The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Diaspora

  • JAMB plans more examination centres in Diaspora

    JAMB plans more examination centres in Diaspora

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it will set up more examination centres in the Diaspora to cater for candidates willing to study in Nigeria.

    JAMB’s Head of Media and Information Dr Fabian Benjamin spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, in Lagos.

    According to him, the board will ensure more candidates get an opportunity to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) within and outside the country.

    He said this would also ensure that the examination was brought closer to candidates with the constraints of coming down to Nigeria to sit for the examination.

    “We have plans of conducting this examination in more foreign countries, such as the United States, and others.

    “We are working with the embassies of such countries, which are our contacts for the project.

    “The possibility of getting this actualised depends on how fast they are able to transact the arrangement and the level of sensitisation.

    “On our part, we are ready. All it takes to conduct the examination successfully are on ground,” he told NAN.

    NAN reports that the board also conducted the 2016 Computer-Based Test (CBT) in eight countries.

    It presently conducts its examination in Cameroun, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Ghana, Republic of Benin and others.

  • ‘How to harness $21b diaspora remittances’

    Diaspora remittances coming to Nigeria can play an important role in poverty reduction and fostering long-term economic growth, an international expert in agricultural economy, Dr  Kabir Kayode Salman,  has  said.

    The more than 30 million Africans living in the diaspora last year sent about $40 billion to their relatives and friends in Nigeria as remittances.

    With about $21 billion sent home by Nigerians in the diaspora last year, the country is the sixth largest receiver of remittances in the world, according to the Migration of Remittance Facebook 2016.

    Salman, a Senior  Lecturer, Agricultural Economics Department, University of Ibadan, stressed that such remittances could be a catalyst for investment and economic growth by supporting small business start-ups.

    He said Nigeria has experienced inflows of remittances, along with increasing unemployment rates and dwindling household welfare.

    In a study  he  did for  African Growth and Development Policy (AGRODEP) Modelling Group, Salman noted   that economic insecurity has been increasing in Nigeria in recent years, and this could discourage remittance recipients from investing the funds they receive.

    He  said: “Many people may prefer to keep their funds at home or in the bank and to use them solely for satisfying basic household needs or acquiring luxury.”

  • STELLA DAMASUS WINS LEAD ACTRESS DIASPORA AWARD

    STELLA DAMASUS WINS LEAD ACTRESS DIASPORA AWARD

    POPULAR Nollywood actress Stella Damasus, who is presently residing abroad was honoured with the award for Lead Actress Diaspora at the African Culture Image Awards (ACI) 2016 held recently.

    The actress, clinched the award for the role she played in ‘Affairs of the heart’, beating the likes of Lola Alao, Ranti Alore, Laide Bakare, Doris Simeon, Lola Faduri, Toyin Ogundipe, Mistura Asunramu, and Bukky Bello.

    Appreciating the new addition to her collection, she stated: “Special thanks to my executive producer Neville Sajere of Nevada Bridge Productions, my amazing director Robert Peters, giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a great film Affairs Of The Heart. To the organizers of the award, I say thank you and God bless you for honoring me”.

    Stella, who recently released her first ever studio album, ‘The Alternative in April, also a known lover of all things concerning hair, recently started writing an article for Hair’Volution (an online hair magazine).

  • Diaspora remittances hit $21b

    A total of $21 billion was remitted to the country by Nigerians in Diaspora in the last one year, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has said.

    Lawal who spoke during the 2016 Diaspora Day press briefing yesterday, said the Federal Government has approved waivers for drugs, roofing sheets, and other items imported by Nigerians in Diaspora to aid Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), for youth empowerment and enterprises development.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs, SGF Office, Olakunle Bamgbose, Lawal  said the Federal Government is partnering Nigerians in Diaspora so as to meet the needs of IDPs in the country.

    He said the Federal Government will only partner with Nigerians in Diaspora who are coming with solutions and are ready to contribute to national development.

    He said: “This year’s conference will take a complete departure from our past experiences, when our nationals come home only to highlight the challenges that confront our nation. The government and citizens of Nigeria at home are not ignorant of challenges as a nation. What our nation requires are solutions to specific problems.

    “This year’s conference, in essence, will focus on obtaining firm commitments from Nigerians in Diaspora, directed at solving some of our national challenges. This administration is ready to partner with Nigerians in Diaspora on how they can assist IDPs in the Northeast on how through medical interventions, they can improve healthcare delivery across the country and on how they can assist government in youth empowerment and employment generation.

