By MOSES OMOROGIEVA

Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE), Italy Chapter, plans to build a multi-million dollar Diaspora Village in Nigeria to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country.

The Chairman of NIDOE, Mr George Omo-Iduhon, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, while giving NIDOE’s stewardship in Europe and Italy.

NAN reports that NIDOE is the European arm of a global Nigerian Diaspora network established in Year 2000 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It has its headquarters in London where it serves its 21 regional chapters.

It is recognised as the official platform through which individual Nigerians in the Diaspora, their communities, organisations and corporate bodies can channel their developmental efforts in Nigeria.

The organisation partners Nigerian communities/professional organisations as well as the public and private businesses in areas of focus.

Such areas include: Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), professional networking, stakeholders’ advocacy, medical missions, educational support and skill transfer to Nigeria.

Omo-Iduhon said that the body would not relent in its responsibilities aimed at attracting foreign investments to Nigeria to build the economy.

“We are proposing to build a multi-million dollar Diaspora village in Nigeria and it would be located in Lagos. This is part of my mission in Nigeria to sign the necessary papers for its take off.

“The major mission of NIDOE is home development; thank God, the remittance from Nigerians working in Europe back home in Nigeria in recent times is so enormous and cannot be compared to other continents.

“We want to do more for our country, so we thought it wise to establish a Diaspora Village where we can have a land to farm and also build our housing estate.

“I have met a lot of people in Europe over this project and they are ecstatic about it. I have already contacted the President of the Creative Industry Group (CIG) Amb. Felix Duke,” he said.

Omo-Iduhon noted that NIDOE would require a vast land for the project, stressing that it would encourage many Nigerians to come back home and contribute meaningfully to the economy.

“In Italy, many Nigerians want to come back home and invest, but sadly some people at home have not been truthful enough with the monies sent back home for various projects.

“Most Nigerians abroad have been swindled by those that they trusted to facilitate businesses for them, while some of those that were contracted to build houses for them failed to execute the project.

“We want to encourage Nigerians in the Diaspora to return home and build the economy, the main reason and the necessity for the project.

“Many Nigerians in Europe, especially in Italy, are now into legitimate businesses which are thriving and they want to give back to their country, so they want a place they can call their own in Nigeria,” he said. (NAN)

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