The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called on Lagos State University (LASU) graduates to harness the Nigerian diaspora for national development.
Dabiri-Erewa made the call on Tuesday while delivering LASU’s 29th and 30th Combined Convocation Lecture at the university’s main campus, Ojo.
The lecture was entitled, “From LASU to the World: Harnessing the Nigerian Diaspora as the Seventh Region for National Development”.
Newsmen report that harnessing the Nigerian diaspora for national development means using the money, skills, and global experience of Nigerians living abroad to build and grow the home economy.
Dabiri-Erewa said the Nigerian diaspora, estimated at 17 million people, constituted the country’s seventh region and remained a major development resource.
According to her, Nigerians abroad are excelling in medicine, engineering, entrepreneurship and other fields, contributing significantly to global development.
She urged the graduates to see their degrees as foundations, stressing that skills, competence, character, courage and hard work would determine their success.
“Be skilled, not just certified. Let your skills be your currency. Learn digital skills, communication and other relevant skills,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa urged the graduates to think globally while building locally, saying that geographical location should not limit their capacities to create values and solve problems.
She urged them to acquire additional knowledge, earn legitimately, excel wherever they would find themselves and remain connected to Nigeria.
The NIDCOM chairman advised the graduates to become ambassadors of Nigeria by correcting negative narratives through their character, conduct, competence and contributions.
She said that greatness was not determined by location but by the impact individuals made in their communities and the society.
Dabiri-Erewa encouraged the graduates to embrace service, sacrifice, consistency, kindness and mentorship as they would progress in their careers.
She urged them not to see employment as their only goal but to identify problems and develop solutions that could create opportunities for others.
“Be useful. Don’t just look for a job; look for a problem to solve,” she said.
She also advised them to be visible, network, build profiles and allow their works to speak for them.
The convocation lecturer urged the graduates to carry Nigeria with pride wherever they would go and use their achievements to positively influence the country’s image.
Dabiri-Erewa said that Nigerians in the diaspora were increasingly returning home to contribute to national development through investments, professional expertise and humanitarian interventions.
She cited Nigerian doctors abroad who recently returned to carry out life-changing medical interventions as an example of diaspora contributions to Nigeria.
She said that the country had moved from merely developing diaspora policies to achieving tangible impact through structured engagement with Nigerians abroad.
She urged the graduates not to give up when confronted with disappointment, betrayal or setbacks, saying that perseverance was essential to achieving greatness.
Dabiri-Erewa recalled her career as a journalist and politician, saying that hard work and consistency opened opportunities that eventually led to greater responsibilities.
She urged the graduates to remain lifelong learners, saying that the world was being increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, remote work, climate change and global competition.
She commended LASU for producing critical thinkers who could compete favourably globally.
Dabiri-Erewa also commended parents and guardians for their sacrifices toward educating their children, describing graduation as harvest of investments.
She thanked the Lagos State Government for investment in education.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the lecture was timely because technology was increasingly redefining competence, innovation and human capacity.
Olatunji-Bello said that universities must produce graduates capable of creating opportunities, solving complex problems and building global networks for sustainable development.
She said that LASU was committed to producing globally-competitive graduates driven by excellence in teaching, impactful research, innovation and service to humanity.
The vice-chancellor said that 20,604 students were graduating from the university in the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.
She announced Mr Ayilara Lawal of the Department of Project Management as the overall best graduating student for the 2024/2025 session with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.96.
She said that Mr Adebanjo Samuel of the Department of Aerospace Engineering emerged the overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 session with a CGPA of 4.97.
The vice-chancellor congratulated the graduates, and urged them to be courageous and committed to lifelong learning.
She advised them to turn knowledge into solutions, technology into impact and partnerships into sustainable development.
Olatunji-Bello also urged the graduates to uphold the values of LASU wherever they would find themselves and make the university proud.
She commended their parents, LASU staff and students, Lagos State Government and other stakeholders for contributions to the university’s achievements.
The vice-chancellor urged the graduates to approach the next phase of their lives with confidence, humility, purpose and diligence.
She said that their success should be measured not only by personal achievements but also by the positive impacts