The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the Nigerian Mission in Saudi Arabia have renewed their commitment to strengthening diaspora engagement and promoting the positive contributions of Nigerians living in the Kingdom.
Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made this known when she received the Ambassador of Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, Dr Yakubu Gambo, and the Consul General in Jeddah, Ambassador Muazam Nayaya, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Dabiri-Erewa pledged the Commission’s continued collaboration with the Nigerian Mission to improve engagement with Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, while ensuring that their contributions to the country’s development are recognised and celebrated.
Speaking during the meeting, Ambassador Gambo said diaspora affairs had been made a priority since he assumed office, noting that diaspora issues were central to Nigeria’s foreign policy.
He disclosed that, “Contrary to popular belief, Saudi Arabia is home to many Nigerian professionals, including doctors, engineers, teachers, artisans and traders, as well as long-established Nigerian families.”
According to him, the Mission had directed various Nigerian associations in Saudi Arabia to organise themselves under one umbrella body to promote unity and create a more effective platform for engagement with the Embassy.
The Ambassador also highlighted some of the challenges confronting Nigerians in the Kingdom, particularly those in prisons and detention centres, as well as former inmates who are unable to return home after completing their jail terms because of outstanding fines.
The Consul General in Jeddah, Ambassador Muazam I.J. Nayaya, identified consular services as one of the major challenges facing the Mission, noting that officers issue dozens of Emergency Travel Certificates (ETCs) daily to Nigerians in detention centres.
Nayaya commended NiDCOM for its support in addressing the challenges faced by Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, particularly its intervention in the case involving Nigerian national Suleiman Alufa and other related matters.
Responding, Dabiri-Erewa commended the two envoys for their proactive efforts to engage Nigerians in Saudi Arabia and Jeddah. She described the initiative to bring the various Nigerian associations under one umbrella as a positive development that would promote greater unity and facilitate more effective engagement between the Nigerian community and the Mission.
The NiDCOM boss also stressed the need to highlight the achievements of Nigerians living in Saudi Arabia, noting that public attention often focuses on negative incidents involving Nigerians abroad.
“We only hear about the bad cases; we don’t hear about Nigerians excelling in Saudi Arabia. Now is the time to start celebrating them,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerians in Saudi Arabia to register on NiDCOM’s Diaspora Data Mapping Portal, stressing that accurate data would strengthen government planning, policy development and engagement with Nigerians in the diaspora.
She also called for greater support for Nigerian missions abroad, particularly those handling significant consular responsibilities and responding to the needs of Nigerians in difficult circumstances.
