Nigerians living in the United States have been urged by President Bola Tinubu to overcome setbacks by adopting a positive outlook that will help them succeed in all of their endeavors.
Nigerians had no justification for being impoverished, according to Tinubu, who made this observation during the Wednesday Presidential Townhall Meeting with Nigerians living abroad in New York.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission arranged the Townhall Meeting on the fringes of the 78th UN General Assembly session, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Tinubu declared that Nigeria was a fortunate nation and applauded the initiatives to help out-of-school children, the healthcare program, and the need to end poverty.
Sincerely, we are impoverished in several leadership areas; we have no justification for being poor.
That’s what I kept saying throughout my campaign. Even though it was an extremely brutal campaign, I managed to win the election; yet, I would not have succeeded if I hadn’t thrown myself into it with unwavering commitment.
“I faced a lot of obstacles that may have prevented me from continuing. The President remarked, “I won’t back down, and you can too—many of you here are running for office.”
“I want to give you a measure that will resonate with you,” he continued. I was a diaspora once. I have experienced what you have experienced. A shift in perspective is required.
“Remember that Nigeria is a great place to do business tonight evening.
“Moreover, if you know how to look for opportunities and put your mind to it, there will always be opportunities wherever you live and in everything you do,” he remarked.
Nonetheless, the president conveyed his satisfaction with the behavior of Nigerians who have persisted in being the best in their fields in their new nation.
You are fortunate to be among those who are praised for their appropriate behavior, manners, and manners of living.
“You only need inspiration, tenacity, dedication, and perseverance to succeed, and I’m really proud of you for having these qualities.
“But forget about the frustration of last year’s leadership; we need you back home; Nigeria has arrived,” he declared.
Furthermore, he called for Nigerians to support one another and refrain from prejudice and discrimination against one another.
“You ought to embrace one another,” stated Tinubu. Eliminate all labels and identities, and take away the ethnic identities that tend to set us apart.
“Even though we share a house, we are a single family with separate rooms.”
Previously, the president was introduced to a few Nigerians who are thriving in their chosen industries in the United States by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairperson of NiDCOM.
A few of those who spoke acknowledged how much they appreciated the president’s courage as a leader and promised to back him in his endeavors to improve Nigeria.
They pledged to uphold Nigerian pride in their new country while also making their fair share of contributions to the development of their own.
Oye Owolewa, the first Nigerian-American elected to the US Congress, stated in his speech that black people made up 25% of business orders in the country and that 1.7% of all contracts were awarded by the federal government.
Representative for Washington, DC, Owolewa, stated that they have been helping people to seize these chances for their own economic development.
In New York, those are the best prospects for investors to profit.
He stated, “We do the talk in my office; we teach our people how to get contracts, how to get grants.”
Olufunmilola Obe, a Nigerian-American Inspector in the New York Police Department, also gave a speech during which she updated the president on her efforts to promote African nations, particularly Nigeria, in her position.
She informed Tinubu that she served as vice president and coordinator of the African Law Enforcement Organization, a group within the NYPD.
Obe is the first African person to be promoted to the rank of an Inspector in the history of NYPD.
According to NAN, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, were present at the Town Hall Meeting.
Amb. Lot Egopija, Nigeria’s consul general in New York, Amb. Uzoma Emenike, Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States, and Amb. Amina Samaila, Nigeria’s consul general in Atlanta were also present.
Other notable figures included Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Uba Sani of Kaduna State, and Abdul Rahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara.