Professor Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome is a distinguished professor of international political economy and one of Nigeria’s best exports to the world. With a scholarly journey spanning prestigious institutions like the University of Ibadan, Long Island University, and Columbia University, she currently holds the esteemed position of Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, City University New York, and was previously the Women’s Studies Program Director as well as Deputy Chair for Graduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at Brooklyn College. She was the past President of the African Studies Research and Forum.
Born in Nigeria, Professor Okomo’s expertise extends globally, having consulted for esteemed organizations such as the United Nations and Commonwealth Secretariat in London, focusing on international development. Her academic pursuits delve into the complexities of inclusive citizenship within the context of globalization, democratization, and economic development.
In this exclusive interview with allnaijadiaspora.com, Prof. Okome shares profound insights garnered from her illustrious career, offering invaluable perspectives on the intricate developmental challenges confronting Nigeria and the broader African continent. Excerpts:
What initially sparked your interest in migration studies, and why is the Nigerian diaspora of interest and significance to you?
I originally intended to come to the US for my PhD and return after its completion. I was unable to do so because of a severe downturn in the Nigerian economy. There were simply no jobs because Nigeria had incurred unsustainable debt and was compelled to adopt Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). The reasons why and the consequences thereof became my PhD research subject. Understanding why people like me became immigrants, and the consequences for home and place of settlement also was interesting to me. The Nigerian Diaspora is interesting to me because many within it are making a mark in the places where Nigerians are settled. It is also part of the brain drain, and without conscious, deliberate, tenacious determination to remain connected, and to give back, the losses to the country are massive. There are also Nigerians who are struggling in the diaspora, and I don’t think we are paying enough attention to creating institutions that reach out to them to give supportive and therapeutic services. Nigerians in the diaspora are also making significant remittances and some have returned home to participate in government, establish businesses, or retire. Closely studying and analyzing the various issues and their consequences for Nigeria and the countries where the diaspora reside is of great significance.
As an immigrant yourself, how has your personal experience informed your research and understanding of migration?
As you can see from my answer to the first question, it’s my personal experiences that motivated me to research migration. Being an insider who also has the tools of the humanistic social sciences by virtue of my training, provides me with an informed standpoint from which my research benefits.
What are some of the unique challenges and rewards of being an African immigrant in the academic world?
It’s challenging because there are few people of African descent in tenured and tenure-track positions in the US academy. “According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Black faculty make up about 6% of all faculty in colleges and universities in the United States. This percentage is made up of 4% Black women and 3% Black men” (Connor). One is expected to prove that you belong, instead of being accepted as authoritative and skilled. Black faculty also have more invisible work, which involves doing more counseling, student support, and service to the institution (to represent the race because there are so few). Such demands on time lead to overwork and could affect the amount of academic publication. To be prolific, one must burn the candle from both ends. This could cause burnout. As an African immigrant, there are even fewer of us. Sometimes all the stereotypical misconceptions about Nigeria and Nigerians are used to try to demoralize Nigerian scholars. Being in the diaspora also means not having the benefit of extended family and some of the support they can offer. For people with children, this is particularly stressful because the responsibility and expense of childcare can be significant. They could also contribute to slowing people down in a competitive publish or perish environment. There are financial demands from home for most and this increases when the economic conditions worsen.
Looking back, what would you say has been the most significant turning point in your academic career?
These three things: Graduating with my PhD and becoming tenured, plus becoming a full professor.
Your work often challenges dominant narratives around African immigration. Can you share an example of this and the impact it had?
I seek to show that African migration is similar in many ways to other migration. Africans have also contributed immensely to their countries of settlement and to their home countries. Documenting and analyzing the causes and consequences of African migration and disseminating the product of the research contribute to changing the narrative because it is evidence-based. The impact would have to be measured by others.
When you look at the historical evolution of the Nigerian diaspora, what are the insights that you see and what implications should this hold for leaders on the continent?
Historically, the Nigerian diaspora was smaller numerically because people came for an education and returned home. There were jobs and opportunities for them that were commensurate with their qualifications and experience. Some stayed but with the civil war, there were refugees (including orphaned children) from Nigeria who were unable to or disinterested in returning home. With the authoritarian military regimes, there were Nigerian exiles, some of whom stayed. The economic downturn in the 1980s led to more departures, and the elusive economic recovery made permanent immigrants of many. The contemporary japa syndrome today is being driven by similar feelings that the only way to attain upward mobility is to leave Nigeria and migrate elsewhere.
Drawing from your rich insights as a scholar, how should Nigeria and by extension, Africa, leverage diaspora talents for the much-needed economic revolution?
There are ideas of brain gain and brain re-circulation that might be shorthand explanations of how people are thinking of these things. The diaspora has well-educated, experienced professionals, many of whom are making valuable contributions to the countries where they have settled. These people’s talents can be tapped to facilitate their capacity to contribute to solving problems and filling gaps that countries have. It’s absurd that there are so many Nigerian doctors and nurses as well as other medical professionals abroad while our hospitals lack the expertise they could have offered. The same can be said for professors and other professionals. Diaspora investment can also contribute to economic growth, but many people don’t have confidence in the system, and many have also been burned because they lost their hard-earned money. Remittances are massive. “The personal remittances received in Nigeria increased by 0.7 billion U.S. dollars (+3.59 percent) in 2022 in comparison to the previous year. In total, the personal remittances received amounted to 20.13 billion U.S. dollars in 2022” (Statista Research Department, 2024). How can these remittances be channeled into more productive investments? There are cases where other countries have figured this out. African countries should learn from them. They don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There was also the Diaspora Registry that the Obasanjo administration initiated. What happened to it? The Diaspora Directorate needs to do a better job identifying ways in which the diaspora can be encouraged to invest more, establish more businesses, as well as volunteer for social conscious initiatives.
When you compare the Nigerian diaspora communities in America and other developed countries, with other dominant diaspora communities like Indian, Pakistanis, Chinese, and others, how do you think we are faring?
The Nigerian diaspora is faring well in some ways but not so well in others. They are the best educated group in the country. They are highly involved in the labor force, and are in managerial and professional jobs, but because of racial discrimination, their earnings are not commensurate with their education, skills, and experience (Migration Policy Institute, 2015). Nigerians in the diaspora are bedeviled by the same problems as their compatriots at home—ethnic, religious, and other divisions militate against collective action. However, there are many successful Nigerian professionals, business owners, and increasingly, elected politicians as well as high-level government bureaucrats.
What advice would you give to young Nigerians who are seeking to excel abroad and make a difference?
Get a sound education. Work hard. Be professional, and mature and seek mentors that would give you good advice and introduce you to their networks.
You constantly interact with prospective students globally who are seeking to gain admission and access funding for programmes in the US. Please, share with us, what distinguished scholars like you look out for and how can Nigerian students be better positioned for such opportunities.
For undergraduates and postgraduate students, good grades, and a record of deep interest in academic, as well as extracurricular issues/subjects; all reflected in the statement of purpose/personal statement. Also, excellent letters of recommendation from people who have taught the student/have supervised the student and know them very well. These letters should not be generic statements of the student being good, respectful, humble, etc but should specify what the student has done that is indicative of academic excellence, and capacity to successfully complete their studies in a rigorous and challenging academic environment.
For postgraduate students all the above and a clear and sound statement of purpose that gives a well-organized, logical account of the students’ intellectual journey, why they think the school is a good fit for them, and how the school can benefit from admitting them (what do they think they can contribute to the school’s intellectual life).
When you consider youth development in Nigeria, what are the issues that bother you and how should the political leadership remedy them?
Young people are mostly frustrated. Majority who are university students in public institutions spend too long there due to strikes by academic staff. I think that there’s a good reason for the academic staff to be discontented because the conditions in the universities are difficult, even untenable. The infrastructure and required materials for academic excellence (libraries for example), are either woefully inadequate or not up to date. When students eventually graduate, there are either no jobs or they are underemployed. The cost of living has escalated so much that it is well nigh impossible for most (except the well-connected) to make ends meet or have any hope of upward mobility, so the japa syndrome is pervasive because of the desire for greener pastures. The government needs to fund education appropriately. “According to the Education 2030 Framework for Action, governments should allocate at least 4–6% of their GDP to education. They should also allocate at least 15–20% of their public expenditure to education” (UNESCO). The government should recognize that a well-educated populace is a great asset to any country that aspires to develop. It is also necessary for a well-functioning democracy. There is also a need for thoughtfulness in facilitating the development of the kind of economy that would have conditions of full employment. The idea that everyone should be entrepreneurial is absurd. Not everyone needs to be. This is evident in thriving economies. Internships, apprenticeships, and mentorship programs should also be incorporated into the educational system to prepare students for employment when they graduate. The young people who japa should not be abandoned in diaspora. The embassies should have programs that assist them and advocate for them. There’s also a need for better scholarship programs than what has been offered thus far. When people graduate and work, they need productive employment and decent work as per International Labor Organization standards (ILO).
As a leading scholar on immigration, what insights can you offer on managing internal and external migration in Africa?
It is impossible to stop human migration. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement promises that there will be free movement of Africans. “The implementation of the Protocol will evolve through three phases namely, right of entry, right of residence, and right of establishment, and the introduction of the African passport adopted during the February 2019 AU Summit, will act as a major catalyst for the Protocol especially the right of entry” (AU, 2024). The ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol says that people can travel to member states, remain, and work there (Opanike & Aduloju, 2015). These protocols should be domesticated into Nigerian law and respected. Migration outside the continent is a matter that concerns not just Nigeria and Africa but all international actors. There’s a need for an international migration regime that gives people the right to move legally from one country to another. This remains a challenge, and the politics of international migration is not kindly disposed towards Africans, except for the wealthy minority, some of whom can also buy citizenship for themselves and their children wherever they please. For many, obtaining visas is an expensive, time-consuming, and traumatic process. This is inhumane and unnecessary. It is well known by migration scholars that many countries that have highly restrictive migration policies that force people to engage in clandestine migration need migrants because they can’t replace their ageing population due to extremely low birth rates. Keeping tight reins on migration encourages people not only to undertake more dangerous migration strategies but also makes undocumented migrants vulnerable to exploitation. Nigeria should participate in international and bilateral negotiations that ease the constraints of migration for her citizens.
You are a vocal advocate for Nigeria’s development. What are some of the key issues the country needs to address in the coming years?
We don’t seem to be serious about developing our country. Bad policies are made because those recruited to take high-level decision-making positions are not the best fit for the jobs they are asked to do. Cronyism and nepotism stand in the way of sound decision-making. Economic and monetary policy that does not understand Nigeria’s peculiar situation is dangerous not just in the short term but also in the long term. Having a well-educated population is not a frivolous matter. It should be prioritized. Full employment is also a necessity. So are excellent health care and social conditions that facilitate human security. Physical security is also a matter of urgent necessity. The country has allowed predatory activities to become the norm. This must stop. It is important for the government to remember that it has the constitutional duty to prioritize the safety and security as well as the welfare of the Nigerian people. The profligacy and nonchalant behavior of elected politicians should stop. It is unconscionable even in good times. Given current bad economic conditions, it is unethical and immoral for the elected politicians to engage in the kind of spending they do on their own salaries and perquisites of office while we have the over 130 million multidimensionally poor Nigerians suffering so much. Our political system is also in need of serious attention. The electoral system does not show evidence of integrity. The electoral institutions such as political parties need internal democracy that embrace equitable access to marginalized populations like the poor, women, youths, and the disabled. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the courts are not independent enough from the executive branch and from interference by powerful interests that have captured the state. There will be no meaningful progress if we do not address these matters with the urgency that is required.
What are your hopes for the future of Africa, particularly young Africans?
“According to the United Nations, Africa’s population is expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. This would mean that one in four people on the planet will be African by 2050” (IMF, 2023). Africa. I see the future as bright. Our youth is a big part of that. They are imaginative, innovative, and hardworking. Their productive energies should be harnessed and deployed in ways that would foster continental development. The AU, other regional organizations, and even states (countries) within the continent should go beyond the rhetoric of youth are the future to make concrete plans that involve the youth in planning for the future in ways that take their hopes, aspirations, and agenda seriously. Education, employment promotion, and concrete measures that foster equitable and inclusive development are urgent necessities. Although there is some talk about these matters being important there is not enough objective evidence that they are taken seriously.
How do you see Nigeria’s role in shaping the future of immigration policy and practices within Africa?
Nigeria should take a leadership role, given its history of asserting that Africa is the centerpiece of its foreign policy concerns, and action to that effect up until the beginning of the fourth republic. Both the AU and ECOWAS, organizations where Nigeria has taken important leadership roles and responsibilities, have protocols on migration. Nigeria should domesticate said protocols and lead the effort to do likewise throughout the continent because the country and continent would ultimately benefit from the consequences of the policies. Nigeria’s potential benefit comes from being the largest economy in the continent and having the market size to benefit from economies of scale.
