National Conference: Committee okays Diaspora voting in 2015
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.
6/25/2014
National Conference: Committee okays Diaspora voting in 2015
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