Critical Appraisal of Expatriate Management Approaches to Work in Nigeria

Concept of Expatriates:
According to the Webster dictionary, an expatriate is simply a person living in a foreign country. An expatriate is usually a foreigner living in another country for the purpose of developing himself in terms of knowledge, experience and acculturation in career, religion, and politics. An expatriate could be seen as a legalized harmless spy who goes to a more advanced nation to acquire their skills, knowledge, experience, education, and technical-know-how in order to help place his or her nation at the table of nations respectably over a short period of time (not repeating the initial or developing mistakes of the advanced nation).
In this context, the Nigerian Expatriate Manager is a foreigner filling a position in a Nigeria-based firm’s management and making a legal and respectable living by the current standard of the country.
In a progressive view, the purpose of an expatriate is to improve the his value by seeking better opportunities and ‘greener pastures’ to make himself more valuable to his country of origin and that of his residence and the world at large and return to his or her country to lead or help channel the development of the country towards the standard of the advanced country (usually or at least in the relevant field) in which he is living, where training and experience was received, in a quicker and more adaptable manner.
The benefit of an expatriate is not necessary to get rich, but to first increase the respect and economic relevance of the nation to the world, even though wealth may come later. This means that every developing nation must invest in their citizens and their children in advanced nations (who may be referred to as expatriates), even if they have to sponsor their education, provide agents that help them find respectable jobs, sponsor legal teams to assist with immigration problems and discrimination, provide training for their sports people (global ambassadors of success), and most importantly, open their businesses and franchises on foreign soil to return revenues in foreign currency.
Expatriate programs are a great investment in any economy including Nigeria usually without any bad intent but when the poverty mentality of a developing nation like ours gets in the way of development then it is seemingly of bad intent.

Criticism, Faults and Disadvantages:
In Nigeria today, the purpose of the expatriate seems to be to make money off the country, dominate it-at least in the relevant sector and if anything valuable is learnt apply in one’s country and gain the upper hand.
Nigeria needs to learn that a man’s value is not his money but the knowledge and skills he has acquired in exchange for money or that will attract the earning of money. Money basically doesn’t exist. Money isn’t the worth of man is a way of measuring the value and worth of man in physical terms.
The rate of ‘importation’ of expatriates in Nigeria is high as we turn to more advanced countries to help in were we lack in our production processes this allows for a lackadaisical behavior in our labor force creating a mindset that it is up to the foreigners to treat managerial faults in the economy.
The high amount of expatriates and their dependence may open up the country to economic threats as our weaknesses and ‘k-legs’ are known to foreigners and this knowledge can be used against us and may put our economic sovereignty at stake.
A rise in employment of expatriates also reduces the rate of employment of Nigerian citizen and indigenes of Nigerian states. The Nigerian individuals that have the qualifications for management position are not encouraged and are left jobless thereby increasing the unemployment rate as the amount of school leavers in the market increase.
Expatriates learn from our efficiencies and inefficiencies and they go back to their countries to improve their management processes thereby helping in the advancement of their already advanced country and leaving us behind as a country struggling after leaving off us. In such a case we have unknowingly put that country at an advantage over us.
The dependence of government and firms on expatriates reduces the patronage of Indigenous firms and organizations by citizens as they believe the ‘foreign-managed’ firms are a better option for contracts, jobs and trade.
Because the expatriates are not from Nigeria they may not have any patriotic feelings towards our country and may co-operate with crooked government officials to take advantage and ‘scam’ the trusting Nigerian customers, unaware citizens and the society at large. A consequence of this can be seen in the ongoing crisis among the MEND (Movement for Emancipation of Niger-Delta), the Nigerian government and expatriates/foreign workers.
Appraisal, Evaluation and Advantages:
Expatriate approaches to management in Nigeria have added value to the economy. Expatriates benefit from our past and present experiences, learning from our mistakes and breakthroughs; making additions, suggestions, subtractions and corrections, generally improving on our processes and theories in the relevant field.
They also benefit from our political, cultural, religious, social life and extra-curricular activities away from their work life. They take what values and norms they have learnt to their country to make an impact with a Nigerian influence and ‘twist’ to it.
The combination of foreign and local knowledge, experience, processes, recommendations, materials and machines help in optimal co-ordination of staff and use of scarce resources thereby ensuring maximum output, technical, labors, distributive and economic efficiency.
Expatriate programs allow for feeding of the nation; this implies that satisfaction and utility of citizens in the country are greatly increased thereby eliminating unnecessary imports by satisfying needs with locally made goods.
The application of improved management and production methods also lead to reduction of price and cost of essential and common goods and services. This in turn leads to a lower cost of living and a higher standard of living. It brings about general growth and development in the economy.
It brings in foreign exchange especially on the long run. It also brings in general profit, income and revenue to the national economy as a whole because the production processes are improved and standards are raised, products are therefore export-worthy and thereby bring great wealth to the economy.
Demand, Supply, Distribution, Import, Export and other major market forces are influenced positively by the exposure of different firms and their management and therefore the market even and balance out resulting in a free and fair market best suited and tailored for our economy.
International Exchange and Expatriate programs help to create awareness on what our society is actually like canceling all doubts, fears and bias. It ‘advertises’ our economy showing our capabilities and promoting us in relevant fields thereby increasing the respect and economic relevance of the nation to the world.
References:
• Management Principles & Strategies by John Kolade Obamiro.
• Seeking Nigerian Expatriates: Is the Purpose Deceitful or Beneficial? by Ehimwenma E. Aimiuwu.
• Siege of the Nigerian Expatriates by Yemi Adebowale for ThisDay Newspaper, Saturday Edition, 07.04.2008.
• News Sources: ThisDay Newspaper, Guardian Newspaper, BBC.Com, CNN.Com, PressTV.ir.
• Webster’s Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary, Encarta Standard Encyclopedia, Britannica Encyclopedia.

References: • Management Principles & Strategies by John Kolade Obamiro. • Seeking Nigerian Expatriates: Is the Purpose Deceitful or Beneficial? by Ehimwenma E. Aimiuwu. • Siege of the Nigerian Expatriates by Yemi Adebowale for ThisDay Newspaper, Saturday Edition, 07.04.2008. • News Sources: ThisDay Newspaper, Guardian Newspaper, BBC.Com, CNN.Com, PressTV.ir. • Webster’s Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary, Encarta Standard Encyclopedia, Britannica Encyclopedia.