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Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Federal Government, yesterday, said the $25 billion remittance by Nigerians in the Diaspora in 2018, represented 83 percent of the nation’s budget.
The amount, the government said, reflected the World Bank’s Migration and Remittances report released in April, 2018.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who made the disclosure during the 2019 National Diaspora Day event in Abuja, further said the figures amounted to about 6.1 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation further said the money is being utilised in the area of social security funds to families in paying school fees, feeding allowances, hospital bills including investment in housing and estate development, hospital projects, schools and commercial enterprises.
“There is urgent need to galvanise this into an investment fund for development,” Mustapha said.
He further said Nigerians in the Diaspora were the right connectors to propel government’s economic recovery and growth plan since they are at the cutting edge of technology and appropriately exposed at the international business community level.
“We therefore call on you to key into this and be the vanguard for its implementation. I encourage the Nigerians in the Diaspora to engage with Nigeria at the wider macro-economic level, especially in the organised private sector,” Mustapha stated6.
Mustapha added that there is an urgent need for unity among diaspora leaders and membership at large.
