By Naomi Sharang
Abuja – Senate Committee on Diaspora, Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Societies has tasked the Nigerians Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to be more innovative in its approach to its functions.
Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, gave the task while on oversight to the commission in Abuja on Thursday.
While reacting to the challenges faced by the commission, Oloriegbe said that the commission needed to think out of the box to get a befitting building for its office.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that NiDCOM was recently driven out of its office in Jabi, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but now has an office at the Federal Secretariat.
Oloriegbe said: “You need to think innovatively and not to think of getting government fund alone to do such a thing.
“Based on budget, I’m sure one year budget cannot build you a house based on current situation; we know there is no money.
“Government can make a lot of contribution but you have a lot of partners including, Nigerians in the diaspora; they should be able to help out, you are service provider to them,” he said.
The chairman said that for the commission to be able to realise its targets, the commission needed business space.
He said that with a well designed business space, the commission would be able to seek for resources to make it more effective.
On the proposed National Diaspora Policy, he said that the committee would write the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be able to provide an update for the senate to fast track and make their own input.
Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chief Executive Officer of the commission, said that the national diaspora policy contained all the agencies the commission needed to partner with.
She said that in the policy, virtually every ministry should have a diaspora desk.
(NAN)
