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Tag: NiDCOM

  • NIDCOM faults firm on apology request, others

    NIDCOM faults firm on apology request, others

    The management of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has faulted Optiva Capital Partners Limited’s request  for an apology and retraction of the press statement issued by the former last Wednesday.

    In a statement, the commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, described the action of the firm as ‘an attempt to be clever by half’.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the commission has been drawn to another publication sponsored in the media by the Optiva Capital Partners Limited through the law firm of Babalakin & Co, asking for an apology and retraction of the press statement issued last Wednesday.

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    “The management views this latest Media and legal threat as an attempt to be clever by half, when the same Optiva Capital Partners Limited through its Managing Director/CEO, Dr Jane Kimemia wrote the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on January 24 admitting that they had not properly followed laid down procedure  in their earlier rushed announcement while also sending emissaries to NiDCOM seeking for partnership and understanding of its proposed Diaspora Investor Direct Investment (DIDI) product which it admitted , is still in the planning stage.

    “NiDCOM had also welcomed their letter and reiterated that our responsibility is to ensure we protect the interests of hardworking and committed Nigerians abroad, willing to invest at home and will not bow to any form of threat, blackmail and intimidation.”

  • Help Nigerians in Egyptian prisons, Igboho begs President, NiDCOM

    Help Nigerians in Egyptian prisons, Igboho begs President, NiDCOM

    Yoruba Nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (popularly called Sunday Igboho), yesterday expressed concern over alleged deaths and torture of some Nigerians in Egyptian prisons.

    He urged President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to intervene in the plight of Nigerians undergoing serious hardships in Egypt prison for alleged immigration offences.

    Igboho raised the alarm through his spokesperson Olayomi Koiki in a statement The Nation obtained yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The statement reads: “I have been receiving calls in the last two weeks from some of these detained Nigerians and their relatives over degrading and inhuman treatment they are facing without any intervention from the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo.

    “I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, who is compassionate and has a listening ear, to come to the rescue of these helpless Nigerians.

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    “While I don’t condone any form of illegality, I feel pained and worried over their pathetic situation. But timely intervention of our President at this crucial time can still save the detainees from further suffering and imminent deaths.”

    “Unfavourable economic condition in Nigeria, which became aggravated during the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, further forced many Nigerians who cannot afford to relocate to Europe and the United States of America due to excruciating hardship, to travel by roads to Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and other African countries in search of greener pastures.

    “If successive governments at the federal level before the advent of Tinubu’s presidency had created an enabling socioeconomic atmosphere for individuals to explore their potentials and provided good governance, Nigerians in their thousands would not be leaving the country for uncertainty in foreign countries…

    “The critical involvement of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), headed by Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Arewa, in the pitiable conditions of these categories of Nigerians is key to ensuring that the needful is done to address this problem. NiDCOM has been involved in protecting the fundamental human rights of Nigerians in Diaspora with accolades.”

  • NiDCOM, NIMC plan easy NIN collection for Diaspora

    NiDCOM, NIMC plan easy NIN collection for Diaspora

    The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and the Director General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mrs. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, have assured Nigerians in the Diaspora that they will get their National Identity Number (NIN) in good time and without stress.

    The NiDCOM and NIMC bosses spoke at a parley where they fine-tuned the strategy for easy delivery of NIN to Nigerians in the Diaspora.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by NiDCOM’s spokesman Gabriel Odu said NIMC would set up a Diaspora Focal Point Desk to resolve such issues within 24 hours.

    The statement reads: “Mrs. Coker-Odusote noted that the self-service application, which will be launched in February this year, will be done in a contactless and seamless fashion.

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    “The NIMC DG further stated that since her assumption of office as the current head of the commission, one of her numerous lines of action is to form a stronger alliance with NiDCOM to provide quality service delivery and a hassle-free system for Nigerians abroad.

    “In addition, the NIMC CEO informed that a Diaspora Focal Point Desk will be setup in NIMC Office to resolve issues within 24 hours.

    “She applauded Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa for her forward-thinking strategy, having recognised the pivotal role of the Diaspora Commission and plans to work extensively with NiDCOM.

    “The chairman of NiDCOM, while receiving the NIMC delegation, thanked them for innovating a brilliant idea.

    “According to Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, this system will easily allow Nigerians in the Diaspora to link their NIN with their international passports.

    “The NiDCOM boss congratulated Mrs. Coker-Odusote on her latest appointment, assuring that the commission was ever ready to assist NIMC in whatever capacity needed.”

  • NiDCOM, VON agree to partner on building Nigeria’s image

    NiDCOM, VON agree to partner on building Nigeria’s image

    The Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Jibrin Baba Ndace, have agreed to work more closely to address the negative narratives about Nigerians abroad. 

    The duo said that by highlighting positive reports about Nigeria and Nigerians both at home and abroad, the rest of the world would begin to see the country in a different light. 

    The agreement was reached when the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Baba Ndace, and the VON Management team visited the Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa in her office in Abuja.

    A statement by Gabriel Odu, Media, Publicity and Protocol, NIDCOM quoted Dabiri-Erewa as saying that “Nigeria’s image can be made or marred, by the level of reputation management invested by Nigerians, home and abroad. 

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    “She is equally aware that bad news travels very fast; which is the reason that Nigerians must conduct themselves with a high sense of decorum and prestige as good ambassadors to help spread positive news about Nigeria.

    “To that extent, the NIDCOM Boss stated that VON has largely portrayed Nigeria positively as an external arm of Radio Nigeria. 

