President Bola Tinubu, has assured Nigerians in the diaspora that his administration will be friendly to them and provide an enabling platform for effective policies for the Diaspora.
The President said this on Tuesday while speaking during the National Diaspora Day Celebration held at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.
Represented by his Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, The President noted that the Diaspora home remittances through official channels which stood at $21.9 billion in 2022, is over four times the value of the country’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
The President described the theme: “Consolidating Diaspora Engagement for National Development” as apt given the fact that it births the new dawn in the nation’s political journey with the aim of strengthening development in policies and programmes with the Diaspora Community across the globe for national development.
He says his administration holds the Diaspora in high esteem and has worked hard in uplifting her engagements with them.
“May I also let you know that this new democratically elected government is a Diaspora friendly one, which will provide an enabling platform for effective policies for the Diaspora with the view to galvanizing support for the new administration and concretizing our democracy, setting a good example for other African countries to emulate.
“Let me also let you know that we will look at the Challenges NiDCOM has enumerated with a view to ameliorating same so that we will harvest maximally the benefits of our engagements with our Diaspora for national development.”
He added: “It is also gratifying to note that we have annually on July 25th celebrated the achievements of our Diaspora, many of whom are our Ambassadors uplifting the image of Nigeria in their host countries, excelling globally and contributing immensely to Nigeria’s development by their resources, talents, skills and global exposure.
“In 2022, our Diaspora home remittances through official channels stood at $21.9b, over four times the value of our Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The Nigerians in the Diaspora are also actively investing in our Healthcare, Agriculture, Education, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Housing and Real Estate, Sports, Transportation, Oil and Gas and other sectors. This I must say is commendable and in our enlightened self-interest as only Nigerians both at home and abroad can develop Nigeria.”
He applauded the Presidential Diaspora Town-hall meetings, which have now become a practice to fellowship with the Nigerians in the Diaspora during all Presidential official trips outside Nigeria.
He said: “I was priviledged to participate at my first Presidential Diaspora Town Hall meeting in Paris, France last month and was happy to interact with our Diaspora. The vibrancy of that meeting was nostalgic and we fully look forward to engaging with our Diaspora at similar meetings in the future.”
He commended the new initiatives by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to further celebrate the amazing contributions of our Diaspora Champions with the introduction of the maiden edition of National Diaspora Merit Awards.
MUST READ: NiDCOM, CAROPI to help Innocent Nigerians Incarcerated in diaspora
Tinubu said: “This initiative will not only serve as a morale booster for the Diaspora community but will also encourage Diaspora engagement and participation for national development.
Let me commend the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) for its dynamic engagements with the Diaspora community especially in coming up with laudable programmes for Nigerians in Diaspora to invest at home. I believe in the years to come, these programmes will impact tremendously on our economy by catalyzing our developmental efforts. May I, therefore, encourage you to key into these programmes for our mutual benefits.
Earlier in her remark, the NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, noted that many countries cutting across all the Continents of the world have evidence and testimonials of accelerated national development to their Diaspora engagements.
She listed countries like India, Israel, Germany, China, Italy and Ghana that have harnessed their Diaspora resources meticulously and judiciously, towards socio-economic growth and development and Nigeria cannot be an exception.
She said, “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.”
She said this year’s theme 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.
Dabiri-Erewa listed NIDCOM challenges to include lack of “a befitting office accommodation for our staff and for effective operations of the Commission.
“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.
“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.
“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”, she said.
(Editor : Ena Agbanoma)