The Buhari Administration, the 2022 headies, and the diaspora phenomenon

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

I’m concerned about the 2022 Headies awards, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, and I think that any Nigerian who believes in the greatness of our nation should be concerned as well. Nigerians no longer feel pride in their country of origin; instead, they frequently identify with other nations.

President Buhari has spent a significant amount of his time as president since taking office in 2015 in London, England, receiving treatment for unspecified medical conditions. His acts have been justified by his lieutenants despite concerns about the propriety of such behavior being voiced by many Nigerians. The First Lady is known to prefer Dubai as a base for conducting her engagements; news of her hosting the wives of Nigerian governors in Dubai earlier this year caused a stir on social media. It has also come to light that the president is not alone in this attitude.

Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential contender, is also rumored to be in love with Dubai and keeps a warm refuge there rather than insecure Yola and Abuja. Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi, the opposition LP’s and the ruling APC’s respective presidential candidates, have both sought opportunities to highlight their international experience with visits to Paris, London, and Cairo. Obi even plans to use the diaspora to bankroll his presidential campaign.

Similar to this, it is becoming fashionable for prominent politicians to gather in European cities to plan ahead for the elections in 2023. With President Olusegun Obasanjo serving as a supporting cast member, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is leading this charge, supported by his entourage of former and current governors of various states.

In light of this, I was concerned about hosting the Headies, a music awards show put on by Hip Hop World Magazine. It was shocking that such a significant cultural event was relocated to the diaspora from its place of origin because the awards, which Ayo Animashaun established in 2006, have become a red-letter day in the history of Nigerian music.

The American-organized Grammy and Oscar Awards have become major international events in recent years. However, the original idea was tailored to an American audience and localized. The Americans sort the buy-in of the young brains of foreigners along the route with a goal of cultural colonization. As a result, international categories were introduced into the awards. The prizes are now viewed as the Mount Rushmore of accomplishments by foreigners who have won them.

The Grammys and the Oscars are really just another type of award. The American superiority complex and the use of international media networks to promote them are to blame for their attractiveness on a worldwide scale. Other evidence that tradition is best appreciated in its own environment includes the continuous burial of Queen Elizabeth the Second and the coronation of King Charles the Third. The choice to hold the 2022 Headies in the diaspora stands in stark contrast to this.

The Headies could have been broadcast live around the world by the event’s organizers, showcasing Nigerian culture to the world. Millions of dollars were spent on visa application fees, flight tickets, hotel reservations, and other costs related to hosting such a sizable event in a foreign country at a time when a lack of foreign currency has all but destroyed the Nigerian economy. The worst part was that there was not a single mention of the incident in the American mainstream media. What benefit, if any, did hosting the Headies in America have in today’s world where anything can be created in your backyard and shared with the world?

While I hold the organizers accountable for this gaffe, President Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Chris Ngige, and Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), must bear the brunt of the blame. These three government representatives have worked together to persuade Nigerians that living abroad is preferable to doing so at home. Their acts and words reveal that they love the diaspora more than they love Nigeria.

When asked why President Buhari travels abroad to treat his ailments, his handlers point out that his doctors are actually Nigerian doctors working abroad. While the controversy surrounding the hiring of Nigerian physicians by foreign embassies was boiling, Ngige, the minister with the mustache, told Nigerians that it was a good thing since the doctors would send money home to their families. In a same vein, Madam Dabiri-Erewa has been praising the billions of dollars in remittances that Nigerians living abroad have been sending home. The situation has gotten so bad that Nigerians who are living at home now feel like they are sabotaging their own nation. It’s understandable why the name “Japa,” which means to flee Nigeria, has become popular among young people.

Dabiri-Erewa conveniently overlooks informing Nigerians of the terms of these remittances. Nigerians living abroad typically work minimum wage jobs that pay very little and require them to put in an ungodly amount of hours to pay their bills; the deception is in the Naira’s weak exchange rate. Since living abroad has exposed them to prejudice, injustice, and stigmatization, the majority of Nigerians in the diaspora wish to return home. Due of the lengthy workweeks they must put in, their social and family lives suffer. The severe difficulties in Nigeria are what keep them from going back.

No country develops as a result of the diaspora; the entire “diaspora illusion” is a fraud. A nation is genuinely developed by the labor its citizens conduct there. President Buhari needs to understand that national development originates at home, not in the diaspora! It is regrettable that his government is more interested in promoting other nations under the cover of the diaspora than it is in promoting Nigeria and encouraging Nigerians to do the same. If we want to build the Nigeria of our dreams, this mindset ought to be rejected by all nationalists.