As Nigeria celebrates the 2023 National Diaspora day, the federal government has reiterated it’s commitment to policies that will maximize Diaspora engagement for national development.
Representing the president at the event, the Chief of staff to the President Bola Tinubu, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila , commended the commission for it’s efforts in coordinating diaspora engagement, assuring NIDCOM of the administrations commitment to working together to address the challenges faced by the commission in the execution of its duties.
He said,”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”.
The National diaspora day 2023 was a hybrid celebration with the theme ‘ Consolidating diaspora engagement for national development’ which is set to feature the first National Diaspora merit awards.
The celebrations kicked off at the state house conference center with a welcome address by the Chairman/ CEO NIDCOM Hon. Abike Dabri Erewa who reiterated her commitment to working with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope administration to foster diaspora relations for national development. She called on the president to support NIDCOMS effort to engage the Diaspora by 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.
She said, “ Our theme Consolidating Diaspora Engagement for National Development 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”.
The event featured messages and presentations from Stakeholders in the diaspora engagement mission like the IOM, NIMC,NIS who all shared their commitment to ensuring the improvement of their services especially for the benefit of Nigerians in the diaspora. It also highlighted the political achievements of Nigerians in the diaspora like Dr Oye Owolewa a member of the US House of Representatives in Washington DC who spoke about Nigerians shattering ceilings and coming from small beginnings and small openings to doing it on a larger scale, he noted that Washington DC is ready to be a sister state to Abuja. Stating that he brings the Nigerian spirit of hard work, community and excellence to his lawmaking process.
Carol Kazeem, a council woman in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who shared her struggle with growing comfortable with her identity and last name and sharing the greatness of Nigerians with other people, and Dr Adekunle Osibogun deputy mayor of Buckingham US who explained why he is highly invested in education as he believes it is the most important factor in the future of our youths.
The Diaspora day celebrations is another initiative by NIDCOM in its bid to seamlessly connect Nigeria to its diaspora in order to foster national development and economic growth . The diaspora day is also dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora to nation building and development.
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