By Nkechi Eze
Vice President Kashim Shettima has engaged members of the Nigerian community in New York, urging Nigerians in the diaspora to deepen their contributions to national development through investment, skills transfer and strategic partnerships.
Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the town hall meeting held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), conveyed the President’s warm greetings to Nigerians in the United States.
The Vice President also highlighted President Tinubu’s connection with the Nigerian diaspora, noting that the President had lived in Chicago.
The town hall, coordinated and moderated by the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, focused on strengthening engagement between Nigerians abroad and the government.
Discussions centred on diaspora participation in national development, investment opportunities, skills transfer, and the role of Nigerians abroad in advancing Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic interests.
The meeting brought together senior government officials, including the governors of Kwara, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Zamfara, Dauda Lawal; Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara; and Borno, Babagana Zulum.
Also in attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro; Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; and Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake.
Others included the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite; Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure; and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.
