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The Senate has called for an independent budgetary provisions for Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), via separating its budget from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Diasporial and Non Governmental Organisations, Senator Victor Umeh made the call on Monday in Abuja, while presenting budget defence report of the committee before Appropriation Committee.
Senator Umeh said the call became necessary following the importance of NIDCOM to activities of Nigerians in Diasporial.
“The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) should have an independent budget from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since it is a commission established by act of the National Assembly.
“There are other agencies who do not do much as NIDCOM, but have independent budgetary provisions” Senator Umeh said.
He said Nigerians in Diasporial were contributing to the nation’s development maximally, adding that 24billion dollars was remmited to Nigeria in 2022 by the diasporians.
Needs of the commission
He said despite the huge remmittance the allocation to the commission has remained too paultry to take care of the needs of the commission in the discharge of its mandate.
Senator Umeh said that Nigerians, who generate money from diasporial has various needs and challenges that requires NIDCOM attention and supervision, saying that the commission was not adequately funded to discharge the duties.
According to him, there is need to provide funds also to organise Diasporia Investment Summit in Canada, America, United Kingdom, in America, and other parts of the world to bring Nigerians together to partner Federal and state governments for investments .
This, he said could also help drive the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
“This one is critical, Diasporial Investment Summit, that one has economic value, you can not quantify the amount of money they remit to Nigeria,24billion dollars in 2022 alone,” he said.
The labour party senator, said there was the urgent need to improve the budgetary provision of NIDCOM, given the enamous challenges faced by the commission.
Seek solutions.
Senator Umeh said there was no way NIDCOM could travel to nations to seek solutions to the challenges of Nigerians abroad with the little budgetary allocation.
He said the committee approved the insertion of five new line items amounting to N1billion from the proposed N2.5 billion for approval of the appropriation committee.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, said NIDCOM actually required funding to function accordingly.
He said that the committee would pay attention to NIDCOM when reporting to Senate.