Unfounded Fears for Diaspora Commission Bill

Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Matters, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (ACN/Lagos), had at the onset provided a synopsis of the bill to enable her colleagues understand the import of the bill before them. However, subsequent events showed that some of the lawmakers were either not attentive or simply chose to ignore the brief explanations on the bill.

Hence, some lawmakers who were supposed to assist in the making of the law chose to work in the opposite direction and had almost snuffled the life out of the bill before intervention came.

Leading the pack of the opposition to the bill was Hon. Goni Bukar Lawan (ANPP/Yobe) who said the bill should be discarded because there was no need to create a commission for Nigerians living abroad. According to him, these people are not deserving of such a platform because they are doing more harm than good to the country, given the involvement of some of them in credit card fraud, advance fee fraud, drug trafficking and other criminal acts.

This argument was, however, countered by Hon. Essien Ekpenyong Ayi (PDP/Cross River) who rose in defence of the bill and sought to enlighten those opposed to it on the immense contribution of Nigerians in the Diaspora to the country and the world. Ayi drew the attention of the House to the several exploits of notable Nigerians who have excelled in various fields of endeavour in Europe and America. He also disclosed that in other parts of the world, harnessing Diaspora potential had become the norm.

Regional Sentiments
Though the debate lasted only for a short-while, the underlying emotions, intrigues and sentiments were apparent. It was obvious that the lawmakers opposed to the bill were from a particular geo-political zone known for its perennial conservatism and strong resistance to change. But some of them were to apologise later that they were vehemently opposed to the bill because they thought it was another version of an earlier bill which they equally blocked from passage.

Leading the pack of the opposition to the bill was Hon. Goni Bukar Lawan (ANPP/Yobe) who said the bill should be discarded because there was no need to create a commission for Nigerians living abroad. According to him, these people are not deserving of such a platform because they are doing more harm than good to the country, given the involvement of some of them in credit card fraud, advance fee fraud, drug trafficking and other criminal acts.

The proposed legislation they had mistaken for the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Bill was the bill which sought to make provisions in the law to grant Nigerians living abroad the right to cast their votes from abroad during general elections in Nigeria. Even the opposition to the Diaspora vote bill is still the subject of controversy because, on the one hand, Nigerian lawmakers usually applaud such policies when it is practised in other countries, but on the other, they have consistently insisted that Nigeria is not ripe for it.

Beneath the opposition to these two bills lies the primordial sentiment that things should remain as they have always been, as any departure from the status quo could adversely impact regional interests and thwart certain political advantages conferred on certain sections of the country. But it turned out to be sheer sentiments and unfounded fears.

While the arguments and counter-arguments lasted, those bent on stalling the NIDCO bill voted down every clause of the bill, a technique which is normally applied to give a bill the technical knockout and would confine it to the dustbin of the legislature.
But to save the bill from being thrown out, the deputy speaker quickly ruled that the House would halt consideration of the bill till further notice to allow for more consultation and clarification on the essence of the proposed legislation.

Rationale for Commission
The   desire to establish a Diaspora Commission in Nigeria has been on the drawing board since the creation of the Committee on Diaspora during the sixth session of the House of Representatives. The idea was to have a one-stop agency to deal with Diaspora matters instead of the current system where various agencies and institutions handle bits and pieces of Diaspora matters. Although the bill reached an advanced stage during the last session of the parliament, the process of its passage was not fully completed; hence it was re-enlisted, re-gazetted and presented to the current session of the parliament for consideration.

Sponsor of the bill, Dabiri-Erewa, said the NIDCO bill was an attempt by the legislature to articulate the issues of Diaspora and bring them under one roof to make things work better. Diaspora issues, she said, are currently on the front burner all over the world and Nigeria cannot afford to pay lip service to it.

According to her, “This is just a commission to deal with Diaspora matters and harness our human resources that are outside the shores of our country. A lot of Nigerian professionals and business people abroad want to contribute to the economy but they do not know where to go and how to link up with the system. We are talking about Nigerians in Diaspora who remit about $20 billion annually to Nigeria; we are talking of some of the brightest brains in the world and they are not asking for anything other than seeking ways to contribute to the development of our country. Among them we have the medical doctors bringing in hospital equipment; we have professors wanting to come over to do their sabbatical in our universities and they are all looking for a platform to connect with the system.

“You have the African Union dealing with African-Diaspora and if Nigeria is not there they are going to leave us behind again. Some countries in Africa have full Ministries of Diaspora. As a committee, we have been like a link between them and the government but we cannot do it all. So it is important to have this commission to provide a platform for these Nigerians in Diaspora. We have also been talking with some state governments to have a Directorate of Diaspora. You will find out that when you engage these enormous human resources that we have abroad, it will be a win-win situation for the Nigerians in Diaspora and Nigeria itself.”

According to her, “This is just a commission to deal with Diaspora matters and harness our human resources that are outside the shores of our country. A lot of Nigerian professionals and business people abroad want to contribute to the economy but they do not know where to go and how to link up with the system. We are talking about Nigerians in Diaspora who remit about $20 billion annually to Nigeria; we are talking of some of the brightest brains in the world and they are not asking for anything other than seeking ways to contribute to the development of our country. Among them we have the medical doctors bringing in hospital equipment; we have professors wanting to come over to do their sabbatical in our universities and they are all looking for a platform to connect with the system.

