Posted by Chinenye on Fri 07th Aug, 2026 - tori.ng
A Lagos governorship hopeful has sparked debate after linking the growing number of Nigerians abroad to economic struggles and governance challenges.
(Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. Photo credit: THISDAYLIVE)
According to Nigerian politician and architect Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, poor governance is driving many Nigerians to stay overseas, causing elderly parents to live alone and families to be split up for years.
Speaking during a podcast appearance, the opposition governorship candidate for Lagos State argued that deteriorating economic conditions have rendered international travel prohibitively expensive for diaspora-based Nigerians, preventing them from returning home to visit relatives.
This circumstance has created what he characterised as digital family arrangements dependent on video communication platforms to maintain connections across distance.
According to him, many grandparents have never physically held their grandchildren, with reunion delayed potentially until children reach five or six years of age, if reunion occurs at all.
He emphasised that elderly parents endure profound loneliness resulting from prolonged separation from their children, describing such circumstances as direct consequences of administrative failure.
The politician contended that most Nigerians do not genuinely aspire to reside abroad but are compelled to emigrate through inadequate leadership and severe economic hardship.
Referencing the late 2000s period, he noted that Nigerians who pursued education overseas commonly returned shortly after degree completion, motivated by confidence in the country's trajectory.
He maintained that should governance standards improve and public confidence be restored, substantial numbers of diaspora-based Nigerians would willingly relocate homeward.