The Director-General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa has appealed for improved funding and infrastructure for diaspora affairs, revealing that the commission operated on only N47 million capital and N11 million recurrent funding in 2023.
On Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Friday, Dabiri-Erewa called for the establishment of a Diaspora Plaza to serve as a hub for Nigerians abroad.
‘In 2023, we worked with N47 million capital, N11 million recurrent. How we survived, I don’t know. In 2025, we have a better budget, thanks to the National Assembly, thanks to the Senate Committee Chairman Senator Victor Umeh, who really ran around to ensure that we got something better.
‘We want to have a Diaspora Plaza. We’ve even started building. We want to have a hub where the diaspora can come, relax, get to know authentic information about what is going on in your country’.
Despite the challenges, Dabiri-Erewa said many Nigerians in the diaspora are doing well and should not be overshadowed by the negatives. ‘You know the number of Nigerians we have in the UK in the political space that are doing very well. We don’t have to focus on one person’.
She warned Nigerians against risky migration routes, especially through Libya.
‘Just know where you’re going to. I mean, at this point in time, you’re still going to Libya? If anybody tells you to go somewhere through Libya, you should say no’.
She reaffirmed NiDCOM’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad.
‘Somebody said to me is NiDCOM only to be bringing people back. But it’s about people. There are so many you don’t hear about. Even in Japan, when one of our Nigerians had a problem, the Nigerian community got money together and helped’.
