Nigeria, Turkey Partner On Diaspora Relations
The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Memmet Poroy, has proposed a working collaboration between the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Presidency of the Turks abroad and related diaspora communities, which is Turkey’s own agency for its diaspora.
He made this known at a strategic meeting with Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) in Abuja.
The newly appointed Turkish Ambassador in a statement signed by NiDCOM’s Spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that the Turks abroad are estimated to be about 7.5 million, with 6.5 million residing in Europe and significant populations in the United States, noting the active participation of the Turkish diaspora in local politics and taking up key political offices across Europe.
Poroy expressed interest in learning more about the Nigerian diaspora, as both shares some similarities with unique characteristics of the Turkish diaspora, while acknowledging the challenges of obtaining exact figures.
He appreciated the impressive work NiDCOM has done in gathering demographic statistics via the diaspora portal as he stated that an understudy will improve their diaspora relations.
Welcoming the Ambassador, Dabiri-Erewa emphasised the similarities between the Nigerian and Turkish diaspora experiences.
She noted the importance of the new NiDCOM Diaspora Registration Portal, which aims to register Nigerians abroad ,to improve communication, support, and policy planning.
She also spoke about NiDCOM’s flagship programmes, including the Diaspora Investment Summit and the National Diaspora Day and Diaspora Merit Awards, which showcase success stories and encourage Nigerians abroad to contribute to national development.
Dabiri-Erewa underscored the need for improved media representation to highlight the positive contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora.
On the challenges facing Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus, Dabiri-Erewa called for urgent interventions, while the Ambassador proposed engaging the Embassy of Northern Cyprus in Turkey and pledged to facilitate further dialogue.
Both parties expressed strong interest in deepening collaboration and learning from each other’s diaspora policies, with the Ambassador affirming Turkey’s readiness to welcome Nigerian delegation for future discussions.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of Nigeria’s National Diaspora Policy and a program booklet from the previous National Diaspora Day and Merit Awards to the Ambassador by Hon. Dabiri-Erewa.
