President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly those living in Canada, not to use their platforms, networks, and resources to demarket Nigeria or promote economic instability.
The President made the appeal in Toronto, where he was represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Nigeria Diaspora Economic Conference.
Tinubu said Nigerians abroad could disagree with government policies, criticise the administration, and demand accountability, but such disagreements should not translate into actions that could undermine Nigeria’s peace, institutions and economic future.
He said being an ambassador for Nigeria abroad did not mean pretending that the country had no challenges, stressing that informed criticism remained essential to democracy.
He urged Nigerians in the diaspora to distinguish between political disagreement and actions that could undermine the country, stressing that while political campaigns were seasonal, citizenship remained permanent.
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Tinubu also defended the economic reforms of his administration, saying the government had chosen long-term national strength over postponing difficult decisions.
He said the reforms are beginning to improve Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability and resilience, while stressing that more needed to be done to ensure that ordinary Nigerians felt the benefits through more jobs, lower living costs, stronger local industries and improved livelihoods.
He said remittances had helped sustain millions of Nigerian households but argued that diaspora engagement must go beyond consumption.
Tinubu urged diaspora Nigerians to invest in agro-processing, healthcare, technology, energy, housing, logistics, mining, education, creative industries and export manufacturing, while using Nigeria as a platform to access the wider African market under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The President said the value of diaspora engagement should not be measured only by how much money was sent home but also by the capacity and institutions Nigerians abroad helped build.
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(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
