Diaspora Nigeria remits N8trillion back home in 2018

By Bonaventure Melah

Nigerians living in other parts of the world remitted 22billion US Dollars (N7.9trillion) back home in 2017, according to World Bank records.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, stated this on Thursday while declaring open the 2019 Diaspora Day in Nigeria which took place at the Conference Hall of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Abuja.
He stated that the remittances have become a very strategic part of the nation’s economy accounting for a large chunk of national budget as well as Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mustapha said that the money coming from Nigerians living abroad is spent by beneficiaries on education, health, real estate and many others sectors of the economy, for the overall health of the nation’s economy.
The SGF also said with such record, the World Bank recognized Nigeria as having the highest Diaspora remittance in the world.
He also commended Diaspora Nigeria for being good ambassadors, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians are proud of the achievements some of them are making in different field of life in the various countries where they live.
According to the SGF, “With this in mind, the Federal Government thought it wise to set a day aside yearly to assess opportunities and challenges to effective collaborations that would pave way for sustainable engagement with the Diaspora for national development.
“It is my sincere belief that the Diaspora community if well coordinated can lead to even better impact, not only on individual family units but also on the society at large.
“We are looking forward to not only fund remittances but also science and technology transfer, innovations, improvement in education, healthcare delivery, among others,” he said, referring to the Federal Government.
The SGF said that the Draft National Policy on Diaspora Matters was currently undergoing a review by experts to create an enabling environment that would facilitate participation in national development and applauded the organisers of the Diaspora Day for a job well done.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora matters, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, urged Nigerians in Diaspora to join President Muhammadu Buhari in the fight against corruption.
She said that the Federal Government is committed to protecting the rights of Nigerians, anywhere they are living but charged them to ensure that the do not engage in illegality as those found culpable would face the law of the land where the reside.
She added that they should work together as one entity to move the country forward by discovering its full potentials.
According to her, most of them have been projecting Nigeria in good light and helping to develop the country.
The representative of the Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Miss Ivanka Spadina, said that Diasporas play an important role in the economic development of their countries, long before the international community even noticed.
“To unlock the potential of Diasporas, it is highly imperative to put in place policies and other regulatory frameworks and programmes that will create the enabling environment for Diaspora investment to thrive.
“Against this background, IOM within the framework of the ongoing European Union Trust Fund and IOM Initiative on Migrants Protection and Reintegration funded by the EU is supporting the Government of Nigeria to finalise the draft National Diaspora Policy.
“And facilitate its adoption by the Federal Executive Council, to achieve this, a Standing Committee on Diaspora Matters was inaugurated on 16th February, 2018 to coordinate and oversee Diaspora activities in the country,’’ she said.
The 2019 Diaspora Day in Nigeria was put together by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), in collaboration with Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) which Abike Dabiri doubles as Chairman.