Thread by @KolaOyeneyin

One of the best things I’ve spent my time here doing here is connecting with some of the smartest and most resourceful Nigerians at @Harvard, @MIT and @UniBoston. A number of people were surprised this weekend when they saw the @cnn report by @fareedzakaria on Nigerians

Thread!

59% of Nigerian immigrants in the US are highly educated with bachelors degree or above; more than US citizens born here, with 39%. This makes Nigerians the most educated immigrants in the US; higher than Germany, China, UK or any other country in the world, living in the US.

These are not just numbers or statistics, they are people that I have met and interacted with. The report says, 54% of Nigerians are in white collar jobs, in Management, Science, Business and the Arts; compared to 39% of the people born in the US. I was not surprised at all.

According to US Migration Policy data, Nigerians in the US made more than $14Billion, and paid more than $4Billion in taxes. They didn’t come here to take, they came to add to the US, Mr. @realdonaldtrump.

About 3 months ago, I decided to reach out to Nigerians here at Harvard, MIT and Boston University, just to connect with some. In the space of 48 hours, the WhatsApp group I set up had over 50 Nigerians, and before the week ran out it, it was about 80 highly skilled Nigerians.

They are here, at MIT, Harvard Law, Harvard Business, School of Education, Design School, Divinity School etc. It did not even include Boston University, Tufts and other campuses or undergraduates here. Just Nigerian Harvard and MIT Graduates Fellows.

So I thought why don’t we all come together? Brought everyone together in November 2019 and here are some pictures of just about half of those in our WhatsApp group of about 100 people.

Nigeria’s true wealth is not in oil and gas but its human capital, who are scattered all over the world. As we asked “what can we do for Nigeria?” that evening, super ideas started to flow, we now have working groups and we’ll meet again in a few weeks.

The US can place a ban on us, but it cannot cap our greatness! It is only a matter of time, Nigeria will become a global power. Mark my words! It is up to us now, to rightly frame our narratives and show the world what we’re truly made of.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

#ProudlyNigerian #HumanCapital #WealthofNation #Nigeria