Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has assured Nigerians living abroad that the country is blessed with an investor-friendly environment, and urged them to continue to invest in the country.
NIDCOM Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in a press statement on Sunday, said she gave the reassurance in a statement while reacting to the protest and petition of a group called “The Foreign Investors Network (FIN) by its President Ifeoma Nkengwu, as well as its Country Representative Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, who alleged that the environment in Nigeria was not enabling enough for intending investors, citing the case of Winhomes Global Services Limited that invested over $250 million in real estate in Okun Ajah, Lagos and it was demolished by the Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi.
He said reacting to the petition, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa said: “We acknowledge their reach out to NIDCOM, months after the whole issue had become a sensational media affair. We had begun an investigation into the matter and had some officials visit the site. However, unfortunately we discovered that the matter is currently in court and we can only wait for the court ruling.
“Nigeria remains open to investors and we commend our brothers and sisters in the diaspora who have been investing in Nigeria particularly in the areas of health, ICT, Agriculture, Real Estate, Education among others,” she added.
The NIDCOM boss stressed that Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) remains a veritable channel for diasporas wishing to invest and Federal Ministry of Industries and Trade and Investment will soon announce some initiatives in partnership with the Commission.
She also assured them that as their embassy in Nigeria , they should always contact NiDCOM to assist in areas they may wish to navigate and clarify.
Dabiri-Erewa commended Nigerians living abroad for improved remittances and investments recorded under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
She noted that policies and programmes that will continue to encourage them will be sustained as they remain a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economy and cannot be ignored.