A United Kingdom-based Nigerian lawyer and Chief Executive Officer, Vemoye Foundation, Korede Adedoyin, tells EMMANUEL OJO how Nigeria can recover the skills lost to brain drain, among other issues
You manage an NGO dedicated to championing the course for a new Nigeria from a global perspective. What inspired this?
I am the founder and the Chief Executive Officer of the Vemoye Foundation and we are building Africa’s future workforce by enabling the Diaspora. As a Diaspora resident myself, I came to Nigeria to visit when I was at the university. That was the first time since I left, when I was just five, that I came to the country and I had the feeling that there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor. When I saw children hawking on the street, my first question was: ‘Why are they not in school?’ I thought about how Nigeria got here because my dad told me that there was a time when the naira and the pound were equal and it is now £1 to about N1,000. So, I was just seeing a decline in the economy and people were suffering and I didn’t understand why. So, I began a journey to understand how we got here.
Education is the conduit through which we can bring about change but as a Diaspora resident, I believe that the skill that we see leaving the country is a ‘brain drain’ and that’s what we call it. I want to bring those (skills) back. I believe in a way that we will get those skills back because they are willing and able, but they don’t just know how to get involved. So, I created the Vemoye Foundation to help people in the Diaspora get involved with nation-building.
How long has the foundation been operating?
It’s been functional since 2020.
What have the responses been from Nigerians in the Diaspora?
It’s been positive. When someone wants to do something, the first question they usually ask is how to get involved and that tells you how eager the people in the Diaspora are to get involved. They just don’t know how to get involved; so, it is encouraging to know that some sets of Nigerians have left with what they called ‘japa’ and they are not looking back but that’s not true. Those who have left, it’s not that they left forever and said never again and that they are not looking back. They are looking to see this country (Nigeria) thrive; it’s just that they couldn’t find a way to thrive while they were here (in Nigeria). Once they have found a way to thrive in the Diaspora, they are very keen to mark what is happening here.
You noted that some of those who left would like to come back. Why do you think so?
First, the kind of work we do in terms of working with the Diaspora is more about how they can use their skills remotely, and with the use of technology, we can collaborate with what’s happening in Nigeria remotely and that is the first thing. What you find is that people actually have the option of being able to come back and right now for many Nigerians, it is not an option. They do feel that out there, there is an opportunity for them; there is something available for them but the thing is that, if Nigeria can work, you’ll find out that many people will come back.
Even before I started the Vemoye Foundation, growing up in a church, I used to hear people say that they wanted to retire back at home. They are working hard to create a life so that they can retire back home. So, they want to retire back home and that’s what I knew growing up as a kid. Now, more than ever, we found out that even those who were not born in Nigeria or raised there will have the option to at least be able to visit or come back, because their identity, whether they are born in the UK or not, is Nigerian. They cannot run away from that and they are very aware of that. So, even if we don’t reside here in Nigeria, it should be my right to be able to live here. Nigeria is still the way it is and not functioning in a way that enables those kids to thrive here and that is what has kept people away. However, as Nigeria improves, you’ll find out that many people will return.
You said you wanted to help return skills lost to brain drain back home remotely. How do you intend to achieve that?
We want to bring soft skills and even the hardest skills back home through technology. A lot of people have established themselves in the US and the UK, and they have strong skills. What we are saying is that they can work with organisations here (in Nigeria) remotely, to pass those skills on through training, seminars and other ways they can impact people here. We launched in 2020 but much of the work is happening this year. So, we organise training remotely and many organisations tune in.
In your assessment and based on your interactions with other Nigerians in the Diaspora, do you think they are happy having relocated to places with systems that work?
That’s a good question. I think that the idea of moving abroad for many people is desperation. That’s what drove people to leave and the assumption is that when you come out of a place of poverty, or desperation, then you think of happiness. Now, I will say that you will realise that, though things are working and they have a good life, I don’t think that is synonymous with happiness. If you go to a Nigerian church in the UK, you will find out that every week, there is a congregation of people talking about Nigeria, talking about this and that in Nigeria. Their heart is still in Nigeria and that’s how I know about what is happening in Nigeria. Every Sunday, I hear them just talking. Their heart is still here and I wouldn’t say that they are unhappy; I just feel that they have the fullness of their heart here in Nigeria.
To what extent do you think Nigerians in the UK want to get involved in politics at home?
Yes, they know what is happening and maybe I will say even more than some people at home because sometimes I speak to some people living in Nigeria about some matters and they would say that they didn’t know about what was happening, meanwhile, someone in the Diaspora would have known. They are very plugged in, but people in the Diaspora want to be able to vote and other countries allow that. Whether they live in Nigeria or not, they should have the right as citizens of this country to vote and I think that should be the next step to engage people in the Diaspora, to show them that they are valued.
