Why Nigeria Diaspora Strategy Must Go Beyond NIDO

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An important debate has emerged about the role of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, in Nigeria’s diaspora engagement.

Some have argued that NIDO is being sidelined and that Nigeria’s diaspora strategy cannot succeed unless the organisation is restored to the centre of policymaking.

While that concern is understandable, it overlooks a bigger reality. Nigeria’s diaspora is far larger, more diverse and more dynamic than any single organisation can represent.

There is no disagreement about the value of the diaspora. Nigerians abroad contribute billions of dollars annually through remittances, investments, professional expertise and international business networks.

According to World Bank data, remittances to Nigeria have remained above 20 billion dollars annually in recent years, making the country one of Africa’s largest recipients of diaspora inflows.

The real question is not whether the diaspora matters. It is whether Nigeria’s engagement should be built around one organisation or around the widest possible network of stakeholders.

The answer should be obvious.

The Nigerian diaspora includes doctors in London, technology entrepreneurs in Toronto, academics in Brussels, investors in Houston, engineers in Dubai and business leaders across Africa, Europe and North America.

Many participate through professional bodies, trade associations, alumni networks, business councils and sector-specific organisations. Many have never been members of NIDO at all.

To suggest that engagement must flow through a single umbrella body risks excluding talented individuals simply because they operate outside a particular structure. A modern diaspora strategy should expand participation, not restrict it.

This is where the role of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, under Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa deserves greater appreciation.

The commission’s statutory responsibility is not to preserve one organisation but to mobilise all Nigerians abroad for national development. That mandate requires inclusivity. It requires engaging professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators and community leaders wherever they are found.

Critics interpret NIDCOM’s engagement with multiple stakeholders as marginalisation of NIDO. A more accurate interpretation is that the commission is doing what a national coordinating agency should do, ensuring that no single organisation becomes the gatekeeper of the entire diaspora.

The argument for placing NIDO at the centre would be stronger if supported by clear evidence of unique performance. Yet much of the case rests on history, recognition and institutional memory rather than measurable outcomes.

Critical questions remain unanswered. How much investment has NIDO directly facilitated? What major economic partnerships can be attributed specifically to its efforts? What evidence shows that concentrating engagement through NIDO would produce better results than a broader approach?

History is valuable, but public policy should be guided primarily by outcomes.

Examples of Israel and India, often cited in support of stronger diaspora institutions, point to a different lesson. Their success was built on trust, policy consistency, financial credibility and well-designed investment mechanisms. Diaspora investors responded because they believed in the underlying systems, not because they were channelled through one organisation.

That distinction matters. The challenge facing Nigeria is not primarily organisational. It is institutional. Diaspora capital will flow where governance is credible, projects are transparent and opportunities are commercially attractive.

In that context, the purpose of diaspora strategy should not be to settle internal organisational debates. It should be to generate investment commitments, deepen business relationships, encourage skills transfer and strengthen economic diplomacy. Success should be measured by partnerships formed and projects delivered, not by which organisation occupies the most prominent seat.

NIDO remains an important stakeholder and should continue to contribute to the national conversation. However, national policy must serve interests of all Nigerians abroad, not interests of any single institution.

The future of diaspora engagement lies in inclusion, flexibility and results. By engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders rather than relying exclusively on one organisation, NIDCOM is not weakening Nigeria’s diaspora strategy. It is strengthening it.

In the end, Nigeria’s greatest asset is not NIDO. It is millions of Nigerians around the world whose capital, knowledge and connections can drive national development. A successful diaspora policy must be large enough to welcome them all.

– Written by Cllr Taslim Gbaja-Biamila, Chairman NIDO UK Chapter, London, UK

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