By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the African Diaspora Resource and Research Centre, University of Ibadan, will on Thursday bring together experts to examine Nigeria’s unresolved diaspora voting question.
According to an official statement signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NiDCOM, the virtual seminar, scheduled for September 24, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. (WAT), will focus on why Nigeria has yet to establish a legal framework that enables citizens living abroad to vote in elections.
The seminar, organised as part of the Centre’s monthly series, “Do Migrants Vote?”, will examine political participation, voting rights and diaspora enfranchisement among Nigerians outside the country.
Leading discussions at the webinar will be Dr Olaolu Peter Oluwasanmi, who will speak on “The Nigerian State and the Politics of Diaspora (Dis)Enfranchisement.”
Dr Abdulrahman Terab, Head of Technology, Transfer, Innovation and Investment, NiDCOM, will serve as a discussant, while Dr Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Office of Diaspora Affairs, will moderate the session.
The Director of the African Diaspora Resource and Research Centre and Professor of Diaspora Studies, Professor Senayon Olaoluwa, will host the webinar alongside other scholars.
The collaboration between NiDCOM and the University of Ibadan centre is expected to provide a platform for informed discussion on the participation of Nigerians abroad in the country’s electoral and democratic processes.
NiDCOM’s participation, the statement said, underscores its commitment to supporting informed dialogue on issues affecting Nigerians in the diaspora and promoting greater understanding of diaspora engagement in national development.
