Driven by the hunger for a new national order, a select group of Nigerian professionals across the world have convened to birth an influential think-thank that seeks to positively colour developments in the country.
With a specific purpose to mobilize Nigerian professionals and leaders to support national growth, and convened under the aegis of Forum of Global Nigerian Professionals [ FGNP], the clan of highly accomplished men and women drawn from Europe, North and South America, Asia and the African continents, say “Nigeria at this time, need her exceptionally good and talented ‘world beaters’ to help scale our developmental programmes internally and externally.
It further noted: “This is a great opportunity to help reshape our African and global story and build our current programmes as a nation”. Indeed, the group with strong presence in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Germany, France, Nigeria, China and South Africa among others, easily tells the story of Nigeria’s loaded capacity. In these countries among others, Nigerians are known to be at the heart of the economies, helping to make them the most advanced in the world. These strides, FGNP says “it wants to fully harness finally,for the benefit of Nigerians anywhere in the world”.
Nigeria’s diaspora remittances in first quarter of 2022, rose by 20. 3 per cent year- on-year to $ 5.6 billion from $4.29 billion in the corresponding period of first quarter of 2021- official data from the Central Bank of Nigeria reveals.
The remittance inflows were even projected to grow by 7.1 per cent by the end of last year. The current population of Nigeria is 219,011,841 as at Tuesday, January 10, 2023, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
These, the FGNP insists, shows that Nigeria remains the go-to-, for global investors who value investible environments with one of the best sources of cheap labour and good return on investments.
Describing itself as a non-partisan, non-religious and practically non-aligned to any group, political party or ethnic nationality, the FGNP, also known as Nigeria’s Global Professionals, believes that its very personality as a collection of some of Nigeria’s finest professionals serving at home and in the Diaspora, will restore spark and spike to a country in apparent drift.
Gains, it insists have been made in the last few years, and as such, must be sustained.
To achieve that however, all the best legs the country can boost of, must be on parade.
Sir Dan Amechi, a senior financial crime compliance consultant and chartered banker, who spoke on some of the objectives of Nigeria’s Global Professionals, explained that the need to sustain whatever Nigeria has achieved since the return of democracy in 1999 – and since independence in general, continuously motivate and inspire Nigerians – the leadership and the led, as well as tell the authentic Nigerian story to the entire world, are some of the reasons behind the decision to rally round accomplished Nigerian professionals from every corner of the world to partake in the ‘Greater Nigerian project’.
Amechi, who is reputed to have consulted for the ‘global big four consulting firms’ as well as worked for a number of Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions (G-SIFIs) in various countries in the world, concluded “that the Nigerian Professionals’ intervention is in keeping so much with the Nigerian season in a global context, and tend to suggest that things will only continue to change for the better, every circle”.
“FGNP has come to inspire Nigeria to victory against under-development, poor leadership. It aims to inspire Nigeria’s victory against mediocrity. “The professionals in FGNP have a good tactical mind, and Nigeria is still the place to go for discerning investors in the world. Everyone will soon come to rave about the FGNP ideas”, added Dr Victor Abayomi Oluwi, an adjunct Professor at both Concordia University of Edmonton, Alberta and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) – all in Canada.
The Dean, Faculty of Business Administration at Canadian Imperial College, is convinced that Nigeria needs her accomplished professionals scattered around the world today – more than ever before. “At FGNP, we have decided to answer that call”,With over three decades of experience in manufacturing, communications, electronics, automobile, and presently, management consulting, Dr. Oluwi also heads the business Advisory Unit at Canadian Imperial Advantage.
Chief Stanley Wokocha, a technocrat and international businessman added that more than ever before, Nigerians in every part of the world should partake in the transformation project which Nigeria has been pursuing, albeit slowly, over the years.
Another member of the FGNP, Dr. Sanni Mahmud, an information technology security expert, summed up the arrival of the group this way: “Our goal is to help support and advance good governance; and ultimately influence the image and progress of the Nigerian community back home and in the Diaspora”.
