The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Wednesday approves a National Diaspora Policy for Nigeria, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has said.
The minister said this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the policy was engineered by the Nigerian Diaspora Commission.
“This policy really is aimed at formalising and giving a structure to the relationship between the country and government and the Nigerians in the diaspora, of which, you know, there are 17 or more million Nigerians in the diaspora, and they constitute a very, very important part of the Nigerian community.
“This policy aims to promote national development through engagement, constructive engagement with the Nigerians in the diaspora.
“In fact, for them to be really an integral part of the march towards greater development, and utilising all these skills and all the resources that they have,” he said.
He said the policy would help address the issue of voting by Nigerians in the diaspora in the future, and the utilisation of their skills in health and other sectors.
Also speaking, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, said the council approved N2.1 billion for facility maintenance of the Nigeria Content Development headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
“I presented two memos to the council. One for the facility maintenance of the 17 storey Nigerian Content House building in Yenagua for N2.1 billion, which the council graciously approved.
“Another memo was also presented to the council. It was for the operations and maintenance of a 10 megawatts power plant also in Yenagoa. Council also graciously approved the operations and maintenance contract for the sum of N712 million for two years,” he said.
