By ERICJAMES OCHIGBO

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Ms Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said that Nigerians in diaspora spent about N60 billion when they visited the country in December 2024.

Dabiri-Erewa made this known at the 2025 budget defence session before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Diaspora in Abuja.

The chairman revealed that remittances alone by Nigerians in diaspora in the last five years have exceeded $90 billion,

?You know, we have reached a stage where in the last five years, where we have shown that the diaspora is a powerful force and resource we cannot ignore.

?And, you know, they are the number one ambassadors of our country. They will help us change the narrative of our country.

And in fact, all over the world, everybody now wants to have a Nigerian as a friend. So let?s seize the moment. We can take over the world, and we will.

?President Bola Tinubu has brought in reforms that everybody should support. Tackling insecurity, building infrastructure,, taking the hard decisions that will make Nigeria a better place.

?We have 17 million of them. And how much did this generate for the growth of the economy? Remittances alone in the last five years have been over $90 billion.

?This December, of course, you know, it is not less than N60 billion in what they spent coming to Nigeria. It could grow but it is just scratching the surface,? she said.

Dabiri-Erewa attributed that the large influx of diaspora Nigerians in December 2024 was the result of years of consistent interaction and engagement with the community.

According to the NIDCOM helmswoman, the commission is exploring innovative funding strategies, including working with the National Assembly committee on Diaspora to enhance its financial capacity.

She proposed the establishment of a Diaspora Plaza, which she said would serve as a hub for Nigerians abroad to connect, engage with government officials, and learn about opportunities within the country.

Dabiri-Erewa said that a lot of engagement held at her residence during the Yuletide saying that a lot of young Nigeria have resources and were willing to inviter in the country.

Addressing newsmen after the session, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora, Sen.Victor Umeh (APGA-Anambra) expressed reservation on Nigeria?s readiness for diaspora voting.

Umeh said Nigeria must first tackle the challenges confronting its own electoral process before thinking of extending such right to Nigerians in diaspora.

He cautioned against allowing Nigerians in the diaspora to vote without reliable data and systems in place could have grave consequences.

?It is a question I answered both in Canada and South Africa where I met Nigerians there. We must tell ourselves the truth, we must get properly organised before we open up to people voting from outside Nigeria. Let us manage our own elections at home first, before we add diaspora voting.

?Yes, we are preparing for it. But I am saying that we need to put the enabling environment for it to succeed.

?The NIDCOM is doing everything possible to capture Nigerians in the diaspora to know how many of them are living outside and then document them, those in America, in Europe, Africa, in Asia and so on.

?We need to know where they are, so that the data will be reliable before you expose them to elections.

?If you are not prepared with your data that is reliable, you can finish all the elections in Nigeria, and you say, I am waiting for votes that will come from America.

?Somebody will throw three million votes from there, or from Asia, before you know it, the courts will not have peace,? he said.

Umeh said that the committee would fight for an increase in funds for the commission in the 2025 budget

The senator said that funding had been the problem of NIDCOM, and that the parliament was determined to support the commission achieve its mandate.

?In the 2024 appropriation, the provisions were very poor. The National Assembly worked hard to add something to their budget.

?This year again, we have seen how they operated last year under difficult circumstances, and again, we are going to make moves for them, and we will call on Mr. President to pay particular attention to the diaspora community,? he said.

The chairman said that the diaspora community needed to be fully explored and tapped into by the government of Nigeria.

He said that committee was satisfied with the leadership of the NIDCOM and the efforts they are making saying that it is left for the National Assembly to support the agency. (NAN)

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