The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, has said that Nigerians in the Diaspora have the capacity to improve the nation’s economy beyond the yearly remittances to the country if properly harnessed.
He stated this in an interview granted to the media team of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) led by Gabriel Odu as part of the activities to mark one year anniversary of the agency in Abuja, a statement issued on Tuesday by Special Assistant on Media to the minister, Ibrahim Aliyu, said.
Dada said, “with an estimated population of over 17million, Nigerians in Diaspora and estimated remittances of over $22 billion dollars annually, Nigerians in Diaspora no doubt have the capacity of improving the nation’s economy if properly harnessed.”
He noted that the establishment of NIDCOM by the present administration has clearly shown the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to the cause of millions of Nigerians in the Diaspora. He added that the agency had come out with so many waves that people begin to wonder if it has not existed for more than one year.
The Minister, who went down memory lane, recalled that before the establishment of NIDCOM, Nigerians in the Diaspora coordinated their activities through the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, a non-governmental organization, and other several Diaspora organisations all around the globe.
But, he said, with the coming of NIDCOM, government has given them a great sense of belonging.
He commended NIDCOM for organising a States Diaspora Focal Point Officers Summit in Abuja recently with 27 states keying into the programme and appointed their own Focal Persons who would liaise with the agency to champion the cause of millions of Nigerians abroad.
Source:Businessday.ng
