The National Conference Committee on Foreign Policy and Diaspora has said that the 1999 Constitution should be amended to allow Nigerians in the Diaspora to vote during elections in the country.
Before now, Nigerians living in foreign countries are not allowed to
vote during elections and they have been clamouring for the amendment of the
Electoral Act with a view to enabling them to vote.
But while presenting the report of the committee to the conference on
Tuesday in Abuja, its Chairman, who is also a former Under-Secretary General of
the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, said these set of Nigerians should
be allowed to vote.
The committee, according to Gambari, recommended that the fundamental
rights of Nigerians in the Diaspora to vote in the country’s elections should
be safeguarded.
“We support the demand by Nigerians in the Diaspora to be allowed to
vote in elections.
“We recommend that the provision of the constitution should be amended
to provide for Diaspora voting,” he said.
Gambari observed that skilled and experienced Nigerians in the Diaspora
were making valuable contributions to the economies of their host countries.
He said that the expertise and entrepreneurship of Nigerians in the
Diaspora could be deployed creatively for the development of the country if
properly leveraged on.
The former UN envoy said that Nigerians in the Diaspora sent over $21bn
as remittances to Nigeria in 2012.
“Although, the exact amount of these remittances is unknown, as not all
of them are sent through official banking channels, the remittances outstrip
foreign aids sent by Western donors to the continent,” he said.
Quoting a World Bank Report, Gambari said about $60bn was sent to Africa
as remittance in 2013 with Nigeria alone receiving over $21bn in 2012.
The chairman said that in its report to the conference, the committee
also recommended the establishment of a Diaspora Commission as requested by
about 30 million Nigerians in the Diaspora.
He said that Nigerian embassies abroad could not effectively cater for
this huge population without a commission.
Gambari said the committee also recommended that the Federal Government
should make the welfare and security of its citizens at home and abroad the
centre-piece of its foreign policy.
It also recommended that Nigeria should restore its relations with
neighbouring countries particularly in the area of defence, but should not
align with any power bloc.
The committee proposed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be
the principal and focal point in the formulation, advice and implementation of
the country’s foreign policy.
The committee also recommended the upgrade of the Nigeria’s embassy in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to improve the country’s diplomatic ratings and image in
Africa.
Gambari also described the officers of the Nigeria Police Force as the
“best in the world’’ in peacekeeping operations.
The chairman, who commended the police for its professional conduct
abroad, expressed regret that certain conditions had hampered their effective
performance at home.
“Incidentally, our people seem to be doing much better abroad than at
home.
“I recalled that the Nigeria Police are the best in the world; I saw
them in Angola, I saw them in Rwanda.
“Then what is happening? How come we are so wonderful abroad and so terrible
at home?” he asked.
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Politics