UIM: Sir, what’s your name and where are you based?
ITAMA: I am Barrister Clement Itama, I am based in Austria.
UIM: What do you do?
ITAMA: I work for the Austrian Government in Vienna
UIM: Do you belong to NIDO?
UIM: How is it like working for the Austrian Government when you are not originally from Austria?
ITAMA: I work very hard to get there and I believe that if you are going to make it, you must have to be focused. My advice to the younger generation is that they must be focused. Nothing is impossible when you are focused especially when you have God by your side. In Austria, I have worked in places that Africans have not worked. I worked for eight years in the banking sector. I also worked in the High Court in Vienna before I joined the State Government simply because I wanted to contribute my quota to the incorporation of the African community into the Austria society and that I have done very well.
UIM: What contributions are you going to make to Nigeria?
ITAMA: Well if I am given a chance to contribute to the nation, I will do a lot but you and I know that people are not chosen by merit but those who have Godfathers always get picked. I have a great deal of experience so if I am given the opportunity, I will be able to turn things around for the good of the Nigeria masses especially the poor. But this is not probably the dream of our elites in government. My heart bleeds for the ordinary Nigerian.
UIM: Is this your first time at the NIDO conference?
ITAMA: No, this is my third time. I was at the NIDO conference in Tinapa cross River State and in Minna, Niger Sate in 2010.
UIM: How would you access the conference so far?
ITAMA: Well I thought that things will get better. In terms of accommodation, we had a better one than that of Minna, Niger State. In terms of co-ordination, it seems it has gone worse because of a Permanent Secretary in the office of the Secretary of the Federal Government and his team of organizers. That was my first time of seeing a Permanent Secretary abusing everyone that came his way. I am not mentioning any name but he was always the head of the organizing team. He was shouting abusing and disrespected people who came all the way from many parts of the world to attend the conference. I do not know how such a man got to that level in Government. If a person like him could become a Permanent Secretary in this country, that means doom for Nigeria and all of us especially for the younger generation. His behaviour can never be accepted in any developed world. His behaviour is abnormal and could affect NIDO.
UIM: What part of Nigeria are you from?
ITAMA: I am an Esan (Ishan) from Edo Sate.
UIM: There is a split in NIDO. Now there are other organs like ANNID CANUK and others. What is your view on this?
ITAMA: It is a disaster, I, was quite amazed when I learnt that some individuals that are self centered with selfish interest could form such organizations parallel to the NIDO that we all belong to. We have only one Nigeria and we don’t have different Nigeria. My advise is that we should all be one irrespective of our political affiliation or wish. When it comes to national interest, we should be patriotic to put Nigeria above any interest.
UIM: Some Diasporas say the split was a result of the conduct of certain selfish leaders of NIDO.
ITAMA: It might be. No leader is perfect. I believe that as a group, the aggrieved ones have a chance of coming together and channeling their grievances and reaching a compromise. That means calling the erring members to order because they were voted in. In the democratic world, if any government is not performing well, the only way is to remove them by democratic means. So aggrieved NIDO groups members could have used the democratic means available.
UIM: How long have you lived in Germany and what do you do for a living?
MUSTAPHANIA: I have lived in Germany for eighteen years and I run my own business, Oyati Consult. I am a linguist and educationist among other fields. I was employed for nearly ten years then I thought it was time to do my own thing. It took me some time to establish because I was used to earning salary. We call ourselves the bridge builders. I teach but now I am trying to do less teaching. So I do more of interpreting and consultancy.
UIM: How has it been for a woman that is not originally from Germany?.
MUSTAPHANIA: There is racism but things are changing positively. In the case of woman, the Germans believe that the African women are oppressed by the African men. So the Germans support educated African woman. They do not see the African woman as a threat to them. It is our youths especially the men that suffer more discrimination.
UIM: How long have you been attending the NIDO conference and what has been your experience?
MUSTPAHINIA: I attended in 2006, 2007, 2008. In 2009, there was no conference I could not attend in 2010 because I was very busy. But fortunately, this time around I had some space so I was able to participate.
UIM: What is your opinion on the organization of NIDO 2011 edition?
MUSTAPHANIA: The period for planning was very short-about three weeks. So whatever the short-comings are, they were to be expected. I arrived earlier before the NIDO conference because I attended the Nigerian /German Business Forum 2011. So I decided to in some ways assist the organizers in a voluntary capacity.
UIM: How do you score the conference?
MUSTAPHANIA: Ten being the best and Zero being the worst, I would score it five plus. It could be better. I am judging if from the previous ones. And considering the fact that almost everybody in the Nigerian National Volunteer Service NNVS is new apart from Mr. Amuzie and a few others. They are new and not experienced as far the NIDO conference is concerned.
UIM: What part of Nigeria are you from?
MUATAPHANIA: I am from Owan East local Government Area of Edo State.
UIM: May we know you sir?
UDEAJA: I am Engineer Sebatian Udeaja. I am the President of NIDO Germany.
UIM: Is your first time at the NIDO conference?
Udeaja: No, this is not my first time, I have attended three of the NIDO conferences, Tinapa, Minna and this one.
UIM: What is view on this year’s conference?
UDEAJA: This year’s conference in my opinion can be classified as successful because of the fact that it brought Nigerians from all over the world together for a few days. They shared ideas and they saw one another and talked to one another. They did this by networking with our brothers and sisters at home who are keeping our country going. So for that alone, the conference in my opinion was a big success.
