“Nigeria yet to operate functional national Diaspora policy”
By Abimbola Abdullahi
Barely one year after the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the validation of the draft National Diaspora Policy on 4 July, 2019, the nation is yet to operationalise a functional national Diaspora policy.
The members of the Standing Committee on Diaspora Matters (SCDM) and the State Diaspora Focal Point Officers (SDFPOs) in a communiqué after the second summit of the State Diaspora Focal Point Officers organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration NiDCOM, called on the Federal Government to expedite the process of approving the National Diaspora Policy as a governance framework for Diaspora engagement for national development.
It stated that Nigeria is both a major economic and an important migration hub in Africa and a key player in the global migration and political governance arena and therefore has critical roles in strengthening diaspora linkages with national development.
The communiqué made available to SlyNews by the spokesperson, NiDCOM, Abdulrahmon Balogun, stated: “We observe that since the establishment of NiDCOM in 2019 and the validation of the draft National Diaspora Policy on 4 July, 2019, Nigeria is yet to operationalize a functional national Diaspora policy,”
It however noted that with the establishment of NiDCOM, the Nigerian government has not relented in providing support and offering diverse engagement platforms for enhancing the contributions of the Diasporas to national development in Nigeria.
The committee also stated that the establishment of NiDCOM has not only transformed the effort to reconnect with Nigerians living abroad to their homeland but has added newer dimensions to strategic advances towards increasing the economic strength of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
The communique added: “We note that the establishment of NiDCOM has the greater prospects to potentially address the diverse concerns and protection needs of Nigerians in Diaspora.
“That, the Nigerian Diaspora has contributed through the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), remittances, transfer of knowledge and Entrepreneurial and the services sector in Nigeria, especially in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health, Education, Banking and Communication sectors.
“Considering Nigeria’s socio-economic status and demography in Africa and in the world, and the drive towards meeting the UN 2030 sustainable development goals, the Global Compact on Migration pillars, we call on the Nigerian Government to expedite the process of approving the National Diaspora Policy as a governance framework for Diaspora engagement for national development.
“Finally, we reiterate our commitment to the draft National Diaspora Policy and appeal that the Federal Executive Council should consider an early approval,” it stated.
