NiDCOM Disowns ‘NIDO Worldwide’ Leadership, Cites Lack Of Legal Status And Deep Factionalism
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has firmly rejected the legitimacy of the entity parading itself as “NIDO Worldwide.”
The commission has declared that it will not recognize any self-appointed global leadership structure that fails to provide proof of legal registration and transparent elections.
In a statement signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols, NiDCOM revealed that it has repeatedly requested three basic documents from the group: a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) equivalent registration, a constitution establishing the office of a global chairman, and a certified report of a global election. According to the commission, none of these documents have been provided.
The regulatory body painted a bleak picture of the current state of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), detailing deep-seated factionalism and bitter infighting spanning over 20 years.
NiDCOM pointed out that NIDO Europe, Africa, and America are fractured by leadership disputes, Asia is in total disarray, and the organization does not exist in South Africa or Australia.
In Canada, the name “NIDO” was reportedly registered by a single individual for personal use, forcing the commission to instead work with 69 other independent, coordinated diaspora groups in the country.
NiDCOM strongly advised the Federal Government, ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs), and Nigerian missions abroad to exercise extreme caution and verify any claims made by “NIDO Worldwide” leadership directly with the commission.
Moving forward, NiDCOM stated it will only recognize duly registered Country Chapters of NIDO that are verified by local Nigerian missions.
The commission called for a complete bottom-up reorganization of the body—starting from functional local chapters up to a legitimately elected global body—while reaffirming its mandate to serve all 20 million Nigerians abroad, regardless of their association memberships.