This year’s NIDO edition witnessed a huge turnout of Nigerian from around the world about four hundred. They paid their Air fares at this costly moment of the year to attend the conference. Having said that, I would add that after this conference, much needs to be done because we have not achieved the measurable required success that we wish to achieve in terms of following up to see that the ideas that we have exchanged during the conference to affect the Nigerian society by the people directly involved in the fields in question. So the follow-up to the implementation of these ideas is the major work to be done. One of the factors militating against this is that when we go back to our various countries of residence, it is not easy to come back to follow-up. Communicating with the government officials and key players in the ministries is not easy over the telephone. We hope that the present administration will make it easier.
STEVE CURTIS (CUSSONS TECHNOLOGY)
UIM: What is your company into?
CURTIS: We are making and supplying Engineering training equipment and technicians training equipment across the various parts of Nigeria and for the Universities, Polytechnics and the oil and gas sectors.
UIM: You attended the NIDO 2011 conference in Abuja. What is your link to NIDO?
CURTIS: Two staff of my company had association with the Diaspora for a long time. We set up a company in Nigeria five years ago employing Nigerian staff and my chairman Julius Adeewa wants to give something back to the nation. He feels passionately about how technology transfer is required in this country and how the people generally are suffering and the Diaspora is a vehicle that can actually overcome this.
UIM: How do you view the deliberations at the conference?
CURTIS: There were quite lively. The session on education was interesting especially for me because President Goodluck Jonathan has announced the approval of nine new Universities in Nigeria and three Vice chancellors of the institutions were present at the session on education.
UIM: Is this your first time at the NIDO conference?
CURTIS: Yes, this is my first time but I have been coming to Nigeria since 1978 and I have been to thirty-one states.
UIM: What is the critical aspect of our development that needs improvement ?
CURTIS: I think that power is the critical issue. I think that there are plans to increase the amount of Power plants and the hydro projects in Nigeria. With power, the people will actually be able to put something back. It will also help the economy especially the industries that suffer because of lack of Power and people living on generators.
UIM: What do you think that Nigerians in Diaspora can do in that area?
CURTIS: I think the government is trying to solve the problem but maybe they need some advice from outside and that is the diasporas come in. With regards especially the new universities, a lot of academics outside are looking to come back.
UIM: Are you hoping to attend another NIDO conference.
CURTIS: Yes, I am hoping to attend another conference next year. I hoping to get my chairman to attend next year.
UIM: May we meet you sir?
OKAFOR: Yes My name is Emeka Okafor. I am based in Nigeria and New Jersey, United States. I am a member of ANNID
UIM: What is your take on the NIDO 2011 conference?
OKAFOR: My opinion of the conference is that things were not properly organized. I believe that it should been better organized so that people will have focus on what exactly to do and what is going on. But all the same, it is okay.
UIM: Is this your first at the conference?
OKAFOR: Yes. This is my first time. I heard about it from my wife who lives in California and she insisted that I must attend this year’s conference. In terms of networking among diasporas, it has been wonderful. That is the part that I enjoyed most.
UIM: Are you hoping to attend again?
OKAFOR: I hope to come back again but I also hope that next time, things will be different.
UIM: In what aspects do you expect a change?
OKAFOR: In the areas of sorting out accommodations on time. The feeding of participants. The organizing of topics for discussion and proper timing on the programme for people to know the timetable for discussions and the slated time. My suggestion is that next time, the Government should invite the agencies to come and meet the participants instead of them going to meet the agencies. You know how it is. When you go looking for them, there is problem because you don’t get to see anybody. The way it is done in America is that the government
Agencies will be there and participants can meet them right there and then.
UIM: What is your name and where are you base?
OKOLI: I am Chinwe Okoli, I am from Anambra State and I am based in London, United Kingdom.
UIM: What is your profession?
OKOLI: I am a practicing solicitor in the UK.
UIM: Is this your first time in this conference?
OKOLI: Yes. This is my first time. I am a woman leader in ANNID, United Kingdom.
UIM: How would you rate the conference?
OKOLI: The conference went reasonably well. I hope that we do better next year. I am not too comfortable with the way that it was organized anyway. But then, we were able to get through with it. I hope the organizers will do better next year because it is one step at a time.
UIM: Did you just hear about the conference for the first time in 2011.
OKOLI: No, I did not just hear about it for the first time this year. I just thought that it was a NIDO thing and I am not a member of NIDO.
UIM: What is the difference between NIDO and ANNID.
Okoli: I don’t think that there is any difference. They are diasporas. So I don’t see the difference. Okoli and I want NIDO and ANNID to be aware of that because we are all one. They are just different organizations.
UIM: What aspects of the conference should be improved on?
OKOLI: I think that the aspect of the conference that should be improved on is that the diasporas should handle it by themselves. I guess the people handling it are the Ministry staff and the diasporas are not in control.
Our officials and executives are not in control of what is happening. Instead of volunteers, why don’t they create committees and tell them from the beginning what their duties are. So that few months before the conference, the committee will be able to organise, get the participants to send their papers and passport photographs for identification purposes. Before our arrival in Nigeria we sent our passport photographs for our identification cards but until the end of the conference, we never got name or photo ID cards.
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