President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerian citizens who relocate abroad to remember that there is no place like home while expecting them to bring back their experiences to support his administration development agenda.
Tinubu who made the call during the occasion of tha National Diaspora Day (NND) 2024 celebration in abuja on Thursday said global mobility is now the norm, with many countries competing for talent and skills in various sectors, including healthcare, ICT, and sports.
According to him, “As we celebrate our diaspora community, we must acknowledge the implication of this phenomenon for our collective growth. We cannot begrudge our citizens for seeking better opportunities abroad, but we must urge them not to forget their homeland”.
He revealed that to strengthen the diaspora engagement and national development, his administration established initiatives, such as the Nigerian Diaspora Commission Mid- Comp, which has held presidential town hall meetings with diaspora communities during his official trips outside Nigeria.
The President said, “Our foreign policy objectives align with my administration’s eight-point agenda, which focuses on food security, poverty eradication, growth, job creation, access to capital, inclusion, the rule of law, and fighting corruption.
Tinubu who was ably represented by Secretary to Government of the Federation, George Akume disclosed that his govt target diaspora population as a focal point of his renewed agenda for national development. “It is also gratifying to note that we celebrate the achievements of our diaspora annually on July 25.
Adding that, “Many of you living abroad are our ambassadors, uplifting the image of Nigeria in your host countries, excelling globally, and contributing immensely to Nigeria’s development through resources, talents, ski, and global exposure.
“One of the positive effects of global immigration is the huge remittance of funds to lower- and middle-income countries by diaspora citizens. According to the World Bank, diaspora home remittances to lower- and middle-income countries rose to $656 billion in 2023, exceeding foreign direct investment by $270 billion”.
Speaking of the Diaspora home remittances to Nigeria which he said stood at $21.9 billion in 2023, the seventh largest in the world, and over four times the values of foreign direct investment into the national economy.
The President also urged Nigerians in the diaspora to use the 40 recently registered international money transfer operators to remit money home, saying remittances in the past came in through unofficial channels.
He said, “The CBN has recently introduced some reforms in the sector, and the reforms are yielding fruit. In January, remittances totalled $138,056,000. We recorded $39 million in February, $104 million in March, $193 million in April, and $365 million in May 2024.
“The progression reflects the level of trust, and the positives are the monetary reforms that the Central Bank have achieved. The increased forex inflow through official channels will help stabilize our currency.
“We continue to see the increasing participation of Nigerians in the diaspora in critical sectors of our economy, especially making considerable investments in healthcare, agriculture, education, information and communications technology, real estate, sports, transportation, oil and gas.
“This is commendable. It serves our enlightened self-interest, as only Nigerians based at home or abroad can develop their country, Nigeria. It is worth noting that this year National Diaspora Day comes with the second edition of the National Diaspora Merit Award.
“The National Diaspora Merit Award has gained significant global recognition and momentum since last year, propelling individuals and diaspora associations to give back to the nation in one way or another”, Nigerian leader added.
The President commended NIDCOM for its many initiatives and engagements with Nigerians living abroad, especially for producing notable programs, supporting home investments. “In the years to come, these programs will tremendously impact our economy.
While encourageing Nigerians to participate in these programs for mutual benefit, he said his administration will examine NIDCOM’s challenges and ameliorate them to maximize the benefits of their engagement with the citizens abroad for national development.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has said the contribution of the Diaspora community to national development cannot be over-emphasised.
She said, “According to the World Bank statistics recently, the Nigerian Diaspora has remitted over 99 billion US dollars into the system in the last five years. This is huge and highly commendable.
While stressed that the Diaspora is one area that the govt needs to pay more attention to, according to her “So, this is a sector that we need to pay more attention we haven’t paid attention to it we need to do a lot more. So we have to tap into the enormous resources we have with the diaspora”.
The Director of the United States Agency for International Development USAID, Melissa Jones representing US Congress disclosed that Nigerians in diaspora contributed over $20 million dollars to the country.
She celebrated the power of fellowships and the Nigerian people, extending her regards to all of who have coordinated this effort and especially to Dabiri-Erewa who, by just an extraordinary level of leadership, on a daily basis, has done such a tremendous job to advance their collective efforts.
The National Diaspora Day 2024 provides a platform for Nigerians in diaspora to engage with the government and discuss ways to drive national development, underscored the government’s commitment to diaspora engagement and its recognition of the community’s significant contributions to Nigeria’s growth.
