Lagos Utilizing Nigerians in Diaspora in State Building

• Lagos Utilizing Nigerians in Diaspora in State Building

The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday said the state will tap from Nigerians in diaspora and engage their service in its growth agenda.

Sanwo-Olu, who declared open a 2-day training programme for teachers in Surulere area of the state, said: “I believe that the diaspora will hasten the development of Lagos, so in moving forward we are going to be bringing in doctors, nurses, teachers and others from around the world to impact the state voluntarily.”

“This is the season of change, we are bringing the world to Lagos so that we can have world best practics”, he said.

The training program was organised by the Association of Nigerian Academics in United Kingdom (UK).

Lagos State Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated at around $136 billion and average monthly internal revenue stood at N34 billion, making it the only state in Nigeria that can survive without monthly hand-outs from the Federation Account.

Still, the state infrastructure remains an issue with poor roads and sewage system.

The governor, however, said he is willing to tap into the expertise of Nigerians in the diaspora to up standard of living and strengthens the state system, saying “nations like Israel, India and China utilise the power of the diaspora to bring about changes in the respective nations.”

“So we see this UK group coming to impart knowledge and build capacity of the teachers who are custodians of knowledge and trainers of the future leaders.”