Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called for stronger unity, coordinated action and international cooperation among Muslim diaspora communities to tackle shared challenges and maximise their contributions to development.
Dabiri-Erewa made the call while representing Nigeria at the inaugural Muslim Diaspora Forum in Ankara, Türkiye, where ministers, policymakers, heads of delegations and representatives from more than 47 countries gathered under the theme, “From Roots to Routes.”
The forum was declared open by the Vice President of Türkiye, Cevdet Yılmaz, who urged participants to promote fairness, transparency and inclusion while strengthening cooperation on issues affecting diaspora communities.
Addressing the forum on “Unity in the Diaspora: Current Needs, Common Solutions,” Dabiri-Erewa said diaspora engagement must move beyond remittances to encompass knowledge and skills transfer, investment, innovation, humanitarian intervention, cultural exchange and stronger connections with countries of origin.
She identified public communication, humanitarian intervention and collective action against discrimination and hate speech as areas requiring stronger collaboration among Muslim diaspora communities and institutions.
The NiDCOM boss highlighted the commission’s efforts to provide accurate information to Nigerians abroad, promote positive narratives and counter misinformation, while supporting Nigerians affected by crises and vulnerable migrants.
She noted that diaspora contributions to Nigeria extend beyond remittances, citing medical missions, educational projects, philanthropy and other developmental interventions as evidence of the wider value of Nigerians living abroad.
Dabiri-Erewa stressed that migration should not sever the relationship between citizens and their countries of origin, urging governments to create opportunities for diaspora communities to remain connected and contribute their skills, knowledge, investments and experience to national development.
According to her, the common concerns of diaspora communities—including dignity, safety, opportunity and freedom to practise their faith—demand collective solutions and stronger international partnerships.
On the sidelines of the forum, Dabiri-Erewa held bilateral engagements with Fuad Muradov, Chairman of the State Committee on Diaspora Affairs of Azerbaijan; Sayed Ahmed, head of Sudan’s diaspora organisation; and Zahra Zumrut, Director-General of SESRIC.
The discussions centred on the exchange of experiences, strengthening institutional relationships and exploring new areas of cooperation in diaspora affairs and development.
Dabiri-Erewa also met with Ahmet Alemdar, Vice President of Türkiye’s Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), where both sides discussed the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between NiDCOM and YTB.
The meeting emphasised the need to transform the existing MoU into concrete and impactful programmes, particularly in diaspora engagement, knowledge exchange, youth development and bilateral cooperation.
The YTB Vice President called for the identification and implementation of specific projects that Nigeria and Türkiye could jointly undertake to deepen diaspora engagement and strengthen bilateral ties.
Dabiri-Erewa reiterated that the focus should not be on stopping migration, but on keeping diaspora communities connected to their motherlands and ensuring that they continue to contribute meaningfully to development.
She said Nigeria would deepen international cooperation on diaspora affairs and strengthen relations with participating countries while harnessing the skills, knowledge, investments, culture and diplomatic influence of its diaspora.
At the conclusion of the forum, a communique stressing the need to sustain the theme and gains of the summit was presented by Ali Fahad, a Turkish-Nigerian and programme liaison.
The communique called for the momentum generated by the inaugural forum to be sustained, with greater cooperation among Muslim diaspora communities and participating countries.
