By Adamu Tilde
Diaspora’s remittances in the form of physical capital have contributed immensely to the economic advancement of southwest Nigeria.
This is understandably so because of their large numbers. However, more than that, the invisible wealth (human capital) transferred in form of knowledge, experience, and information sharing, though often overlooked, have greatly helped in consolidating the position of the region as the economic hub of West Africa.
For example, it is easier to know or learn global best practices if you have a brother or sister working in multinationals or a resident of London for example who’s willing to share experiences with you than reading ten Harvard Business Review articles. This is often overlooked when we compare economic performances of the remaining regions.
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Someone who grew up in Abeokuta, PH, or Lagos can easily come across someone who’s either created a company or worked in one. Again, as a graduate, you can easily have a member of your extended family who’s a beneficiary of foreign or domestic scholarship.
These experiences, negligible as they sound, are very difficult to come across in most cities and towns in northern Nigeria. Most of our experiences are in public sector. Of course there are isolated cases of someone working in the abroad, commonly on foreign mission from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sometimes BBC, VoA, DW, and RFi Hausa service.
Northern youths must be willing to let go of the false sense of the comfort of being close to home and travel and learn from other people’s experiences. It’s easier to believe what’s seen and experienced than reading about it. After all, Tafiya mabudin ilimi, roughly translated, traveling is the key to knowledge.
