Enikanolaiye Pledges Stronger Collaboration With NIDCOM To Boost Diaspora Engagement

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to enhance diaspora engagement, formalise remittance flows and tackle challenges facing Nigerians abroad.

Enikanolaiye made the pledge while receiving NIDCOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and her management team during a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Abuja.

The minister said the Ministry’s foreign policy remains anchored on President Bola Tinubu’s 4D Foreign Policy, which prioritises Development alongside Democracy, Demography and Diaspora.

He described development as the central objective, saying it should translate into improved infrastructure, healthcare, education, job creation, food security and poverty reduction.

He also commended President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying recent gains in tackling insecurity were helping to create the conditions needed for economic growth and sustainable development.

On diaspora engagement, Enikanolaiye called for a structured system to capture remittance inflows through formal channels and urged greater collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

He noted that every state stands to benefit from engaging its diaspora community.

The minister further advocated stronger partnerships to facilitate technology transfer and encourage diaspora investment in sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture and housing.

He praised NIDCOM for its role in coordinating the repatriation of Nigerians, particularly those recently evacuated from South Africa, and urged Nigerian missions abroad to improve service delivery and promote the country’s interests more effectively.

Acknowledging funding challenges, Enikanolaiye said the Ministry would explore alternative sources of revenue, including leveraging assets at Nigeria’s foreign missions, while welcoming greater private sector participation to support both the Ministry and NIDCOM.

Earlier, Dabiri-Erewa outlined NIDCOM’s activities and thanked the Ministry for its support since the Commission’s establishment.

She identified inadequate funding and office accommodation as major challenges facing the agency.

She also announced that the fourth National Diaspora Merit Award would be held later this year to honour outstanding Nigerians living abroad and disclosed that work was ongoing to establish a diaspora trust fund to encourage investment in Nigeria.

Both parties pledged to deepen collaboration to maximise the contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora to national development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.