“Nigeria Needs You Here”, Sen. Ede Dafinone Tells DELSU Graduands

By Faith Ebireri

The Senator representing Delta Central, Sen. Ede Okakuro Dafinone, has called on graduating students of Delta State University (DELSU) to remain in Nigeria and contribute meaningfully to national development, rather than seeking opportunities abroad.

Delivering the 18th Convocation Lecture titled “Harnessing Nigeria’s Potentials: Strategies for Sustainable Development,” the renowned chartered accountant and statesman anchored his discourse on the philosophy that “Leadership must inspire outcomes that endures.”
Setting the tone for the lecture, Sen. Dafinone posed a critical question: “Why does potentials so boldly distributed across the nations of the Earth translate into productivity so unevenly?” He noted that these were not abstract concerns but fundamental to Nigeria’s development trajectory. According to him, “This is not an abstract question, it is the Nigerian question, it is the question that defines a state ahead of this generation, and of the choices we would need to make in the years ahead.”

Drawing from empirical observation rather than sentiment, the Senator highlighted that the current generation of Nigerians possesses unprecedented access to tools, connectivity, and global exposure – advantages capable of altering the country’s developmental narrative. He described Nigeria as richly endowed, citing its crude oil reserves exceeding 37 billion barrels, vast mineral deposits, extensive agricultural landmass, and the largest natural gas reserves in Africa.

Despite these endowments, he lamented the nation’s low per capita income and its ranking among countries with high levels of extreme poverty. He further decried the persistent migration of skilled professionals; doctors, engineers, and programmers trained at significant national expense but recruited by institutions in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, often do not return.

“This is sadly the Nigerian paradox” he stated, warning that the window for resolving it continues to narrow. Emphasising the urgency of action, Sen. Dafinone remarked: “The world does not wait, it promises restructure, technologies advance, the nations that are building the platforms and the systems, the institutions of the 21st century are not following their programmes to give slower movers time to catch up. The question is not whether Nigeria will eventually develop, the question is whether this generation will be the one that turns our potential into productivity, promise into performance, and the abundance into prosperity.”

Addressing the disparity between potential and productivity, he described the concept as one of the most misunderstood in national development. While potential denotes capacity, he explained, productivity reflects the consistent utilisation of that capacity over time.

He underscored the pivotal role of individuals in nation-building, noting that the global economy is increasingly structured around knowledge. Referencing Nigeria’s growing global influence, he cited the acquisition involving the Nigerian-founded fintech company Stripe as validation of the country’s intellectual capital, alongside the international success of Nigerian artistes such as Davido, Wizkid, Tems, and Burna Boy.

Speaking directly to the graduating class, he addressed the growing trend of emigration, commonly referred to as “Japa” He observed: “I know there will be people in this audience today and the graduating class is certainly among them, who awaits, seriously the question of when their future will be good. And the word that comes to mind is, JAPA. I’ve spent enough years in life to know that the proper resort to a person contemplating leaving a difficult environment is not a lecture of patriotism but an honest conversation about choices and their consequences.”

He further noted that the communities that Nigerian immigrants build in diaspora are often rich in social warmth, but structurally dependent on a host economy that can change its stance with a single lecture. These realities, he said, should neither serve as reasons to stay nor to leave, but rather as part of a balanced and honest assessment.

In a passionate appeal, Sen. Dafinone declared “…Nigeria needs you here, not only some of you, not only the ones that cannot get a visa, but many of you, the best of you, the most capable and the most courageous. You need to stay and fight for this country from within, not because it is comfortable, it is not. Not because institution rewards integrity, they often do not, but because in alternative, the nation perpetually drains of its most capable people, left by those who remain, not from choice but from default, is not an alternative at all, it is a slow, quiet catastrophe dressed in the language of individual freedom.”

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Highlighting the evolving demands of the labour market, the Senator cautioned that academic certificates alone are no longer sufficient. He explained that employers are shifting from credential verification to competence verification, prioritising practical skills and demonstrable abilities over formal qualifications.

According to him, this transition presents both a warning and an opportunity: degrees without market-relevant skills risk diminishing economic value, while the increasing accessibility of digital tools offers individuals the means to build such competencies.

Providing a response to the questions he earlier posed, Sen. Dafinone asserted that bridging the gap between potential and productivity requires “a sustained investment in human capital, an execution culture that honours delivery over potential, the disciplined balancing of technological tools in service of global value creation.”

He concluded by congratulating the graduating class of the 2024/2025 academic session, wishing them success in their future endeavours and urging them to embrace their role in shaping Nigeria’s developmental future.