President Bola Tinubu has asked Nigerians in the diaspora to fully commit to the joint task of nation-building.
Tinubu, represented by Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff (CoS), spoke on Tuesday while marking the National Diaspora Day in Abuja.
The event, organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), was themed “Consolidating diaspora engagement for national development”.
The president assured Nigerians abroad that his administration will be friendly and provide an enabling platform for effective policies that would see the diaspora community galvanizing support for the country.
“Our country is on a new dawn to ensure national development, guarantee peace, and promote prosperity for all our nation’s people,” Tinubu said.
“The ambition we have in this regard cannot be fully realised without the support and enthusiastic participation of our brothers and sisters all over the world.
“As such, all deliberate efforts will be made in this administration to ensure that the diaspora community is pertinently involved in designing, implementing, and reviewing public policy.”
Tinubu added that it was gratifying to know that many citizens in the diaspora are uplifting the image of Nigeria in their host countries.
“In 2022, our diaspora home remittances through official channels stood at $21.9 billion, 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,” he said.
“This, I must say is commendable and in our enlightened self-interest as only Nigerians both at home and abroad can develop Nigeria.”
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the NiDCOM chairperson, noted that many countries have evidence of accelerated national development courtesy of the contributions from their citizens in the diaspora.
“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,” Dabiri-Erewa said, adding that Nigeria cannot be an exception.
She asked the government to support and conclude the setting up of the Nigeria diaspora investment fund (NDIF) as an investment window and emergency resource for citizens living abroad.