•Says $21.9bn remittances in 2022 4 times more than FDIs
President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians in the Diaspora that his administration will be friendly to them.
He said his government would provide an enabling platform for effective policies for the Diaspora with the view to galvanizing support for the new administration and concretising the nation’s democracy, setting a good example for other African countries to emulate.
This is even as he has noted that the Diaspora home remittances through official channels which stood at $21.9 billion in 2022 was over four times the value of the country’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Tinubu stated his at the National Diaspora Day Celebration at the State House Conference Center, Abuja. Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the president said this year’s theme: “Consolidating Diaspora Engagement for National Development” was apt given the fact that it births the new dawn in the nation’s political journey with the aim of strengthening development in policies and programmes with the Diaspora community across the globe for national development.
He said his administration holds the Diaspora in high esteem and has worked hard in uplifting her engagements with them.
“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. It is also gratifying to note that we have annually on July 25 celebrated the achievements of our Diaspora, many of whom are our ambassadors uplifting the image of Nigeria in their host countries, excelling globally and contributing immensely to Nigeria’s development by their resources, talents, skills and global exposure.
“In 2022, our Diaspora home remittances through official channels stood at $21.9b, 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. This I must say is commendable and in our enlightened self-interest as only Nigerians both at home and abroad can develop Nigeria.”
He applauded the Presidential Diaspora Town-hall meetings, which have now become a practice to fellowship with the Nigerians in the Diaspora during all presidential official trips outside Nigeria.
“I was priviledged to participate at my first Presidential Diaspora Town Hall meeting in Paris, France last month and was happy to interact with our Diaspora. The vibrancy of that meeting was nostalgic and we fully look forward to engaging with our Diaspora at similar meetings in the future.”
NiDCOM CEO/Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, noted that many countries cutting across all the continents of the world have evidence and testimonials of accelerated national development to their Diaspora engagements.
She listed countries like India, Israel, Germany, China, Italy and Ghana that have harnessed their Diaspora resources meticulously and judiciously, towards socio-economic growth and development and Nigeria cannot be an exception.
The sun
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