Nigeria's main export is human resources....Nigeria's $100 billion brain drain problem
is greater than it's $10 billion petroleum export.
If you
are called upon to assist the country in anyway, public
appointment etc. will you feel obliged?
Certainly. However, I have many committments and would prefer short term projects. More importantly, the one million Nigerian professionals living abroad should be enticed to return to Nigeria.
Nigeria's main export is human resources. One hundred and fifty years ago, millions of able-bodied Nigerians were exported as slaves to the Americas. In the last few years, one million Nigerian professionals have been exported to Europe, United States and other places.
The Nigerian government does not fully understand what brain drain has cost the nation. In 1979, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimated that each African professional between the age of 25 to 35 contributes $184,000 each year to the United States economy. It is estimated that at least 100,000 Nigerian professional are working in the United States. This means that Nigerians contribute $18.4 billion to the United States economy.
If you adjust for inflation over 20 years the amount of money will be greater. If you include the Nigerians living in Canada, Europe, and Saudi Arabia, the amount will be about $100 billion.
Nigeria's $100 billion brain drain problem is greater than it's $10 billion petroleum export. South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are doing better than Nigeria because of their human resources.
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