The chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said that Nigerians in diaspora spent about N60 billion when they visited the country in December 2024.

Ms Dabiri-Erewa made this known at the 2025 budget defence session before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Diaspora in Abuja.

The chairman revealed that remittances alone by Nigerians in the diaspora in the last five years have exceeded $90 billion.

“And in fact, all over the world, everybody now wants to have a Nigerian as a friend. So let’s seize the moment. We can take over the world, and we will.

“We have 17 million of them. And how much did this generate for the growth of the economy? Remittances alone in the last five years have been over $90 billion.

“This December, of course, you know, it is not less than N60 billion in what they spent coming to Nigeria. It could grow, but it is just scratching the surface,” said Ms Dabiri-Erewa.

Ms Dabiri-Erewa said the large influx of diaspora Nigerians in December 2024 resulted from years of consistent interaction and engagement with the community.

According to the NiDCOM helmswoman, the commission is exploring innovative funding strategies, including working with the National Assembly committee on diaspora to enhance its financial capacity.

She proposed the establishment of a Diaspora Plaza, which she said would serve as a hub for Nigerians abroad to connect, engage with government officials, and learn about opportunities within the country.

Ms Dabiri-Erewa said several engagements were held at her residence during the yuletide, adding that many young Nigerians have resources and are willing to invite visitors to the country.

Addressing journalists after the session, the Senate Committee on Diaspora chairman, Victor Umeh (APGA-Anambra), expressed reservations about Nigeria’s readiness for diaspora voting.

Mr Umeh said Nigeria must first tackle the challenges confronting its electoral process before considering extending such rights to Nigerians in the diaspora.

He cautioned against allowing Nigerians in the diaspora to vote without reliable data and systems in place, which could have grave consequences.

“Yes, we are preparing for it. But I am saying that we need to put the enabling environment for it to succeed,” Mr Umeh said.

Mr Umeh said the committee would fight for increased funds for the commission in the 2025 budget.

The senator said funding had been the problem of NiDCOM and that the parliament was determined to support the commission in achieving its mandate.

“In the 2024 appropriation, the provisions were very poor. The National Assembly worked hard to add something to their budget.

“This year, again, we have seen how they operated last year under difficult circumstances, and again, we are going to make moves for them, and we will call on Mr. President to pay particular attention to the diaspora community,” he said.

The chairman said the diaspora community needed to be fully explored and tapped into by the government of Nigeria.

(NAN)