The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Memmet Poroy, has proposed formal collaboration between the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and Turkey’s Presidency of Turks Abroad and Related Communities to strengthen diaspora engagement.
Poroy disclosed this at a meeting with NiDCOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri Erewa, in Abuja, noting Turkey’s diaspora is estimated at 7.5 million, including 6.5 million in Europe, with political participation across the continent and in the United States.
The envoy praised NiDCOM’s new Diaspora Registration Portal, saying Turkey could understudy the platform to enhance its own data gathering and outreach, while acknowledging the difficulty of securing precise headcounts of citizens abroad.
Dabiri Erewa highlighted parallels between both countries’ diaspora experiences and said the portal will improve communication, support and policy planning for Nigerians overseas.
She also reeled out NiDCOM’s flagship programmes such as the Diaspora Investment Summit, National Diaspora Day and Diaspora Merit Awards aimed at showcasing impact and driving development.
She called for better media representation of Nigerians abroad and flagged the challenges facing Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus.
Poroy also proposed engaging the Embassy of Northern Cyprus in Turkey and pledged to facilitate further dialogue.
