NIDCOM at one: So far, so good.

 

 It was a dream come true when on May 19, 2019, the hitherto office of Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora Affairs and the occupier, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa transmuted to Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) following the Senate approval and confirmation of  Hon. Dabiri-Erewa as the Chairman/CEO of the new commission. It was indeed a dream nurtured since 2007 when Hon. Abike Dabiri became the first chairperson of the newly created Committee on Diaspora Affairs by the then leadership of the House of Representatives. It was meant for members of the opposition without any structure to fall back on but with her dedication and dynamism, Diaspora committee, which has been replicated in the Senate too, is to be reckoned with.So, for eight years out of the 12 years she spent in the parliament, Dabiri alongside her colleagues and some stakeholders tried to get the bill on Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission through but when passed was never assented to until 2017 when President Muhammadu Buhari signed the bill into law following the eventual passage by the eighth assembly.

 

But to actualize what was assented to, President Muhammadu Buhari in his wisdom, forwarded the name of the pioneer and visioner of the Act, to the Senate for approval as the Chairman/CEO of the new commission in 2018 which eventually materialized in May 2019 with the approval of Dabiri-Erewa by the Senate as the chairman/CEO of the newly created commission.Over the past 20 years, with the massive exodus of Nigerian professionals out of Nigeria, labelled the ‘brain drain’ various initiatives were suggested to stem the tide including persuasion through the media, stringent visa requirements and others. This did not deter nor abate the trend due to the globalised nature of the world and the economic push-pull factors.It was therefore proposed that initiatives and strategies be put in place for a meaningful interaction with the Diaspora to reverse the trend by turning it to brain gain which can only be achieved through a focal institution that will engage with the Diaspora on a continuous basis.The call therefore for the setting up of a Diaspora Commission in Nigeria became imperative with the large numbers of professionals emigrating and this led to the processes leading to and the passage of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission bill in 2017.

 

The commission in spite of the challenges of office accommodation, lack of budget and paucity of funds, hit the ground running to meet up with the challenges ahead within the confines of the three-point agenda of the Buhari government in terms of national security, fighting corruption and economic growth. Within a year, the commission has live up to expectations. A major breakthrough for the commission was the validation of the drafted holistic Diaspora policy in collaboration with other stakeholders which is currently awaiting the approval of Federal Executive Council. This will solve a lot of challenges affecting Diaspora activities in the country. Of course, with Nigerians in Diaspora contributing so much to the Nigerian economy, estimated at over 25 billion US dollars in 2019, it is widely believe that they deserve to vote. So, the commission already working with the National Assembly and other stakeholders to make this a reality in Nigeria through amendment to the country’s Electoral Act.In addition to the sustainability of the above achievements, the commission intends ahead to work with stakeholders to do Diaspora Mapping towards having a data of Nigerians living abroad for effective planning. More importantly, the commission intends to re-launch DiasporaI Bonds in collaboration with Debt Management Office just as the $300 million Diaspora bonds was successfully launched in 2017, among others.

 

Despite two major challenges facing the commission, which are lack of office accommodation and paucity of funds, the chairman has vowed not to be cowed but to forge ahead and ensure that Nigerians in the Diaspora are not shortchanged in the scheme of things.

 

Above all, with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, which has been a veritable link in many areas of human endeavours to ease the task of Nigerians in Diaspora in engaging with the Nigerian economy, it is expected that all Nigerians in the Diaspora will reciprocate the gesture by continuing to be good ambassadors and project the good name of the country wherever they find themselves. The commission shall continue to celebrate her heroes and heroines in the Diaspora.