Nigeria’s Acting Ambassador to the United States, Samson Itegboje, has urged Nigerians living abroad to move beyond criticism and actively contribute to rebuilding the nation, saying the country cannot afford constant lamentation.
Speaking at an Independence Day dinner at Nigeria House in New York, Itegboje said President Bola Tinubu inherited a deeply troubled nation but had already taken difficult steps to restore stability.
“The president inherited a comatose economy; he inherited banditry. He inherited kidnapping, terrorism, herders and farmers clashes, and all sorts of vices. He did not go into lamentation. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
“The first thing he did was to take out the fuel subsidy. It was corruption-laden. He took it out,” he said.
The envoy praised Tinubu’s courage in tackling what he described as systemic economic decay.
“At that point, too, we were servicing a debt by 97 per cent of our revenue. I was surprised that we didn’t go into recession,” he remarked.
Itegboje admitted that Nigerians faced hardship at the onset of the reforms. But he maintained that “the measures were necessary to secure the future of the country,” adding that conditions were now improving.
“I’m happy to inform you that our Naira has now stabilised. Prices of goods and services are coming down. We are now servicing our debt with less than 50 per cent of our revenue. Our foreign reserve has risen to more than 42 billion dollars, and that is the highest in five years,” he said.
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He also praised Tinubu’s move to grant financial and administrative autonomy to local governments and the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development, which he noted would reduce clashes between herders and farmers.
“With the autonomy now in place, then we can begin to have growth from the bottom up,” Itegboje said.
The envoy further highlighted the bill on state policing before the House of Representatives, saying it showed Tinubu’s determination to strengthen internal security and governance.
Turning to Nigerians in the diaspora, Itegboje said they have an essential role to play in Nigeria’s progress. He told them that the government values their expertise, investments, and connections.
“You (Nigerians in diaspora) represent a collectivity that Nigeria feels can transform our country,” he said.
He challenged the community to shift from despair to action: “The responsibility to build our country will rely more on you, the diasporas.
“We should stop the lamentations. We should stop bringing our country down, de-marketing our country. It is whatever you call your country that foreigners will call you.
“So please let us know that we all have a responsibility to uplift our country, to develop our country. The onus is on all of us,” he said.
Itegboje assured that Nigerian missions in the U.S. were ready to work with citizens to turn ideas into reality, pledging full diplomatic support for diaspora-led projects.