Motherland Beckons launches Diaspora Nigeria Economic Recovery and Growth Plan
Nigerian Tribune
Motherland Beckons on Monday, May 1, 2017 launched the Diaspora Nigeria Economic Recovery & Growth Plan- DNERGP at its headquarters, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Lekki, Lagos. DNERGP is a tourism and creative arts initiative to revive the Nigeria economy and entrench it on the part of sustainable growth.
This was done at a quiet ceremony by a symbolic joint proclamation by the President of Motherland Beckons, H.E. Otunba (Dr) Wanle Akinboboye and the Director General of Centre for Black & African Arts & Civilisation (CBAAC), Sir Ferdinand Anikwe.
Otunba Akinboboye at the inauguration unveiled the leisure and entertainment plan and the business plan of the initiative, under the former, Nigerians in Diaspora and their friends with an investment of one thousand dollars per individual would be entitled to three days and two nights of first class entertainment, dance, drama, poetry, authentic African music, cuisines and night clubbing. He espoused further that in recognition of the diversity of Nigeria, Motherland Beckons has created six tourism destinations namely: Destination Abuja, Destination Cross River, Destination Kano/Kaduna; Destination Enugu and Destination South West.
A visiting Diaspora is entitled to see the best of Nigeria in each of these destinations and will be treated to a hospitable welcome by the host communities in appreciation of the Diasporas and their friends. He further stressed that a visiting Diaspora most likely spend between two to four weeks, thereby resulting into additional expenditure of about $4,000 on travels, family and sundry expenses, etc.
However, according to Otunba Akinboboye, from a projection of about one million Diasporans and their one million friends visiting Nigeria in the first operational year, hence resulting in an injection of $2 billion into the Nigerian economy, a modest 10 percent of these two million visitors would be interested in the business plan. Motherland Beckons in December 2016 he said signed a trade agreement with MUSIAD. MUSIAD is the largest business conglomerate in the world with about 50,000 businesses and 11,000 businessmen and CEOs in 175 locations spread around the world.
Nigerians in Diaspora who are fond of complaining of not knowing what business to invest in at home now have the opportunity to become distributors and part owners of viable business vendors with good return on investment with the Motherland Beckons/MUSIAD agreement.
Full blown production of products ranging from baby diapers, textiles, cars & industrial machinery spare parts, etc. would commence after an initial test run of three years of marketing and familiarisation of these products with the huge Nigerian market. Hence, a minimum investment of $10,000 by each of the Diasporans would translate to an injection of $20 billion into the Nigerian economy, resulting in prosperity and progress for the people.
However, for the production of these products, Motherland Beckons would create a Diaspora Industrial Zone (DIZ) and he added that the Ooni of Ile Ife, Oba Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi has donated 2,000 hectares of industrial land for this purpose in his domain.
Dr Anikwe in his remarks commended Otunba Akinboboye for his immensurable contribution to tourism, culture and creative arts in Nigeria and in Africa, he also described DNERGP as a quiet revolution and a concerted creative effort at looking for a simple solution to the economic recession in Nigeria. He proclaimed the endorsement of CBAAC on DNERGP and pledged to the work assiduously towards the success of this remarkable private sector initiative which he calls a win-win situation for the Diaspora and the great people of Nigeria.
