NO fewer than 600,000 Nigerians, including students, are currently residing in Turkey, The Nation has learnt.
However, about 70 per cent of this people are irregular migrants.
Vice President of Nigerian Community in Turkey Enifome Ubogu said many Nigerians in Turkey are undocumented as they don’t have legal papers or residency permits to remain in the country.
Ubogu, who is also the chief executive officer of Vuslat and Fome Nigeria Limited, stated this during a chat with reporters in his office in Abuja after a two-day Nigerians in Diaspora Investment Summit organised by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
He said: “Turkey is a very lovely country. The government hardly deports illegal immigrants perhaps due to the fact that it takes a lot of documentary works to do that. Nigerians should know that when you go to a country, the first thing you do is to make sure you are legitimate in the country.
“Most of Nigerians living in Turkey, like 70 per cent, are undocumented. Some have expired residency or visa. We Nigerians create these problems for ourselves because we know what we do. The Nigerian government won’t come to Turkey to force the country to give us residency.
“Nigerians abroad should always follow the right protocol to get a valid residency.”
Speaking on government’s initiative for diasporans to shift from remittance to diaspora investment, Ubogu said it was a step in the right direction.
He, however, urged the government to provide the enabling environment for the idea to thrive.
According to him, the initiative would give more citizens abroad the confidence to invest in the country.
“Yearly, Nigerians in Turkey make about $20 million remittance to Nigeria. But, what is the output of these investments? Most times, we hear a lot about situations where people send money to their relatives for investment, but the money is diverted for other purposes.
“But, this NDIS platform, if harnessed properly, would make investors more confident in bringing their money to the country knowing that they are safe,” he said.
Ubogu also condemned the idea of multiple exchange rates, saying it would hinder diaspora investment.
He, therefore, urged the government to ensure uniformity of foreign exchange.
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