By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
The Director-General of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who was the guest of the 48th session of the State House Ministerial Media Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, spoke on how actions of some unscrupulous Nigerians are painting everyone black before foreign embassies. She warned that illegal migration is becoming tough, hence, the need to go through it the legal way.
In the course of your presentation, you described the President as the most Diaspora friendly; we know the amount of pushback and your strong advocacy for the Diaspora voting has received, especially in the National Assembly. Do you think that this most Diaspora friendly President ought to have done more to put pressure on the National Assembly to pass the law?
You know that. Mr. President cannot go to Parliament and say you must do this and that. He has said several times that he’s not against Diaspora voting. INEC has said they’re not against Diaspora voting. I think what we need to do is just keep appealing to the National Assembly. I understand the fears and sentiments, which is the fact that okay, maybe our elections are not yet perfect. We’re still experimenting. But what I’m saying is that we need to sit down again, analyse the fears and see how we can go about it. So I don’t think Mr. President has anything to do with that. Despite being the most Diaspora friendly president, I’m hoping that the National Assembly will become the most Diaspora friendly National Assembly, and get their own title too. Even for the Diaspora themselves, we have been telling them, make it your own agenda. Every time you see the Parliamentarians, talk to them, and appeal to them. It is about lobbying and appealing and explaining those fears. For instance, they asked me okay, the law says 12 two thirds of the Diaspora vote, where does the vote go? And the answer is simple. Everybody comes from a state. So if you are a Lagosian and vote from London, it goes to Lagos. And then it’s INEC that will decide not the National Assembly. Let the National Assembly give INEC the power to start Diaspora voting when the infrastructure is ready. So I think it’s just more about lobbying and appealing and which you know is what we always do in the parliament.
So you said that there has been $20 billion dollars in remittance; is that per year or over a three year period and also how much in investment have you attracted over the last three years?
In terms of remittances. Yes, the $20 billion dollars is for 2021. So in 2017 they remitted $17 billion, in 2019 they had $25 billion. So it was even better during COVID that we thought was going to go down. It comes out every year. World Bank, Central Bank, it’s on their website. Then in terms of investments, like I said, by the time we do the next Diaspora investment summit, we will make it public. We don’t want to quote wrong figures. We work with the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Initiative. So by the next summit, we can be talking about the real actual figures.
During your presentation, you said our youths need to stop going to these unfriendly countries that end up taking their lives. How do you intend to go about getting them to stop?
It is about an inter-agency collaboration. They have to be massive awareness but I also tell you I was surprised that somebody still told me last week that they went somewhere they didn’t know. Look, we have to get over all this trying to hide under what we didn’t know; anybody that doesn’t know today that if you go to all these countries you will get into trouble is pretending not to know. Agents are a problem because some go through agents and some are trafficked but some just want to go. Some will tell you that my destiny is abroad, and I tell them that if it’s abroad, you have to go there legally, not illegally because it’s getting tougher. Half of the things we’re seeing and dealing with through our legal unit, you don’t even hear about it. Half of the people who cry for help, you don’t hear about them. But we will do what we can. So we need massive awareness. So, I’ll push that back to you, how can you help in propagating awareness about the dangers of irregular migration. Immigration Service has been doing their bit, same as NAPTIP, Refugee Commission; there has to be a more intentional decision to put it on the front burner. Honestly speaking, there are really pathetic stories. But we will keep at it.
Can we have updates on Itinu Babalola, you did say that the Nigerian government was going to seek justice for her. What was the update on that?
