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National Assembly Rejects Diaspora Voting As Nigerians Spend N60Billion On ‘Detty December’ Visits

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January 17, 2025

She revealed this figure while appearing before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Diaspora to defend the commission’s 2025 budget.

Nigerians living abroad spent more than N60 billion during their visits to the country in December 2024, according to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

She revealed this figure while appearing before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Diaspora to defend the commission’s 2025 budget.

Dabiri-Erewa emphasised the immense contributions of the diaspora community, stating, “Remittances alone in the last five years have been over $90 billion.

“This December, of course, you know, it is not less than N60 billion in what they spent coming to Nigeria. It could grow, but it is just scratching the surface.”

She praised their role in boosting the economy and said, “You know, we’ve reached a stage where in the last five years, we’ve shown that the diaspora is a powerful force, resource, and we cannot ignore them.”

Meanwhile, Senator Victor Umeh, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora, expressed concerns over Nigeria’s readiness for diaspora voting.

“We must get properly organised before we open up to people voting from outside Nigeria,” Umeh said.

The Diaspora Voting Right Bill, which seeks to amend the Electoral Act, 2022, to enable Nigerians abroad to vote, is still awaiting a public hearing.

Umeh warned, “If you are not prepared with your data that is reliable, you can finish all the elections in Nigeria, and you say, I’m waiting for votes that will come from America. Somebody will throw three million votes from there.”

Dabiri-Erewa proposed innovative projects such as a Diaspora Plaza to connect Nigerians abroad with opportunities at home. She noted, “Some of them are getting into local communities, local businesses.

“Even now, the most impressive one that we worked with, they want to start training young people in digital technology.”

Umeh called for increased funding for NIDCOM, saying, “Funding has been the problem of NIDCOM, and we are determined as a parliament to support them and help them.”

The senator assured that the committee would fight for a budgetary increase, stressing that the diaspora community remains vital to Nigeria’s development.