To what extent do you think their involvement in voting will impact Nigeria’s democracy?
Significantly! I think that may be part of the issue, maybe that people who currently do not live here (in Nigeria) have a say in what’s happening at home, but at the same time, if they are allowed to vote, you would find out that more people will live here because they will see change and they will want to come back. The Diaspora votes will significantly sway the results of this country.
What was your first impression when you arrived in Nigeria?
That’s a good point. I think that it’s been quite some simulation when it comes to the news. I think that the accuracy of the information coming through is legitimate. However, I think the level at which the people in the Diaspora have an understanding of it is far more than the experience of what is happening here. So, they are afraid to come because they have heard about these things, and the experience here in Lagos and Abuja isn’t necessarily the way it is everywhere. So, I think the situations, especially the security issues, may have been blown out of proportion and that’s a problem making the people in the Diaspora not want to come back.
What’s your assessment of the Nigerian government? Do you think its policies will impact the people in the Diaspora positively?
My kind assessment of the present-day government comes from the idea of what is being done. I only care about what is being done and is actually done to improve the nation, and it is still early days. They only just came into power this year, so, I will say that I’m hesitant to make a judgment on some things. I think we still have time to see them develop. I was always hopeful that whoever came in would fulfil what they said they would do and that is my expectation and it is no different regardless of how this whole situation has transpired. They went from court to court and now that the situation (litigation) has ended, it is time to face nation building and I would like to see the President do what he is going to do to engage the people of the Diaspora as well. I would rather hold judgment on that for now.
I think the right to vote will be a huge one and will impact Nigerians in the Diaspora and make them feel valued within the system. A second thing will be the security situation. Security, as I said, is the biggest issue for Nigerians in the Diaspora. The fear of coming back (to Nigeria) or even visiting is mixed with the 10 million stories they have heard about what is happening in terms of insecurity. I think it’s a problem that can be addressed. So, if our perception of security in this country is accurate, that will be addressed directly to encourage people to visit and come back. The third thing will be showing the opportunities that are available to encourage people to see what is happening so that they come back home, especially when it comes from the top. I think that will make a lot of difference.
Many Nigerians living abroad have come on social media to share their experiences of how they were treated as second-class citizens and their encounters with racism. What are your thoughts on that?
Racism is something that exists for Nigerians living outside of Nigeria. That is something they have also accepted, but what I found to be very interesting about most Nigerians is that they wouldn’t allow something like that to stop them or deter them. Nigerians see racism as an opportunity to show how much they can work. Nigerians believe that they can outwork racism. Nigerians genuinely believe they can overcome racism by working hard. Based on the successes of Nigerians in the Diaspora, I would say that they might be right because Nigerians are thriving compared to any other immigrant group in the Diaspora. Nigerians are at the top of every single sector in both the UK and the US. So, that tells you that despite racism being there, and I’m not going to pretend to tell you that it’s not, Nigerians are ready to make it through any kind of adversity. They say if you can make it in Lagos, you can make it anywhere and we have taken that spirit everywhere we go.
Living abroad, how much confidence do you have in the Nigerian government that it will come for you when you get into trouble like citizens of many other Western countries?
That is certainly an interesting question. If you are a dual citizen, by default I don’t know whether Nigerians in the Diaspora have options when there is an international crisis, I will say that they will choose the Nigerian option if they are fighting an international battle. I don’t know if that is right but that is their perception, which is a shame because at the end of the day, many Nigerians feel Nigerian first, so, they should by default be able to rely on the Nigerian government before they rely on any secondary government. However, the reality is that the people in the Diaspora most likely feel more confident if their second citizenship is coming to save them in any international situation that they may be in than the Nigerian citizenship.
What type of childhood did you have?
I moved to the UK when I was five years old and I live there and attended primary and secondary school there. I was state-school-educated the entire time. So, I went to government-funded schools in the UK. Then, I went to the University of Warwick to study Law. I have a really good understanding of what’s possible from the state level and all my expectations are therefore in education because I know what I want – a state-level education for children whose parents are not able to send them to private schools in Nigeria.
Do you think there are different views about education in the UK and Nigeria?
In the UK, education is seen as an investment. It’s not out of the kindness of the heart that children are allowed to go to school for free; That’s not the case. It is because they realised that education is a conduit to build their country. If you educate me, I come out and get a good job, I will pay taxes; that’s the reality, but the cost of me not being educated is that I then become a state problem because they now have to pay me to live. They pay for social security and all that. So, it’s in their best interest that I’m fully educated, and that way, I will benefit society. I have yet to see that become the case in Nigeria, seeing education as a benefit of an investment and not benevolence. We are not being kind to the poor by educating them. We are doing what’s best for us because the whole country thrives if they thrive. We all move up together and so, I want that mindset to change and that will change the amount of funding that goes into education.
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