Governance and human capacity development: harnessing the capacity of Nigerians in the diaspora

Lawal Yekini Olawaiye (PhD)^1* and Ademola Azeez²

¹Provost, College of Social and Management Sciences, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

²Department of Political ScienceAfe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding authors E-mail: lawal9250@yahoo.com

Accepted 21 October, 2013

Abstract

International migration of talented persons from one country to another in search of a better living condition is as old as the early history of mankind. Yet the situation still remains unchanged today. The emigration of Nigerians to Europe and North America especially had continued to deplete its human capacity. This paper therefore reviewed the influence of these migrations on its human capacity development and its consequences. There exists a global competition for the best hands and minds, the most talented and best trained persons. It is a situation where what the third world loses, the developed world gains in terms of human capacity. There had been no concrete policy or practical steps taken by Nigeria to reverse this position. Good governance; provision of adequate employment with good remuneration, good infrastructures and welfare services, and an end to the menace of insecurity and violence attacks against the state were some of the recommendations to redress mass exodus of Nigerians and encourage those at home to stay back to contribute to the development of the country.

Keywords: Diaspora, Infrastructure, Development, Brain-Drain, Human Capacity.