Dr Bashir Obasekola, Chairman of NIDOE (right), and one of his predecessors, Dr Alistair Soyode, will address the virtual conference/Photo: NIDOE

Conference: Engaging Nigerian diaspora youth in national development

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) holds a virtual conference on Saturday, 5 June 2021 on how to better engage the youth in national development.

The event, with the theme “Diaspora Engagement Master-Class & Youth Inclusion”, will be addressed by, among others, Dr Bashir Obasekola, Chairman of NIDOE; Kingsley Aikins, CEO, Networking Institute Ireland; Andrew Nevin, Chief Economist, PwC Nigeria/West Africa; and Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Executive Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

Three former chairmen of NIDOE – Dr John George, Dr Alistair Soyode and Chief Kenneth Chibuogwu Gbandi – will also address the virtual meeting.

NIDOE members from across Europe will report from their experiences engaging the youth both in the diaspora and in Nigeria. The event will therefore offer an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Among the issues to be discussed at the one-day conference is how to promote the interest of Nigerian diaspora youth in their homeland and drive their engagement for development issues. Another important topic for discussion is how diaspora organisations can mobilise Nigerian youth at home for national development employing international best practices.

Moreover, the conference will also explore how to create linkages between Nigerian youth in the diaspora and their compatriots at home.

The Saturday event is the second in a series under the current leadership of NIDOE to reposition the diaspora to the “centre stage” of nation building.

On 17 April, the organisation held a conference, tagged ‘Diaspora voting: What chances for Nigerians abroad?’ which discussed how to bring about the enactment of a law that will enable Nigerians living abroad exercise their voting rights from their countries of residence.

The Bashir Obasekola-led current executive council of NIDOE is striving to place the diaspora at the centre of national discourse in Nigeria and claim for it an important role in policy formulation and implementation.

Femi Awoniyi

Register for the conference “Diaspora Engagement Master-Class & Youth Inclusion” by clicking HERE.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the webinar.

Participation is free but registration is required.

READ ALSO Diaspora voting: What chances for Nigerians abroad?

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