Nigeria will soon adopt a well-articulated policy on Diaspora which would, among other things, create a reliable database of Nigerians abroad, track remittances into the country, mode of diplomatic engagements for protection of Nigerians and voting by Nigerians in Diaspora.
According to the Chairman, Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NDC), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a Diaspora Policy has been developed and transmitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.
“The Diaspora policy is a holistic policy that actually will guide all Diaspora engagements; it covers all aspects of Diaspora engagements,” she said.
Speaking to the media after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Dabiri-Erewa said, “Hopefully, we will have a Diaspora Policy that will be ratified by FEC and then we continue our engagements.”
The thrust of her meeting with the president, she said, was to brief him on the activities of the Commission since it was established in May 2019, as well as insights on the new Diaspora policy and the short, medium and long term goals of the Commission.
She said that the president had instructed that wherever Nigerians were, their welfare should be paramount.
“We have dealt with a lot of issues — xenophobic attacks in South Africa and those who have returned; recently too, young Nigerians stranded in Croatia returned and we received them in the office.
The Diaspora Policy, she said will transcend virtually every ministry that has to do with Diaspora; every department and agency, adding “we are working with states; 13 states have focal persons on Diaspora; there are two commissioners for Diaspora. Ondo State has a House Committee on Diaspora Chairman; and we hope that other states will have their focal persons because we need to also move to the sub-national governments in terms of Diaspora engagements.”
According to her, in line with the president’s directive, the commission is always engaging with Nigerians wherever they are in order to make sure no one is neglected.
“So, as we move into the New Year, we have started a process of having a Diaspora database to know exactly the number of Nigerians in Diaspora as accurately as we can.
“We have had the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit which was very successful; we are planning the Nigeria Diaspora Trust Fund because Nigerians in Diaspora want to invest in the country and they want to contribute.
“So, Diaspora Investment Trust Fund will be coming up in the New Year and a lot of other engagements and activities; and as per the returnees from South Africa, like we said earlier, we have not abandoned and will not abandon them.’’
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“The Diaspora policy is a holistic policy that actually will guide all Diaspora engagements; it covers all aspects of Diaspora engagements,”
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She said that the commission would also be engaging the National Assembly to look into the issue of Diaspora voting, as Nigerians in Diaspora believe they should be able to vote given that they are also contributing much to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy.
“We believe they deserve to vote. So, the parliament, we hope we can work with them to amend the relevant laws to make it possible for Nigerians in Diaspora to able to vote,’’ the chairman said.
Dabiri-Erewa said that in 2019, Diaspora remittances stood at $25 billion, excluding informal remittances.
