The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced plans to holdi ts inaugural Town Hall Meeting for Diaspora Focal Point Officers at various states of the federation in 2020.
Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi, the Secretary of the Commission, stated this
when he received Mr. Macaulay Kanu, Chairman, AU 6th Region Canada
(AU6RC) and Policy Adviser, Diaspora Affairs, African Union (AU).
Bassi, who received the delegation on behalf of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa
Chairman/CEO of the Commission,said their coming was timely as many
projects had been lined up for the coming year.
He attributed the excellent feats of many Nigerians abroad to resources,
skills and talents, as well as, comporting themselves as good Nigerian
Ambassadors.
According to him, investing back home through Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) projects, medical missions, donations and
establishing companies, is paramount to sustainable growth for the
nation’s economy,
The NiDCOM Secretary added that within six months of its existence, the
Commission had successfully held many activities such as third Badagry
Door of Return ceremony, second Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit
(NDIS), Diaspora Day on July 25, and other interventions.
He said that with the prompting from the Commission, many Nigerian
states now mark their own respective Diaspora days.
Bassi said that 16 states in Nigeria have Diaspora Focal Points within
the offices of their respective Governors, with nine states producing
two Commissioners, three Special Advisers and four Senior Special
Assistants on Diaspora.
Earlier, Mr. Macauley Kanu expressed his delight on the establishment of
the Commission, advised on the importance to understand the AU’s
framework and align with the Continental plan.
The AU Policy Adviser expressed his wish for Nigeria to be a trail
blazer in diaspora affairs, as some African countries had invested
heavily in diaspora related matters.
He expressed the readiness of AU to facilitate states on the best
diaspora practices, which ranges from research to support system in
diaspora mapping.
Kanu urged Nigerians to tap into the Decade of People of African
Descent, a UN event set up to recognise that people of African descent
represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and
protected.
The AU6RC Chairman said a pilot project was kick-started to help women
and youths, saying that the project was adopted by diasporans in Canada
to form a consortium to strategise and help create jobs for young
Africans.
He announced that the project will be launched in every African state,
with a focus on six interventions, known as TRADES which stands for
“Technology, Retail, Agronomy, Development and 4Es (Education,
Entrepreneurship, Employment, Engagement) and Skills Development”, that will help to tackle unemployment and boost youth empowerment in Africa.