In the case of Itinu, yes, the case is in court and I don’t want to preempt what is in court but there are some sad things coming about that. Somebody visited her before she died. I’m saying this for the first time and that person is a Nigerian. If there was CCTV, they would tell us who that Nigerian is. And he’s one person who has been going about saying that he is doing some investigation. So it’s deeper than that. And when that comes out, you may be shocked. And again the father is still mourning and so it’s difficult. I really don’t want to but for somebody who is a Nigerian, who claims to be investigating, had a relationship with that girl and visited that girl and something happened to her. If it was a developed country and with CCTV, they would have pointed that guy out. So they’re looking at it and I don’t think with what we have seen so far that the police in Cote D’ Ivoire had anything to do with it. Sometimes we are our biggest enemies. So it’s deep, it’s loaded. You can report anywhere you want but something deep happened to that girl that points right back to who she called her friends. Who were her friends? Who actually implicated her? Who went to visit her, some male, dark, that claims he is investigating. But unfortunately, they themselves are handicapped, they don’t have CCTV, they don’t have anything, but the case is still there. But like the Minister of Foreign Affairs is still there but these deeper investigations may just point to the right path to her so called Nigerian friends.
Has the way the Nigerian media report issues affected our country negatively. If it has, what advice do you have for all Nigerian journalists and aspiring journalists?
Yes. You know when somebody goes on social media, and says now I’m in another country, I’ve left the zoo. You see, that person is attacking you, he is not attacking Buhari, he is not attacking the government. He’s insulting me and you and I will like the media to see that. You don’t have to like me or the government but don’t bring down your country. By the time you are reporting negatively about Nigeria, you’re bringing the whole country down and ultimately it affects every one of us. Now, it is more difficult for everybody to get visas. Whether you’re going to Canada, to the UAE or to America, it is difficult now as Nigerians. It is not because of Buhari, it is because of what you say about yourselves and how we behave. So, we need to come together and say bad behaviour is not acceptable.
You go to UAE, you bring cultism, kidnapping to another country, and the country is asking you please define cultism for us. Because they don’t know it, it is not in their laws and then you tell me that but you know it’s not everybody. I have said it here before, when some people in Dubai went and raided a bank in broad daylight, I said the bad will affect the good. Some attacked me and said, why did you mention names? The names I mentioned, Dubai said we’re not taking it lightly. And they sentenced them to life imprisonment. Normally, it might be a death sentence but they are there for life imprisonment. You go to another man’s country and you are engaging in cultism, killing each other in broad daylight. It is not right and you don’t want them to take a lot of hard measures?
Only recently, another Nigerian came with his American family and the children are amazed, the wife is amazed, that this is not what we read about Nigeria from Nigerians themselves. A lady wanted to celebrate her birthday in Nigeria. She’s done her DNA, she is Nigerian and said I am doing my 70th birthday in Nigeria, Nigerians told her don’t go. They will kidnap you, you will not come back alive. She came, she celebrated and she has been coming every year.
We are helping our country if we report right. I’m not saying don’t report what is happening but we don’t have to tell lies and exaggerate and we don’t report the good stories. And that’s why we’re doing our own little bit. By the time our online Radio Station comes on stream, we’ll be doing all we can and that is why we are doing all we can with the media now but we are limited. We’re not funded, it is goodwill that has helped us this far. So yes, the bad stories do affect the perception of our country, Nigeria.
I was in the UK when a parliamentarian boarded the office. I was there. I don’t think I saw much of it in the media. It was mentioned and all that. When the IRA was terrifying the UK and for those of you who do not know there was an unwritten policy that no British media should show the guy talking. They can show his face but they will not track him saying rubbish. But here, we’re showing terrorists, Boko Haram, celebrating them and you think those ones won’t be fueled? They will be fueled. They are enjoying it, they are watching what you are showing and they are clapping for themselves.
So, honestly media, you’re part of development. You’re part of progress. Present an individual but to bring your country down, I always go against it. One girl went to Russia, she said she was doing a competition and she went to carry a Nigerian flag with blood stains. Why? Then don’t represent Nigeria. And guess what? They extradictated her from that country. You went to Russia of all places, she didn’t win and was even sent out. You guys don’t know that.
Well, yes. Look, I am a proud Nigerian anytime and I always go with my head held high. And anyone that condemns my country I attack them. Attack me, attack Mr. President, attack individuals but not your country. However, we should remember that while we have those bad Nigerians, we have many good ones. If you give me one Nigerian fermenting trouble, I will give you 10,000 others doing good.
How does NIDCOM get funded and what are you doing as commission to ensure that you get more funds or become self-sustaining?