    He said government has received commitments from Nigerians in line with the new thinking, saying we intend to obtain more commitments during the conference and as a follow-up to ensure that such commitments are redeemed.”

    Lawal, said this year’s conference would be declared open by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

  • Nigerians in Diaspora lauds Buhari, Kachikwu on Petrol Pricing

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group, has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for liberalizing petrol sales.The group described the action as the beginning of economic rebirth for
    the country. The group also said President Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, have carved niches for themselves in Nigeria’s history and deserving laurels for daring to do the right
    thing.

    A statement by the United Kingdom Coordinator of the group in Abuja, Adeka Onyilo, said: “The inherited rot that left Nigerians suffering on fuel queues was becoming an international embarrassment until President Buhari took the bull by the horn. “The cartel that acquire FOREX from government under the guise of importing petrol only embark on round tripping has been severed from the supply chain and should leave the government with some money to invest in other sectors that will touch the lives of citizens across board.

    “We however urged that the judicious and prudent management of the resources of Nigeria vested in the custody of the present government because this is important to the nation’s prosperity.” It further urged President Buhari and Kachikwu, to ensure that Nigerians who now have to pay realistic prices for petrol are not short-changed by fraudulent marketer who tamper with their meter to under dispense the
    product.

    “We further urge the Minister to enforce the price cap as reports indicate that some outlets still sell above the computed N145 per litre. Such development can only create the cover for those opposed to change to creep on the government and populace with another price hike or petrol scarcity citing the willingness of the people to pay more as excuse,” the group said in the statement.

  • Invest in real estate, Nigerians in diaspora urged

    The Managing Director of Livelihood Homes Limited, a Lagos-based real estate firm, Mr .

    Kelly Nwogu, has advised Nigerians living abroad to invest in landed property.

    He said Nigerians in the diaspora should channel part of their resources to owning or building a personal house in their country for a better future when they return home.

    He identified lack of trust and challenges of processing necessary documents as the major problem that scares Nigerians in foreign countries from purchasing landed property in Nigeria.

    “So many people have been duped by their friends, relatives and quacks in the process of trying to help them purchase properties. A number of others have also been frustrated by cumbersome processing of necessary title documents on landed property while on short visit to the country, hence, not a few of them want to buy properties anymore in Nigeria,” Nwogu said, advising Nigerians in diaspora to patronise registered real estate firms when buying landed property in the country.

    He explained that there are plans by his company to engage Nigerians living in South Africa on how best to own property in Nigeria without stress, especially through its various housing projects.

  • We’ll move Nigeria forward as quickly as possible, says Buhari

    We’ll move Nigeria forward as quickly as possible, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians in the diaspora of his administration’s determination to move the country forward as rapidly as possible.

    He spoke at an audience on Saturday in Washington with a group of Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various professions in the United States.

    President Buhari said that the present administration is fully committed to correcting the errors that have hindered Nigeria’s progress as a nation.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said: “We are determined to get things done properly this time and God willing, we shall succeed.

    “We are working diligently to correct our mistakes as a nation. We will rehabilitate and expand national infrastructure, and move forward as quickly as possible,” the President assured the group.

    He also said that his administration will maintain contacts with Nigerian professionals in the diaspora and see how they can be best placed to contribute effectively to national development if they choose to come back home.

    The President congratulated the five Nigerians he met with for their exceptional accomplishments, saying that he was very proud of them all.

    The Nigerians received by President Buhari included Prof. Austin Esogbue, the only African to have served on the board of the United States’ National Aeronautical Space Agency.

    Others were Jelani Aliyu, a leading car designer with General Motors, Prof. Nwadiuto Esiobu, a renowned Microbiologist and Biochemist, Dr. Yemi Badero, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and 13-year old Zuriel Oduwole who has interviewed 18 world leaders.

  • Nigerians in Diaspora to bring in waste management experts

    Nigerians in the Diaspora have promised to get investors to harness the potential in waste deposits in Lagos State.

    The United Kingdom All Progressives Congress (UK APC) Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Ali, made this known at a meeting with the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare.

    According to Ali, the project, when fully on stream, will earn huge revenue for the state, adding that it will also create several job opportunities.

    He said: “We are here because we are very concerned about the Nigerian environment and, particularly, Lagos State environment. We have met the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment to discuss partnership on how to invest in the Lagos environment.

