The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) raised an alarm over the existence and prevalence of fraudulent Nigerian diaspora groups.
The commission raised the alarm in a letter signed by its Chairman/CEO, Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and addressed to Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of Service of the Federation, Abuja, with the title: ‘Phoney Nigerian Diaspora Groups’.
Dabiri-Erewa said the phoney diaspora groups “are set up with very questionable motives and are doing about misrepresenting the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission and the Diaspora in general.”
She recalled that the Federal Government set up the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission by an Act of the National Assembly “Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Establishment) Act 2017 to provide for the engagement of Nigerians in Diaspora in policies, projects, and participation in the development of Nigeria.”
She added that the commission was established to utilise the human, capital, and material resources of Nigerians in Diaspora toward the overall socio-economic, cultural, and political development of Nigeria and for related matters dated June 21, 2017.
According to her, NiDCOM is the lead agency for all Diaspora and related matters in Nigeria and should be consulted to authenticate any group on diaspora and related matters as it has a database of diaspora groups and relates with the Corporate Affairs Commission for their registration.
“Of recent, the Nigeria Diaspora Forum (NDF) advertised itself on various media.
“On checking it out, we discovered that it is not a registered group and we could not decipher its good intentions for engagement with Nigerians in the Diaspora.
“We have, therefore, put up a rebuttal on its activities to the general public and Nigerians in the Diaspora,” Dabiri-Erewa said in the letter.
The NiDCOM CEO, therefore, called on the head of service of the federation to let ministries, departments, and agencies note the development and to clarify with the commission any engagements with Diaspora groups before proceeding. (NAN)
By Sarafina Christopher
