Reps to reintroduce diaspora voting bill

The House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora yesterday promised to reintroduce the diaspora voting bill to accommodate Nigerians living abroad.

Chairman of the committee, Tolulope Shadipe, said this when the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, appeared before the committee for the defence of the agency’s 2023 budget.

Daily Trust reports that the bill was rejected by lawmakers during the constitution amendment exercise.

But Shadipe expressed hope that the diaspora voting bill would pass this time, saying it was the direction the world was going and that Nigeria must not be left behind.

Shadipe said, “We will be back with the bill; they are Nigerians and they have the right to vote in Nigerian elections. The modalities and the issues raised the last time will be resolved and we will come back to it.”

Responding, Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerians to stop migrating to other countries if they did not have jobs there.