Tunde Bakare
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended Nigerians in the diaspora for their courage, enterprise, resilience, and outstanding contributions to the global economy and Nigeria’s image.
President Tinubu stated this while declaring open a three-day Nigeria Diaspora Economic Conference (NIDEC) 2026 at the Apollo Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada. His Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, represented him.
The President described Nigerians in the Diaspora as important ambassadors of the country, noting that their accomplishments across different fields of endeavour demonstrate the talent, ingenuity and determination of the Nigerian people.
President Tinubu said the Federal Government recognises the immense economic, intellectual, and professional value of Nigerians in the Diaspora, affirming his administration’s commitment to creating an environment that enables Nigerians at home and abroad to contribute meaningfully to national development.
He urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to consider Nigeria a prime destination for their investments, expertise, and entrepreneurial initiatives, assuring them that the administration’s ongoing reforms are designed to strengthen the economy, improve the business environment, and unlock opportunities for sustainable investment.
Speaking at the conference, themed “Thrive Abroad, Invest in Nigeria,” President Tinubu commended Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), and her team for convening the first-ever conference.
He said economic power earns the diaspora a seat and a voice at the conversation table, pointing to diaspora voting as one issue that could be influenced once that economic power is established.
“Nigeria sees you. Nigeria values you. Nigeria needs you, ” the President told hundreds of Nigerians and other stakeholders gathered in Toronto.
President Tinubu particularly encouraged them to bring home not only their capital, but also their knowledge, technology, networks and international experience, stressing that such contributions would accelerate Nigeria’s development and create opportunities for younger generations.
He noted that while economic growth, political stability and security remain the primary factors guiding where investors put their money, Nigeria’s indicators point to a country in genuine recovery.
He cited real GDP growth of 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, manufacturing expansion of 3.29 per cent, inflation easing to 15.91 per cent, and foreign reserves closing 2025 at 45.4 billion US dollars.
Tinubu said the International Monetary Fund projected Nigeria’s economy to grow by 4.1 per cent in 2026, and credited the past three years of reforms with improving the country’s macroeconomics.
He said the World Bank had similarly acknowledged meaningful progress in restoring macroeconomic stability, strengthening Nigeria’s external and fiscal position, and sustaining growth.
On the domestic front, he pointed to a new tax architecture designed to simplify compliance and ease the burden on low-income earners and small businesses. He added that the Bank of Industry recorded its highest annual financing volume in 2025, disbursing 636 billion naira to businesses nationwide.
President Tinubu said the federal government continues to invest in roads, rail, ports, power, digital connectivity, healthcare, housing, and agricultural value chains, as catalysts for sustainable development.
The President added that remittances, though invaluable in sustaining millions of Nigerian households through school fees, medical bills and small businesses, must now become the floor of diaspora engagement rather than its ceiling.
He called on the diaspora to organise beyond scattered, personality-driven transactions into professionally governed investment clubs, sector funds, co-investment vehicles and venture networks, pooling capital, demanding audited accounts, insisting on proper governance and conducting due diligence with credible professional advisers.
He said that government owed the diaspora predictable rules, transparent project pipelines, efficient consular services and stronger protection from fraud, noting that instruments such as the Non-Resident Nigerian Ordinary Account, the Non-Resident Nigerian Investment Account and the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number were practical steps to ease diaspora participation in the Nigerian financial system.
He, however, appealed for unity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election cycle, stressing that while political contest is a feature of democracy, no partisan interest should threaten the country’s stability.
The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the conference presented a unique opportunity to deepen engagement with the Nigerian Diaspora by harnessing their expertise for national development and accelerated economic growth.
Hon. Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerians outside the country to see Nigeria not only as home, but also as a destination for investment.
Some state governors, members of the Federal Executive Council, and senior government officials attended the conference.