The Federal Government has said that Nigerians in the Diaspora are a potent force for national development stressing that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has mapped out strategies to harness the diverse skill and expertise of Nigerians who have excelled in the Diaspora.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha said this in his speech while declaring open the National Diaspora Day 2019 in Abuja on Thursday. He noted that the federal government was happy to welcome the Nigerians in the Diaspora at this time when the government is working hard to deliver on its second term agenda and mandate of the “Next Level”.
He noted that the 2019 National Diaspora Day with the theme “The Power of the Nigerian Diaspora for National Development” was organised in “recognition of the contributions of Nigerians in the Diaspora and to celebrate those who have achieved feats in various fields of human endeavour. It is also aimed at reviewing areas requiring more interactions in matters relating to the Diaspora,” he said.
He said further that it is gratifying to note that the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in collaboration with Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), Nigerians in Diaspora Alumni Network (NIDAN) have organised the 2019 Diaspora Day, adding that the theme captured the role of the Diaspora as a potent force for National development.
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“It is estimated by the World Bank that over 25 billion dollars was remitted to Nigeria by our Diaspora population in 2018. This represents over 83% of the federal government budget and 6.1% of the GDP. These monies are being utilised as social security funds for families to pay school fees, feeding allowances, hospital bill etc. Some of it is invested in housing and estate development, and other commercial enterprises but not properly documented.
“There is an urgent need therefore to galvanise these into an investable fund for national development. A forum like this is necessary to articulate the position on this and mobilise it for appropriate action to key into the government Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP), “he said.
He called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to key into this policy and be the vanguard for its implementation even as he encouraged them to engage with government at the wider macro -economic level especially in the organised private sectors for growth and prosperity of the country.
He also expressed the commitment of the government to protect every Nigerian in the Diaspora and urged them to be good ambassadors of the country where ever they may be just as he called for unity among leaders of Nigerian Diaspora groups in the world.
In her opening remarks, Chairman and CEO of the NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri- Erewa said President Buhari has instructed that the life of every Nigerian matters. She said that the commission is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of course the office of the SGF to demand that where a Nigerian is unjustly treated the country will demand for justice.
She however, warned Nigerians not to engage in criminal activities abroad, stressing that any form of criminality will be met with punishment.
“As we mark the Diaspora day today, let us be determined that it is not going to be only a talk show. But we want to come together to make all the difference in the world. There is power of the Diaspora and under this administration we are going to leverage on the power of the Diaspora,” she said.
She pointed out that in the field of medicine the Commission is working on the Diaspora Professional Initiative that will revolutionise health care in Nigeria. “We have over 5,000 doctors in US, we have been talking about brain drain, brain gain and now we are talking about brain circulation for the development of our country and we are plugging into President Buhari’s three- prong agenda – to tackle corruption, tackle corruption, work on the economy and Nigeria cannot do without its Diaspora.
“I want to stress the need for unity among Nigeria’s Diaspora groups, let us match on for the development of Nigeria. Let work together to build the Nigeria of our dreams,” she urged.
Continental Chairman of NIDO in Oceania, Linus Gary Unamadu, told BusinessDay in an interview that the Nigerians in the Diaspora desire to make the country better. “We have the expertise, we have the talents all we need is a working policy and being able to implement it. The Nigerians in the Diaspora will work together with government to make sure that we are moving forward.
“In New Zealand Nigeria comes top as the most educated immigrant population and when you look at the US, UK we are doing great there but look at Nigeria health sector, it is really in appalling state. We are bringing expertise to change the country for the better,” he said.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
