Sunday Ehigiator
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerians in the diaspora to channel their wealth, expertise and global networks into productive investments in Nigeria, saying their success abroad should help expand opportunities at home.
Tinubu made the call on Thursday in Toronto, Canada, in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the 2026 Nigeria Diaspora Economic Conference (NIDEC), themed, ‘Thrive Abroad, Invest Nigeria’.
The President said Nigerians abroad should not be asked to invest out of nostalgia, guilt or charity, but based on “opportunity, shared strategic interest, and disciplined patriotism.”
He urged the diaspora to move beyond property acquisition and invest in agro-processing, healthcare, technology, energy, housing, logistics, mining, education, creative industries and export manufacturing.
“Do not merely acquire property in Nigeria; acquire productive stakes in Nigeria,” Tinubu said, urging Nigerians abroad to use Nigeria as a platform for continental expansion under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He also called for diaspora investors to embrace professionally governed investment clubs, sector funds, co-investment vehicles and venture networks, stressing the importance of due diligence, audited accounts and proper governance.
According to him, remittances, which have sustained millions of Nigerian households, should become “the floor of diaspora engagement, not its ceiling.”
“Remittances sustain consumption. Investment expands production. Expertise builds institutions. Networks open markets. Nigeria now needs all four,” he said.
Tinubu said his administration’s economic reforms were beginning to produce results, citing real GDP growth of 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, manufacturing growth of 3.29 per cent and inflation of 15.91 per cent.
He also said Nigeria ended 2025 with $45.4 billion in foreign reserves, improved exchange-rate stability and sustained trade surpluses.
The President noted that the International Monetary Fund had projected 4.1 per cent economic growth for Nigeria in 2026, while the World Bank had acknowledged progress in restoring macroeconomic stability and strengthening the country’s external and fiscal positions.
He, however, acknowledged that significant challenges remained, stressing that the next phase of the reforms must focus on accelerating productivity, creating jobs, reducing living costs and ensuring that economic gains are more widely distributed.
Tinubu said the government must also do more to earn the confidence of Nigerians in the diaspora by providing predictable rules, transparent project pipelines, credible counterparties, efficient consular services, stronger property rights and faster dispute resolution.
He cited the Non-Resident Nigerian Ordinary Account, Non-Resident Nigerian Investment Account and non-resident Bank Verification Number as steps towards facilitating diaspora participation in the Nigerian financial system.
Beyond capital, the President urged Nigerians abroad to deploy their intellectual capacity and professional expertise to national development.
“A cheque can buy equipment; expertise can build the system that makes the equipment useful,” he said, urging diaspora professionals to mentor Nigerian entrepreneurs, establish research partnerships, support hospitals, open foreign markets to Nigerian products and transfer international standards and systems.
Tinubu also appealed for constructive engagement between government and the diaspora, saying criticism remained important to democracy but should be factual and aimed at correction.
“Criticism that illuminates is patriotic. Falsehood that inflames is not,” he said.
As Nigeria approaches another electoral season, the President urged Nigerians to place national interest above partisan considerations, warning against supporting activities capable of destabilising the country.
“You may oppose a government; you must never wish the country to fail merely to prove your politics right,” he said.
Tinubu said his administration remained committed to completing the economic reforms, arguing that the choice before Nigeria was between completing the recovery process and returning to arrangements that had weakened production and national capacity.
He challenged participants at the conference to measure its success not by speeches or applause but by concrete outcomes.
“Let it be measured by commitments: one enterprise funded; one institution strengthened; one young Nigerian mentored; one export route opened; one research partnership established; one community transformed,” he said.
In his closing remarks, the President declared that making Nigeria great must now become a shared national task, with Nigerians in the diaspora playing a major role.
“Thrive abroad. Invest in Nigeria. Speak of Nigeria with truth. Correct her with love. Build her with confidence,” he said.
Tinubu also invoked Bob Marley’s philosophy, quoting the late reggae icon: “In the abundance of water the fool is thirsty.”
He added that Nigeria possessed abundant natural resources, arable land and human capital, arguing that Nigerians who invest and do business in the country had enormous opportunities.