Yes. We are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually. Is whatever they give us that we have to spend. Our total budget this year is N160 million, overhead is N8 million per month. But we think outside the box and get these things done. We work as a team, looking at other ways of ensuring that we get funding. We have to reach out to corporate bodies etc. But we don’t put funding as a major thing. Money is never enough, we can do with a lot more but we’re hoping they get more but most importantly is that we should be aiming to see how we can increase funding; if we generate funds, it will go to the federation accounts but it’s something that we keep thinking about and see how we can even minimize what we even spend as a commission. That is why we are very strict with whatever kobo we spend as a commission. Yeah, and we still don’t even have a proper office space, there is a space we are managing at the federal secretariat.
But I think you should clap for us that despite no funding, no office space, but we’re engaging our Diaspora.
The Diaspora direct investment is supposed to inspire more people to invest. But just weeks ago, the Senate was lamenting just like every other Nigerian about the escalating wave of insecurity that is also inhibiting investment happening in the country. How do you intend to inspire confidence such that there’ll be sustainable investment in Nigeria?
Yeah, definitely, we can’t pretend like everything is perfect. In fact, there is a lady that came into Nigeria to invest two weeks ago with four Americans but she left from Lagos. I said I am waiting for you, she said I’m so sorry. I couldn’t come again. They were advised to leave through Lagos, because Abuja was on fire. I’m like, there’s insecurity no doubt but we are all here. So this insecurity by the grace of God is a temporary one with everything being put in place by the government. All these that NAF is bombarding, how come it is not trending? So there’s insecurity, we have issue on terrorism, kidnapping, banditry but we are doing everything to resolve them, everybody has his own issues one way or the other. So I am encouraged more by those who say, Oh, I’m going home. Those who say I went to my village and this is what I’m doing than those who will say oh, lets discourage you.
Look, well, there was a case in one of the South Western states. The guy was killed but it turned out to be that some family person was after him. We are on it with the police. We are in touch with the family. I think the fact that we have one on one engagement with them is encouraging to them. There’s someone always handling the police matters, and he keeps briefing us.
There are those who don’t need any persuasion; they are coming on their own. They are Nigerians, they know the country. So, I don’t have to go persuading but I will tell you this is the truth, and advising that there are places you shouldn’t go but you can do A, B, C, D and then we can help you do A, B, C, D.
What’s the update with the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Trust Fund (NDITF), which President Muhammadu Buhari endorsed its establishment back in January?
On the Diaspora Investment Trust Fund, we made tremendous progress. Don’t forget that it is a NIDCOM thing but we are not doing it alone. The Ministry of Finance is fully involved so the next step now in the final kickoff, we are seeing the minister of finance, because there’s been a presidential directive on it. We are happy with the progress and I guess the point is, if you are asking people to invest, what is the government also putting on the table? And she has come up with some fantastic ideas.
As regards the continuing education of Nigerian students that were evacuated from Ukraine because of the Russia Ukraine crisis in March, you mentioned that there have been other avenues for continuing education for these students. What and what institutions in Ukraine have opened their doors for Nigerian students to continue their education? And how about those whose programmes were interrupted and had to find a way to continue their programmes within Nigeria and what’s the update on that?
There’s a website and there’s a portal. If you want to continue education, again, it is a matter of choice, go to the portal. And I think the last time I spoke to the director in charge, she said 403 students actually enrolled. But a lot of them are trying private universities. Some universities are saying we can give you scholarships if you qualify. Caleb University offered 10 scholarships, Afe Babablola also said they should come. So it’s ongoing but the key thing again is that some institutions, particularly in the medical world, discovered that when they put them through some examinations, they actually didn’t pass with the level that they felt they should. So, if I own an institution and you say you are in your final year, and you cannot pass the exam and they say go to year three, of course the student will not want to go. So there were some issues with that and I think it’s being resolved. And then the issue of can you be a medical student and be doing your practicals online; so some wanted to be doing their practicals online and the medical schools here said no that that cannot be acceptable. But there’s an ongoing conversation. And I believe as of the last time I spoke to those involved, they have agreed what they should do and how they should do it.