Tinubu Names Zulum, Five Governors, Ministers For Nigeria-Canada Investment Mission
By Bukar BOLORI
President Bola Tinubu has approved a high-powered Federal Government delegation, led by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the maiden Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference (NDIEC) in Toronto, Canada, in a renewed push to attract diaspora capital and deepen economic ties between Nigeria and Canada.
The delegation includes Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, alongside Governors Charles Soludo (Anambra), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), underscoring the administration’s strategy of presenting investment opportunities from across Nigeria’s sub-national governments.
The nomination was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
According to the statement, the conference, themed “Invest Nigeria, Thrive Abroad,” will hold in Toronto, Canada, from August 12 to 15, 2026.
Beyond the governors, the Federal Government delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Also participating are senior representatives of key economic and regulatory agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
On the Canadian side, the conference will feature the President of the Treasury Board of Canada, Hon. Shafqat Ali; Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Hon. Graham McGregor; the Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown; and other senior government officials and business leaders.
Balogun said the conference is designed to connect international investors and members of the Nigerian diaspora with investment-ready opportunities in strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy, with a focus on boosting foreign direct investment, expanding trade, creating jobs and accelerating sustainable economic growth.
The event is being organised by NiDCOM in partnership with the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa and the Canadian High Commission in Abuja.
The conference comes as the Tinubu administration intensifies efforts to diversify the economy and leverage the financial strength of Nigerians living abroad to support national development.
Nigeria’s diaspora community remains one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign exchange through annual remittances, while the government is increasingly seeking to channel diaspora resources beyond remittances into productive investments in sectors such as infrastructure, technology, agriculture, manufacturing and the digital economy.
The inclusion of state governors alongside senior federal officials is expected to provide investors with direct access to sub-national investment opportunities, reflecting the administration’s drive to position Nigerian states as competitive destinations for international capital and long-term partnerships.
