By Nkechi Eze
Nigeria and Turkey have opened talks toward a strategic partnership on diaspora relations as part of a mutual effort to strengthen cooperation and exchange best practices in engaging citizens abroad.
This followed a visit by the newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Media and Public Relations of NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Ambassador Poroy proposed a working collaboration between NiDCOM and the Presidency of Turks Abroad and Related Diaspora Communities, Turkey’s national agency responsible for diaspora affairs.
Poroy noted that the Turkish diaspora is estimated at about 7.5 million people, with approximately 6.5 million residing in Europe and significant numbers in the United States. He highlighted the robust participation of Turkish communities abroad in local politics and their emergence in key political offices across European countries. He also expressed interest in learning more about the Nigerian diaspora, observing that both countries share similar experiences with distinct characteristics. Commending NiDCOM for its efforts in compiling demographic data through the newly launched diaspora portal, he said that Turkey was keen to understudy Nigeria’s approaches in order to improve its own diaspora engagement mechanisms.
Welcoming the Ambassador, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa acknowledged the strong similarities between the diaspora experiences of both nations. She noted that Nigeria’s new Diaspora Registration Portal was designed to register Nigerians abroad and enhance communication and policy planning. She also briefed the Ambassador on some of NiDCOM’s key programmes, such as the Diaspora Investment Summit and the National Diaspora Day and Merit Awards, which showcase the achievements of Nigerians abroad and mobilise them to contribute to national development.
Dabiri-Erewa stressed the importance of improved media representation to highlight the many positive contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora. On the troubling situation of Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus, she appealed for the support and intervention of Turkish authorities. In response, Ambassador Poroy suggested engaging the Embassy of Northern Cyprus in Turkey and pledged to facilitate further diplomatic dialogue on the matter.
Both parties expressed a strong desire to deepen collaboration and share knowledge on diaspora policies, with the Ambassador affirming Turkey’s readiness to receive a Nigerian delegation for future high-level discussions.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of Nigeria’s National Diaspora Policy and a programme booklet from the National Diaspora Day and Merit Awards to the Turkish envoy by Hon. Dabiri-Erewa.