Diaspora Organisations
In many countries of the world today, Diaspora institutions operate at the national or federal level while others operate at the local level. In some countries, Diaspora institutions operate as government ministries, sub-ministries, special offices, including Diaspora committees and commissions, as well at the local level.

This categorisation is useful because an institution’s position within the government hierarchy in many ways affects its influence within and outside of the government, as well as its mandate and effectiveness.

Research has shown that since 2001, a number of developing countries have established full-fledged ministries for the purpose of addressing the needs of Diaspora populations. One of the earliest examples in the developing world is Haiti’s Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad, which was created in 1995.

The ministry is designed to encourage the participation of Haiti’s Diaspora communities in technical and professional activities to advance the country’s development efforts. The ministry informs the Diaspora population of economic trends in Haiti and encourages them to return and invest in the country.

In India, the Ministry for Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), which was established in 2004, was meant to address lack of government policy coordination on migration. The MOIA has programmes that reach out to Indians living abroad, particularly the youths, and harness their potentials for the benefit of the Indian economy. It focuses on developing stronger economic links with the Diaspora population, mainly by encouraging the transfer of financial and human capital held by these Indians to their home country.
Similarly, Serbia has a ministry dedicated to encouraging the return of young experts and the prevention of further brain drain in the country. In line with this goal, the ministry created an economic council that includes experts from the homeland and the Diaspora to establish a virtual business network that would house information on relevant organisations, individuals and investment opportunities.

Back here in the West African sub-region, Mali has already embraced the Diaspora concept and created the Ministry of Malians Abroad and African Integration. In the Republic of Benin, the government has created the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, African Integration, the Francophone Community, and Beninese Abroad to manage its relations with its citizens living abroad.

The ministry’s objectives, among others, are to provide humanitarian assistance to Beninese abroad in the case of mass deportations or expulsions; inform the Diaspora population on government policies; and propose measures to create favourable conditions, allowing Beninese abroad to contribute to the development of their country.
Similar setups can also be found in other African countries such as Tunisia, where the Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity and Tunisians Abroad has been created, and in Somalia, where the Ministry for Diaspora and Community Affairs equally exists.

In all these countries, the establishment of either a separate Diaspora ministry or a hybrid one is as a result of government’s recognition that traditional ministries like labour and foreign affairs cannot manage the expatriate portfolio in all its dimensions.

Unlike other institutions which occupy lower positions in the hierarchy of government, Diaspora ministries generally enjoy more consistent budgetary allocation, support from the top of government and, interestingly, a more explicit development-oriented mandate. Their existence also signifies that the government accords Diaspora engagement the highest political importance.

The Nigerian Case
In Nigeria, the proposed bill seeks to establish the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to provide a platform for the engagement of Nigerians living abroad. The commission will be saddled with the responsibility of coordinating policies and projects as well as galvanising participation of Diaspora Nigerians in the development of the country.

Part of the functions of the commission is to register every adult citizen of Nigeria who resides outside the country as a member of Nigerians in Diaspora in his/her respective continent and any other continent to which they might relocate from the commencement of the legislation. The commission is also expected to facilitate the issuance of national identity cards to registered Nigerians in Diaspora, and assist government in policy formulation and implementation in the areas where professional expertise is required.

The legislation would ultimately create the institutional environment for the harnessing of the vast human, capital and natural resources of Nigerians in Diaspora towards the overall socio-economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria.

The proposed commission will be under the presidency with a governing board made up of people of high integrity. The chairman and members of the board shall be appointed by the president subject to the confirmation of the National Assembly.

Part of the functions of the commission is to register every adult citizen of Nigeria who resides outside the country as a member of Nigerians in Diaspora in his/her respective continent and any other continent to which they might relocate from the commencement of the legislation. The commission is also expected to facilitate the issuance of national identity cards to registered Nigerians in Diaspora, and assist government in policy formulation and implementation in the areas where professional expertise is required.

The commission is also meant to proffer mechanisms for identifying and involving qualified Nigerian experts in developing relevant policies and operations in all sectors of Nigeria where such mechanisms shall extend to for implementation and success, and to invest and execute meaningful projects in collaboration with various federal ministries departments and agencies as well as the organised private sector.

The fact is that the world will not wait for Nigeria on any issue but Nigeria must endeavour to catch up with the world on all issues in an increasingly globalised economy.  A few days ago, the United Nations organised the “2011 World Forum on the Diaspora Economy” in New York. The event  was  facilitated by the UN  General Assembly  where countries  like Gabon, Senegal, Ghana, Philippines, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia were  fully represented at  the governmental level  but Nigeria was  conspicuously absent.

The choice before the Nigerian parliament is to keep the country perpetually in the club of the underdeveloped world or tap into the overflowing potentials of Nigerians living abroad and make the country a major player in global affairs. The first step in this direction is supporting the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Bill to provide the platform for harnessing this great human capital in foreign lands.