Nigeria gets diaspora policy soon

The Federal Government of Nigeri  has set up a technical team that will come up with a final draft of National Diaspora  Policy in January 2017 preparatory to joining the league of countries with national Diaspora policies following the

This was the resolution of stakeholders after a seven –hour validation seminar in Abuja on the 68-page draft policy jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.

Declaring the seminar open, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, said there was the need to promote the capacity of Nigerians abroad so as to benefit from the “immense potential of the diaspora’’

Onyeama, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, said the federal government would support all efforts to ensure the inclusion of Nigerians abroad in future elections

He added that enhanced inclusion of Nigerians abroad in the voting process would support their contributions to national development; hence such policy that would see to their empowerment should be hastened up.

“Many of them (Diaspora) are deeply concerned about the situation in the country and have critical skills and potential that could be harnessed to solving Nigeria’s sociology-economic challenges.

“The ministry, therefore, is sharpening its in-house resources to effectively harness the potential of Nigerians wherever they are based,’’, Onyeama said.

In his key note speech, Prof George Obiozor, former Nigerian ambassador to the United States of America and Director- General, Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA), said the time for a national policy on Diaspora has come.

Both Chairpersons Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Monsurat Sunmonu and Rose Oko respectively pledged legislative support, such as passage of the Diaspora Commission Bill and amendment of relevant laws to support diaspora voting.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Dabiri-Erewa also emphasised the need to have a national diaspora policy, saying a number of African countries already ahead of Nigeria in that regard.

“We cannot ignore our diaspora; when Ireland went into recession they reached out to their diaspora community and one thousand of them saved the country from recession. Now that Nigeria is going through challenges, we cannot have this enormous human resource and not engage with them’’, she said.

She urged all Nigerians home and abroad to contribute to the final draft of the policy as a technical committee would be set up to work on the recommendations agreed on and come up with an action plan for implementation.