Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that Nigerians living abroad spent about N60 billion during their visits to the country in December 2024.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa, who also disclosed that remittances alone in the last five years have exceeded $90 billion, described the expenditure as a testament to the diaspora’s growing impact on the Nigerian economy.
The NIDCOM boss stated this when she appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Diaspora to defend the commission’s 2025 budget.
While praising the contributions of diaspora Nigerians and growing interest in investing and engaging in nation-building, she noted that over the last five years, the commission has made significant strides by thinking outside the box and prioritising the diaspora population.
The NIDCOM boss said: “You know, we have reached a stage where in the last five years, we have shown that the diaspora is a powerful force and we cannot ignore them.
“And, you know, they are the number one ambassadors of our country. They will help us change the narrative and in fact, all over the world, everybody now wants to have a Nigerian as a friend. So let us seize the moment. We can take over the world and we will.
“President Bola Tinubu has brought reforms that everybody should support; tackling insecurity, building infrastructure, taking the hard decisions that will make Nigeria a better place. So it is very simple.
“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 is over $90 billion. This December, of course, you know, it was not less than N60 billion in what they spent coming to Nigeria. It could grow but it is just scratching the surface.”
Dabiri-Erewa observed that the influx of diaspora Nigerians in December 2024 was a result of years of consistent interaction and engagement with the community.
The NIDCOM boss explained that the commission is exploring innovative funding strategies, including working with the National Assembly Committee on Diaspora to enhance its financial capacity.
Dabiri-Erewa also 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.
She said: “I hosted them. In fact, I did not rest in December. My house turned into a hosting venue because they were all coming. Those young Nigerians have money to invest and they are willing to.
“Some of them are getting into local communities, local businesses. Even now, the most impressive one that we worked with, they want to start training young people in digital technology.
“What we have not done, which we will do this year, is put it in a document. So we can truly appreciate what the diaspora has done.”
Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora, Senator Victor Umeh, expressed reservations about Nigeria’s readiness for diaspora voting.
Responding to questions from journalists, Umeh, representing Anambra Central, said Nigeria must first tackle the challenges confronting its electoral process before thinking of extending such rights to Nigerians in the Diaspora.
He warned that allowing Nigerians in the diaspora to vote without reliable data and systems in place could have grave consequences.
