15 million Nigerians are estimated to be in the diaspora (Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NiDCOM), 2017). In a white paper published by PwC, titled: Strength From Abroad: The Economic Power of Nigeria’s Diaspora, PwC states that the remittances to Nigeria by Nigerians in the diaspora in 2018 stood at 23.63 billion dollars. It estimates that that figure could grow to US$25.5bn, US$29.8bn and US$34.8bn in 2019, 2021 and 2023 respectively. The report shows that remittances to Nigeria from the Nigerian diaspora represents:
- 83% of the Federal Government budget in 2018
- 11 times the Foreign Direct Investment Flows within the same period
- 7.4 times larger than the net official development assistance (foreign aid) received in 2017
- Official remittances have exceeded Nigeria’s oil revenues for four consecutive years, 2014 – 2018,
- About 6% of Nigeria’s GDP
Clearly, the Nigerian diaspora has demonstrated that they are a significant stakeholder in supporting and strengthening the Nigerian economy. But have they demonstrated the same in the political arena? Have they engaged effectively to strongly advocate and push for good governance and reforms designed to strengthen democracy and development in Nigeria?
On April 23, 2022, we are excited to host the #FixPoliticsDialogues, Diaspora Edition. We will engage in a vibrant conversation around the theme: Harnessing the Power of the Diaspora to Fix Politics in Nigeria.
One of the three mandates of #FixPolitics is to reform the constitutional, political, and electoral environment as a fundamental foundation for good governance to flourish. Through the #FixPoliticsDialogues, we provide a credible platform where Nigerian citizens at home and in the diaspora can engage in productive and purposeful dialogue that produces solution-driven ideas and recommendations that speak to good governance, transformative leadership, structural reforms democracy and development in Nigeria.
Join us!
#FixPoliticsDialogues Diaspora Edition on April 23, 2022 | 3pm – 5:30pm WAT.
Register here to be a part of the dialogue: fixpolitics.org/dialogues
