and he’s gone round the world and he sees how it’s done. He will bring experts and that is the only thing that we want. We don’t want you to give us a medical doctor as minister of information or an engineer as foreign affairs minister, we want career diplomats. They know what it takes and how to stand for us and most importantly, we want our embassies abroad to be financed separately. Our embassies are not properly funded and those of us abroad suffer for it.
