The chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa has revealed that Nigerians living abroad remitted about $25 billion in 2019.
Dabiri-Erewa who stated this while briefing journalists on the activities of the seven-month-old commission in Abuja yesterday said although $25 billion was remitted, there are some areas that have not been captured” which indicates that the actual value of remittance is higher.
On the welfare of Nigerians who returned from South Africa due to the xenophobic attacks in that country, Premium Times quoted Dabiri-Erewa praying the state governments that were yet to reach out to their indigenes to do so.
She said reaching out to them is not difficult as they are not many.
She said the returnees had not been abandoned, adding that the commission planned to meet with them in January.
“We are working with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and other agencies to see what more can be done for the returnees.”
She further said the commission “will always engage with Nigerians wherever they are and follow the president’s instruction to ensure that no one is taken for granted or neglected.”
“In 2019, the commission organised a Nigeria in Diaspora Investment Summit.
“It also plans to launch a Nigerian in Diaspora Trust Fund.”
The NiDCOM chief executive said the agency believes that this is important because Nigerians in Diaspora want to invest in their country. She said such Nigerians would find the trust fund useful.
Also, she said, the commission would establish a Diaspora Database which will reveal the exact number of Nigerians who are in the Diaspora.
She also urged the national assembly to look into Diaspora voting, saying Nigerians in Diaspora “remit so much to the country and contribute so much to the economy.
“The national assembly needs to amend relevant laws to make it possible for Nigerians in Diaspora to vote. Diaspora matters will be put on the front burner moving forward,” Dabiri-Erewa added.
