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Hon. ABIKE DABIRI-EREWA, Chairman/CEO Nigerians In Diaspora Commission
“Many countries cutting across all the Continents of the world have evidence and testimonials of accelerated national development to their Diaspora engagements. Countries like India Israel, Germany, China, Italy and Ghana harnessed their Diaspora resources meticulously and judiciously, towards socio-economic growth and development and Nigeria cannot be an exception.
Such efforts made impacts on capacity and infrastructural developments when properly deployed. Diaspora resources often create positive measurable ripple effects that could mitigate unemployment, leading to the improvement in the quality of life and reduction in poverty.
The return to democratic rule in 1999 saw the Federal Government of Nigeria rekindle interest in its Diaspora, through platforms like Nigerians in Diaspora Organisations (NIDO) and the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS), etc. These efforts eventually produced the Act Establishing the Nigerians in Diaspora
Commission (NiDCOM), which “provides for the engagement of Nigerians in Diaspora in policies, projects and participation in the development of Nigeria and for the purpose of utilizing the human, capital and material resources of Nigerians in Diaspora towards the overall socio-Economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria; and for related matters”.
The National Diaspora Day Celebrations prescribed by the National Diaspora Policy is set aside to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the over 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora who have contributed immensely to national development.
The National Diaspora Day 2023 celebrations came as a very special one as it births the very first Diaspora Merit Award and as it heralds the new democratically elected government under the able leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and GCFR, who coincidentally happens to be a veteran Diasporan as well.
Our Diaspora are known to be hard working, highly productive, patriotic, and resilient.
They are also barrier breakers in their different fields of endeavors.
Since its establishment four years ago, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has had so much to celebrate. This is because the passion and consistency that saw to the establishment of the Commission has been moderated, and sustained by the legacy team that built it.
NiDCOM’s major programmes include: (i) National Diaspora Day: 25th July every year has been set aside for this annual event, in which we have added the DIASPORA MERIT AWARD, aimed at recognizing and celebrating our over 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora.
(ii) Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit: A private sector initiative, aimed at harnessing investment opportunities in the Diaspora for national development.
(iii) The Badagry Door of Return Festival to commemorate the end of the slave trade era and the significance of the ancient city during the period.
(iv) The State Diaspora Focal Point Officer’s Summit aimed at domesticating the activities of NiDCOM at the state level.
(v) Nigeria-Saudi Arabia Investment Forum aimed at showcasing investment opportunities that are available in the Republic of Saudi Arabia.
(vi) Interventions in the Rescue of Nigerians Stranded Abroad as a collaborative effort with other stakeholders.
(vii) Diaspora Mortgage Project in conjunction with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), aimed at providing affordable housing for the Diaspora with a well-structured payment system.
(viii) Diaspora Investment Trust aimed at creating a window of opportunities for the Diaspora to invest in Nigeria.
(ix) Diaspora Data Mapping, which aims at creating skills mapping of Nigerians in the Diaspora for effective management and capital resources embedded in Nigeria.
(x) Collaboration with National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to register Nigerians in the Diaspora for the sole aim of data management.
(xi) The Collaborations with International Agencies and NGOs: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM),European Union (EU), African Union (AU), etc to address issues relating to Migration management in Nigeria.
(xii) The Commission receives and treats petitions from Nigerians in Diaspora on daily basis, in relation to their welfare. Some of the petitions that are beyond the mandate of the Commission are channeled to the appropriate agencies of government for intervention.
(xiii) Presidential Diaspora Town Hall Meetings, which is part of the Presidents foreign visits are organized to interact with Nigerians living abroad and to further galvanize their support for national development. This has held in the France and will surely continue with our new democratically elected Diaspora Friendly President.
Our theme “Consolidating Diaspora Engagement for National Development” is not only appropriate, but a summary of the entire mandate of NiDCOM which is to engage and harness the talent, skills, resources and global exposure of Nigerians in the Diaspora for national development. Our interactions with the Diaspora community during this year’s National Diaspora Day celebrations therefore are expected to mobilize the Diaspora to key into some of the programmes of the government and to chart improved and better ways on how to achieve the positive results for national development within the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the government.
The rich academic, professional, global exposure and various contemporary experiences
have already placed our Diaspora at an advantage. I am therefore enthusiastically waiting to have you empty yourselves intellectually and generously, to enrich the delivery of the Commission’s mandate for the development of our dear nation.
At the NDD 2023, we are introducing the first National Diaspora Merit Award. This is
set up with the view to celebrating our Diaspora Champions in different fields of endeavors, which will be an annual event henceforth.
I therefore congratulate our first Awardees and look forward to this being a clarion call to positively engage with Nigeria. Let me again on behalf of myself, Management and staff of NiDCOM and the over 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora welcome His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR to the NDD 2023. We congratulate you on your election as the ‘President of Nigeria and we look forward to engaging with you in mobilizing our Diaspora for national development.
As our theme implies, we are consolidating on Diaspora engagement for national development. For doing this, we will like to present to Your Excellency some of our challenges for which we plead your kindness to help us mitigate to further consolidate our achievement:
(i) Our need for a befitting office accommodation for our staff and for effective operations of the Commission.
(ii) The need to review the Act setting up NiDCOM to streamline its activities by setting up a smart Board and a sustaining funding mechanism for our activities.
(iii) The need for government to support and conclude the setting up of the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Fund (NDIF) as an investment window for the Diaspora.
(iv) The setting up of a Diaspora Intervention Fund for emergencies involving the Diaspora.
These and others will surely consolidate the engagements of Nigerians in the Diaspora to contribute immensely to national development.
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