Diaspora (Commonwealth Union) _ The Bishop of The Crown of Life Bible Church House of David, Jalingo, Rt. Rev Innocent Rubiruka Solomon, has called upon President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to extend support to Nigerians living in the Diaspora to expedite urgent development in the country.
The call was made in commemoration of NIDCOM’s (Nigerians in Diaspora Commission) 2023 celebration of Nigerians in Diaspora Day, alongside the introduction of the Diaspora Merit Awards. During the event, various Diaspora groups and associations presented on the visionary leadership of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO of the commission.
Bishop Rubiruka Solomon praised Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa for her exceptional leadership qualities and stressed the need for active citizenship participation in Nigeria. He emphasized that NIDCOM should play a leading role in harnessing the enormous resources that Nigeria can benefit from the Diaspora community.
According to the Bishop, many Nigerians in the Diaspora have gained a remarkable reputation, recognition, and influence in their host communities abroad. Therefore, their collaborative efforts in uplifting Nigeria from its current challenges should be given top priority.
In particular, the Bishop urged President Tinubu to strongly support efforts to mobilize resources from Nigerians residing abroad, in order to accelerate much-needed and urgent development in the country. He highlighted NIDCOM’s crucial responsibility in coordinating and organizing collaborations among Nigerians in the Diaspora, identifying and utilizing their human, capital, and material resources for the general development of Nigeria.
The Bishop applauded NIDCOM’s innovative approach in engaging Nigerians abroad through effective policy platforms and projects, especially under the current leadership. He stressed that NIDCOM’s strategies aimed at harnessing the human capital and material resources of the Diaspora community are of utmost importance for the socio-economic, cultural, and political development of Nigeria, particularly in the present context.
