NIGERIA: Shettima Woos Diaspora with Tinubu’s Reforms

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured Nigerians in the diaspora of greater involvement in the policies and programmes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, pledging that their contributions will play a central role in repositioning Nigeria globally.

Shettima gave the assurance during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian community in the United States on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Speaking on behalf of President Tinubu, the Vice President commended Nigerians abroad for their resilience and commitment to the country’s progress.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart but I will have to come back to the US again and have a more robust engagement with you. Each one of you has value addition capabilities in your own way, and your experience is not something you can buy in the market. You have earned it.”

He urged the diaspora community to continue believing in Nigeria, stressing that ongoing reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda were already yielding positive results.

“Continue to believe in Nigeria. Nigeria is on the right track. In the fullness of time, we will occupy our rightful place in the comity of nations,” he added.

Highlighting some of the administration’s achievements, Shettima noted that Nigeria’s foreign reserves were nearing the $40 billion mark, while states were recording increased revenues.

He also pointed to unprecedented investments in infrastructure, as well as youth and student empowerment programmes such as NELFUND.

He said: “Our foreign reserve is crossing the $40 billion mark, the subnationals are raking in trillions of naira and we are seeing unprecedented infrastructural investment across the entire country. We’re investing in the Nigerian youth and students as is the case with NELFUND.”

Earlier, the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, introduced some Nigerians making remarkable impacts abroad. She assured that under the Tinubu administration, diaspora issues were being given top priority.

Dabiru-Erewa emphasised: “Under this administration, it is easier for you to get your passport. Also, the non-resident Bank Verification Number (BVN) is now working. You don’t need to come home to get your BVN, and a lot of investment opportunities are now open and available. Most importantly, the economy is being transformed, and Nigeria is now a good place to invest.”

Some diaspora professionals expressed readiness to invest in key sectors, including mining, healthcare, artificial intelligence, fintech, creative industries, and agriculture. Among them were Amazon AI Engineer, Adebimpe Daniels; Healthcare Specialist, Saratu Garba; and Mr. Idoni Matthew, who praised the administration’s reforms in ease of doing business.