Nigeria has a complex and multifaceted relationship with immigration. How do you see the country navigating this issue moving forward?
Nigeria is navigating immigration messily and in a disorganized way. It should get more organized. Nigeria is a signatory to the AU and ECOWAS protocols. It plays leadership roles in both organizations. It should take the international obligations into which it enters seriously, domesticate the relevant laws, and properly implement them.
If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be and why?
My parents and Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. My parents were brilliant, socially conscious, and radically dedicated to justice, and equity and fully committed to doing unto others as one would like them to do unto oneself. They inculcated the ethics and values I now espouse in me. Mrs. Ransome Kuti was a dynamo! In the abstract of a draft of mine I said the following about her:
In “unknown soldier”, Fela Anikulapo Kuti in 1979 eulogized his mother, Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti through his protest music. Most Fela fans first met his mother through this eulogy. Fela like his mother, remained unbowed by the crushing repression of the Nigerian military regime under General Olusegun Obasanjo, which deployed armed forces to Kalakuta Republic, Fela’s multi-story residence where he lived with his mother and entourage in Yaba, Lagos. In the melee, mayhem, and arson that ensued, Fela’s mother was thrown out of a window. She died. She was a Marxist who opposed injustice, abuse of power and racism, colonialism, imperialism, and neo-colonialism. In her heyday, Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti led Abeokuta (a town in Southwestern Nigeria) women to oust the Alake- (King/traditional ruler) from power for being a colonial stooge. She spearheaded the founding of a nationwide women’s organization and participated in negotiations preceding Nigeria’s independence from British colonialism. Instead of being treated as a national treasure, she was mostly ignored in her older years and was finally murdered by the state (Okome, “Unknown Soldier”: Women’s Radicalism and Activism and State Violence In 20th Century Nigeria, 2009).
I would love to have long conversations with Mrs. Ransome Kuti on the struggle for women’s rights in Nigeria.
Works cited:
- (2024, March 7). Draft continental strategy on free movement developed . Retrieved from https://au.int/en/articles/draft-continental-strategy-free-movement-developed#:~:text=The%20implementation%20of%20the%20Protocol,of%20entry%2C%20according%20to%20AU
Connor, T. (n.d.). Black Faculty and Radical Retention. Footnotes: A Magazine of the American Sociological Association, 50(2). Retrieved from asanet.org: https://www.asanet.org/footnotes-article/black-faculty-and-radical-retention/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20National%20Center%20for%20Education,professors%20being%20Black%20women%20and%203%20percent
ILO. (n.d.). Decent work. Retrieved from ilo.org: https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/decent-work/lang–en/index.htm
IMF. (2023, September 6). African Century. Retrieved from imf.org: https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/Fandd/Article/2023/September/Picture-this-0923.ashx#:~:text=Fueled%20by%20a%20combination%20of,reach%20close%20to%202.5%20billion.
Migration Policy Institute. (2015, June). The Nigerian Diaspora in the United States. Retrieved from migrationpolicy.org: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/RAD-Nigeria.pdf
Okome, M. O. (2009, May 4). “Unknown Soldier”: Women’s Radicalism and Activism and State Violence In 20th Century Nigeria. Retrieved from mojubaolu.com: https://www.mojubaolu.com/2009/05/unknown-soldier-womens-radicalism-and.html
Okome, M. O. (2009, March 28). Women, the State, and the Travails of Decentralizing the Nigerian Federation. Retrieved from academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/970148/Women_the_State_and_the_Travails_of_Decentralizing_the_Nigerian_Federation
Opanike, A., & Aduloju, A. (2015, September 30). ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement and Trans-border Security in West Africa. Retrieved from omicsonline.org: https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/ecowas-protocol-on-free-movement-and-transborder-security-in-west-africa-2169-0170-1000154.php?aid=60339#A2
Statista Research Department. (2024, Feb 28). statista.com. Retrieved from Remittance inflows to Nigeria 2011-2022 Published by : https://www.statista.com/statistics/1012368/remittance-inflows-to-nigeria/#:~:text=The%20personal%20remittances%20received%20in,billion%20U.S.%20dollars%20in%202022.
UNESCO. (n.d.). Finance. Retrieved from education-progress.org: https://www.education-progress.org/en/articles/finance