    Dabiri-Erewa, therefore, congratulated the VON DG, as she envisions more collaborations between both Organisations. “

    Jibrin Baba Ndace, DG VON, on his part according to the statement noted, “that one of his primary concerns is to re-establish the existing VON-NiDCOM relationship to restrategise on key programmes adding that the more content that will promote Nigeria than taint its image will be expanded.

    “Also, his line of action is to establish more Diaspora correspondence, via freelancing, as well as, include Portuguese and Asian languages to the existing Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulfude, French, Arabic, English, and Swahili languages for news transmission. 

    “Ndace commended the NiDCOM Boss whom he described as a passionate and dedicated Nigerian through her years as a Broadcast Journalist and Politician. The history of NiDCOM is incomplete without you, whether you remain as the chairman or not.”

  • NiDCOM disowns unregistered Abuja diaspora group

    NiDCOM disowns unregistered Abuja diaspora group

    • Commission warns MDAs, embassies of phoney group

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has denied any knowledge of an unregistered diaspora group.

    The commission warned Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as well as embassies and high commissions to beware of phoney diaspora groups with apparent sinister and political ulterior motives.

    It said such fake groups were parading themselves as authentic diaspora organisations with the intent to deceive the public.

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, named a group, the Nigeria Diaspora Forum (NDF), which claimed it had established an office in Abuja for the welfare of Nigerians in the Diaspora.

    “The so-called forum, an arm of the Labour Party (LP), masquerading as a diaspora group, is not even registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

    “We are aware that all registered political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNP)P and even LP, have diaspora chapters and support groups outside the country and do work to promote and champion their parties’ ideals.

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    “It is equally sinister that an unregistered body with the Corporate Affairs Commission will fraudulently and boldly announce the setting up of an office to oversee the welfare of Nigerians in Diaspora in Abuja.

    “This is no doubt an attempt to fraudulently hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public, ministries, departments and agencies, embassies, high commissions as well as state and local governments.

    “We hereby advise all government agencies at both the federal and state levels as well as the diplomatic community to always double-check with NiDCOM the status of such groups as NiDCOM has a data base of all registered diaspora groups,” the statement said.

    “NiDCOM is using this opportunity to also remind all that states have diaspora focal persons who are readily available to handle issues relating to their diaspora.

    “NiDCOM is the only commission mandated by an Act of Parliament to oversee the welfare of Nigerians in the diaspora, in the last four years.

    “It has been, and will continue to fulfill its mandate, while also working with genuine Nigerian diaspora groups, associations and individuals,” the statement said.

  • NiDCOM to investigate ‘killing’ of Nigerian student in Philippines

    NiDCOM to investigate ‘killing’ of Nigerian student in Philippines

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has promised to investigate the gruesome murder of a Nigerian student in the Philippines, who is simply identified as Ikem.

    He was said to have been murdered by some Chinese.

    NiDCOM in a statement signed by Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Mr. Abdur-Rahman Balogun, however, said the incident was yet to be reported to the Nigerian Embassy in Philippines.

    The three-paragraph statement said: “The attention of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has been drawn to a viral social media news item on the death of a Nigerian student, identified as Ikem, who was allegedly murdered by a group of Chinese in the Republic of Philippines.

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    “Although the matter has not been officially reported to the Nigerian Embassy in the Philippines, NiDCOM has asked the “ eyewitness “ who posted the gory incident on his social media handle to provide more details to the commission’s  e-mail —admin@nidcom.gov.ng.”

    “The commission will set the machinery in motion to investigate the matter and unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident. “

  • NiDCOM petitions Egyptair over Nigerian passenger’s death 

    NiDCOM petitions Egyptair over Nigerian passenger’s death 

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has written a petition to the management of Egyptair on the death of a Nigerian passenger, Ms. Remilekun Toyosi Meshioye, on board the airline’s aircraft in Cairo on September 4, 2023.

    NiDCOM Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, explained that the commission wrote the petition following the non-responsive attitude of Egyptair on the incident.

    In a personal letter delivered by the commission’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun to the General Manager of the airline in Abuja office, Mr. Majdi Al Aridi, the NiDCOM boss described the death of Ms. Meshioye as sad and painful.

    She said NiDCOM’s attention was drawn to a petition written by a United Kingdom-based elder sister of the deceased Nigerian passenger on behalf of her family. 

    Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa noted that since the death of Meshioye on board of the airline from Lagos to Cairo, the management of the Egyptair had not deemed it fit to contact any member of the family nor her next of kin, as contained in her particulars before boarding the aircraft. 

    “It is surprising that Egyptair management has not deemed it fit to contact any members of Remilekun’s family to break the sad news to them nor condole with them. It has not responded as well to NiDCOM’s petition since Wednesday, September 13, 2023,” the petition said.

    On behalf of the Meshioye family and the Federal Government of Nigeria, NiDCOM said it was asking for detailed information on what led to the death of Ms. Remilekun Toyosi Meshioye aboard EgyptAir on that fateful day.

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    Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, who has since condoled with the family and prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased, assured them that justice would be served on the late Ms. Meshioye’s behalf.

    The late Ms. Meshioye, 41, who was travelling to London to resume her studies, left Lagos onboard Egyptair MS 876 flight to Cairo on Monday, September 4 via Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

    She took ill onboard and was brought out dead from the aircraft at the Cairo International Airport in Egypt. 

    The family, according to Mrs. Olufunmilola Olaniyi-Alabi, said the airline did not inform them about the passenger’s death.

    She said the family got information about their daughter’s death through a message from the Nigeria Consular office in Cairo.

    “Please, we need to know what exactly happened to Remilekun and how to get her corpse back to Nigeria for a peaceful burial as well as all her belongings in the custody of the airline,” Mrs. Olaniyi-Alabi added.