    “We, in the diaspora, can help in this area. There is no much awareness on how to  keep a better environment by our people. The government is sending a lot of money to maintain a healthy environment.  We have suggested that effort should be redoubled create awareness on how the people can inculcate a better environment.

    “Those who drop waste into the drainage should be sanctioned. This is because anytime there is rain the whole place will be flooded. This can lead to a situation where the people will abandon their houses if they are submerged by water,” he said.

    “There is lot of money to be made in environmental development. We are looking at the area of waste water management, waste disposal and the turning of waste to wealth.

    “This will create conducive environment and generate job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youth. There are lots of thing in the areas that refuse are dump which can be turned to money.

    “That can also help the state to generate fund to finance some of its projects. The state cannot fund everything that is why we are talking of partnership with the government to assist the state. Government is going to make lots of money we cannot quantify because we are talking in terms of billions of dollars. Government is going make lots of money from the investors when they come.”

    Adejare  said the state was willing to partner organisations and individuals to make the state better.

    He said the government was working on proposals and projects that would make the state safe, clean and friendly, noting that it was high time people made cleanliness a way of life in view of the spread of diseases, such as Lassa Fever and others.

  • CBN extends BVN deadline for Diaspora customers

    CBN extends BVN deadline for Diaspora customers

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday extended the deadline for Bank Verification Number (BVN) registration from January 31 to June 30, 2016.

    CBN Director, Banking and Payments System Department, ‘Dipo Fatokun, said the extension followed observations by the CBN showing the low percentage of registration of Nigeria banks’ customers in Diaspora.

    The BVN registration involves capturing of customers’ physiological or behavioral attributes – fingerprint, signature among others has commenced in some banks’ headquarters and branches across the country.

    He said this may be attributed to lack of accessibility to registration centres and unavailability of registration centres in some cities where Nigerian population is high.

    “Consequently, all the commercial banks are hereby requested to note that BVN enrollment for Nigerian banks customers in Diaspora is hereby extended to June 30, 2016. This is to enable such customers complete the enrollment and link the BVN to their banks accounts,” he said in a statement.

    The CBN chief also said the regulator will deploy more registration centres for locations with high Nigerian population. He urged Nigeria banks’ customers in Diaspora to seize the opportunity of this extension to register and link their BVN to their bank accounts.

    The BVN registration for Nigerian bank customers ended last October. Fatokun explained that where an existing customer wishes to register the BVN with his/her bank, capturing his  signature and photo identification document may not be necessary, as the bank is expected to have those records during account opening.

    Also, where an existing customer wants to do a change of name, after his/her enrolment, on BVN, due diligence should be exercised and appropriate legal documents obtained, before the change is effected.

    Fatokun said the new directive is aimed at fast-tracking the enrolment, adding that banks are to give more attention to the enrolment of their customers.

  • Nigerians in Diaspora to bring in waste management experts

    Nigerians in the Diaspora have promised to get investors to harness the potential in waste deposits in Lagos State.

    The United Kingdom All Progressives Congress (UK APC) Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Ali, made this known at a meeting with the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare.

    According to Ali, the project, when fully on stream, will earn huge revenue for the state, adding that it will also create several job opportunities.

    He said: “We are here because we are very concerned about the Nigerian environment and, particularly, Lagos State environment. We have met the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment to discuss partnership on how to invest in the Lagos environment.

    “We, in the diaspora, can help in this area. There is no much awareness on how to  keep a better environment by our people. The government is sending a lot of money to maintain a healthy environment.  We have suggested that effort should be redoubled create awareness on how the people can inculcate a better environment.

    “Those who drop waste into the drainage should be sanctioned. This is because anytime there is rain the whole place will be flooded. This can lead to a situation where the people will abandon their houses if they are submerged by water,” he said.

    “There is lot of money to be made in environmental development. We are looking at the area of waste water management, waste disposal and the turning of waste to wealth.

    “This will create conducive environment and generate job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youth. There are lots of thing in the areas that refuse are dump which can be turned to money.

    “That can also help the state to generate fund to finance some of its projects. The state cannot fund everything that is why we are talking of partnership with the government to assist the state. Government is going to make lots of money we cannot quantify because we are talking in terms of billions of dollars. Government is going make lots of money from the investors when they come.”

    Adejare  said the state was willing to partner organisations and individuals to make the state better.

    He said the government was working on proposals and projects that would make the state safe, clean and friendly, noting that it was high time people made cleanliness a way of life in view of the spread of diseases, such as Lassa Fever and others.