DECEMBER VOL. 6 . 2020 I N T H I S E D I T I O N HOW I PLAN TO TAKE DIASPORA AFFAIRS TO THE NEXT LEVEL - DABIRI-EREWA I ENVISION A NIDCOM WITH ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT -BASSI TOUR NIGERIA RETIRED COMMANDANT CALLS FOR INTERACTION BETWEEN NiDCOM AND ARMED FORCES ON DIASPORA AFFAIRS FOOD CORNER INT’L MIGRANTS DAY 2020: GROUP HONOURS NiDCOM NIGERIAN DIASPORA ARE PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT - HON. TERAB DECEMBER EDITION V0L. 6 HOW I PLAN TO TAKE DIASPORA AFFAIRS TO THE NEXT LEVEL - DABIRI-EREWA By Khadija S hehu Bamalli We will start by taking a brief Looking at your mandate, background on you. how far has diaspora investment gone throughout am the Chairman/CEO, the country, this year? I Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, formally SSA to A lot of Diasporas are beginning the President, formally in the to invest in Health care, parliament where I spent 12 years agriculture, education and the and was the Chairman House of food business. We are very Representatives Committee on impressed about that and a lot Diaspora, formally at the Nigerian of them are even looking at Television Authority where I worked small businesses that generates for 15years. I am a graduate of employment. Diaspora University of Ife, where I studied engagement is growing in English Language. I did my Masters Nigeria and we are also glad in University of Lagos, in Mass deal with human capital that CBN has put in place a Communication. I was also at development. We are policy where Diaspora Harvard University, Kennedy school talking of Nigerians remittances are received in the of Government. Primary school; succeeding all over the currencies that were being Maryland Government School Ikeja, world and our mission is remitted in, so the diaspora are Secondary School, St. Louis College, to engage them in the very excited about that. Ibadan. I am a mother of two programmes and policies children, a grandmother and I have a of Government. I’m glad Holding the NDIS virtually for wonderful husband and great staffs that we have some the first time, will you say it working with me in NiDCOM. programmes in place like was as successful and Nigerian Diaspora effective as the previous Amidst several challenges, Investment Trust Fund, ones done physically? what motivates you to keep Nigerian Diaspora If I have to admit, it was even driving NiDCOM forward? Investment Summit, the more successful because we had Diaspora voting bill which In NiDCOM, we have a mission and a more participants and it is going has gone through second vision we have to achieve. Despite to be the new normal, that’s the reading. we have also the challenges, we have to keep positive side of Covid-19 for us in been able to intervene in working to ensure we succeed but NIDCOM. It is easier now to cases of Nigerians in the the good thing is that, I’ve got great communicate with Nigerians all Diaspora. For good, for staff working here at the over the world. In the past, we bad we are always there Commission. So, we don’t look at have to find a way to get them for Nigerians in the challenges, we see challenges as home, some will need Diaspora when we can, so opportunities and we continue to accommodation, you have to look hard work keeps me going. work at that. The key thing is that we for money for ticket. DECEMBER EDITION V0L. 6 So now it is going to be cheaper Looking at the Covid-19 At least we haven’t heard of and more effective. For instance, evacuation, which was the any more Nigerian going to this last one, we had Masayo Ujiri first of its kind, what is the Lebanon and being from Canada, we had people from major challenge NIDCOM stranded and we are hoping America, Africa, from Australia, faced during and beyond the it has nothing to do with the China, in fact, everywhere in the evacuation process? travel restrictions. It is world participated. So, subsequently important that Lebanon has Sigh! No funding for logistics but it is going to be a hybrid. Some of us now stopped work visas. So we were still at it. We had people in the physical location and others if you apply now you cannot we were communicating with. virtually. It is going to be the new get the visa anymore. What We went digital, we opened a normal for us. Since then, we had we need to do in Nigeria, is portal, which made it easy to about five virtual meetings with to focus on how to make communicate. Like I said, we Nigerians abroad and we want to be this migration legal the way never look at challenges, we are having monthly virtual diaspora it is done in the Philippines, always there, you find that little meetings from now. you want to migrate, you things matter. Sometimes it is can go freely legally. The door of return has been an just a single information missing Although the case of avenue to reconnect hundreds and we are able to provide it. Lebanon is not irregular of Nigerians back to their roots, When they return, they had to migration but the `kafala' does not holding it this year ensure they follow NCDC system turns you virtually to means hundreds of these kings protocols. Ours was just to a slave. You become the and queens were not ensure we sorted the slave of your master and reconnected with their roots? communication link and did our that is what we need to own bit. We did the job and we change. I hope as we move Which they are actually sad about. I are glad we did it. on these are things we will have been getting their messages collaborate with Ministry of saying they miss home. This are Were there any measures put Labour, Nigerian African Americans, some from the in place to monitor the Immigration Service, the Caribbean, others from Jamaica and evacuees to ensure House of Representatives all they have been saying is we miss compliance from their part? Committee on Diaspora, coming home this year. Senate Committee on The reassurance is, God spare our That will be NCDC and we had Diaspora and NAPTIP, we all lives, we will all be together next year. the PTF on COVID-19. We did need to work on this. We thought of a virtual thing but it is what we had to do and that not going to have the effect of the wasn’t our responsibility but I physical one, so that’s not what we believe it was effectively Has the new CBN policy on can do virtually. Some have actually handled. foreign exchange help been missing home and like I told To what effect has the boost them next year is going to be better agreement between NIDCOM Nigeria diaspora and bigger and we will all be there to and Lebanon Embassy yielded remittances? welcome them as Kings and Queens positive results towards once again. irregular migration? 03 DECEMBER EDITION V0L. 6 Absolutely! Apart from boosting diaspora day celebration, not shouldn’t be punished for remittances, within four days of fully but with the involvement of offence you didn’t commit. We the CBN announcement, the naira NIDCOM we want more have been able to intervene, appreciated. Nigerians in diaspora Nigerians to participate so we like in the cases of Zainab Aliyu are excited about it and it's one of achieve results from the in Saudi Arabia, Suleimon the things we expected CBN to do conference. Olufemi in Saudi Arabia, the and what we are also asking them two guys in kuweisha*, we to do is to reduce the cost of With Nigerians making have had people who returned remittances charged by the waves across the globe, what from places like India, we have IMTOs. Nigeria has the largest will you say is the attitude of been to Brazilian prison, levies that we are taxing the Nigerians towards this global Republic of Benin and we have Diaspora. All over the world, its crisis of Covid-19, especially intervened in South Africa and six percent but here it is over 9 in seeing a lasting solution others. As long as you obey the per cent , so the levies by the like production of vaccines? laws of these countries, we are IMTOs should actually be always there for you, be A Nigerian was involved in reduced. It has been a very good number one ambassadors and provision of Pfizer vaccine and news from CBN to diaspora so we do not disobey the laws of we were able to hold a brilliant are hoping for more in that other countries. conversation with him. regard. Everything he said was on point, Where do you see NIDCOM relevant and educative. We hope Do you think Diaspora day in the next 10 years? to have more of that and we are celebration is achieving the glad that a Nigerian was NIDCOM should have been desired results? involved. We need to work able to tap fully into the power Not fully. We don’t want it to be together with the diaspora, we of the diaspora, we should just a talk show. Diaspora day has are in charge of them and that’s have been able to have the been on for 15 years or more but why we keep celebrating them. diaspora play the role they we want it to go beyond just Ours is wherever you are, we should have played 10 years talking.