In a bid to ensure effective service delivery to Nigerians living abroad, the Nigerian Senate is pushing for autonomous budgetary provisions for the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), advocating for its separation from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the presentation of the budget defence report to the Appropriation Committee in Abuja, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Victor Umeh, emphasized the necessity of an independent budget for NIDCOM. He highlighted the commission’s crucial role in engaging and supporting Nigerians in the Diaspora, underscoring the need for it to have its financial autonomy.
Umeh emphasized the significance of NIDCOM’s autonomy, citing the disparity between the commission and other agencies that already benefit from independent budgetary provisions. He stressed that NIDCOM, as a commission established by an act of the National Assembly, merits its own budgetary allocation to better fulfill its mandate.
Highlighting the substantial contribution of Nigerians living abroad to the nation’s development, Umeh emphasized that the diaspora remitted a remarkable sum of 24 billion dollars to Nigeria in 2022. This substantial contribution underscores the need for NIDCOM to have the independent resources required to effectively engage and support the diaspora in their efforts towards national development.
