A US-based historian and professor of African Studies, Apollos Nwauwa, says Nigerian professionals are highly valued because they have been tested to be as good if not better than their American counterparts.
The Director of African Studies at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, US, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
Speaking in New York, Nwauwa said the impact and contribution had been felt in all the sectors in the US.
He said: “Nigerians are now an integral part of the United States, with salutary presence and impact in all facets of the American society.
“Apart from Indians, Nigerians are the most consequential immigrants in the US based on the difference they make in many notable ways.
“One of the major areas of influence of Nigerians in the US is the healthcare sector.
“Nigerian doctors, nurses and allied healthcare practitioners are the mainstay of US healthcare delivery system.
“There is no single hospital in the US that does not have a Nigerian in its service.”
According to Nwauwa, Nigerians have also been a major factor in the education sector, especially higher education.
He added: “There is a saying that there is hardly any major university in the US that does not have a Nigerian professor in its faculty.
“Indeed, often overlooked are those in the administrative cadre of the educational system in the US.”
Nwauwa, who also is the Chairman, Nigerian Diaspora Movement, told NAN that the strides made by Nigerian professionals were hardly surprising.
He said there were not surprising because it has been affirmed that Nigerians were the most highly educated and one of the highest wage earners among all immigrant groups in the US.
He said: “On their part, most Americans do acknowledge the desirable impact of Nigerians in the US.
“To Nigeria, sadly, its brain drain is brain gain for the US despite huge remittances to Nigeria by Nigerian Americans.”
Speaking on Black History Month, Nwauwa emphasised that Nigerians as part of Africa-American population would be remembered greatly for their contributions to the development of the US.
Every February since 1976, the US has celebrated the Black History Month to acknowledge the contributions of African-Americans to national development.
The Black History Month is an opportunity to showcase the rich cultural heritage, successes and challenges of African Americans.