The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that Nigerians abroad spent approximately N60 billion during their December 2024 visits to Nigeria.
She also revealed that remittances over the past five years have surpassed $90 billion, highlighting the increasing influence of the diaspora on the nation’s economy.
Dabiri-Erewa made this statement during her appearance before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Diaspora to defend NIDCOM’s 2025 budget.
While commending the contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora and their growing interest in investing and participating in nation-building, she emphasized that the commission has made remarkable progress over the last five years by thinking innovatively and prioritizing the diaspora population.
The NIDCOM boss said: “You know, we’ve reached a stage where in the last five years, we’ve shown that the diaspora is a powerful force, resource and we cannot ignore them.
“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. So it’s 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 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.
Dabiri-Erewa observed that the influx of diaspora Nigerians in December 2024 was the 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 didn’t 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 haven’t done, which we’ll do this year, is put it in a document. So we can truly appreciate what the diaspora has done.”
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