By Mfon Jacott.
The 2024 edition of the National Diaspora Day afforded Hon. Linda Akon Umoh an opportunity to discuss and present Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE AGENDA to delegates and officials of the federal government of Nigeria. The two day event gave insights on shared values that were thought-provoking and highlighted the complexities and opportunities presented by the current challenges facing the country.
In her interactions with delegates, Hon. Linda’s dual capacity as the Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters to Governor Umo Eno and Akwa Ibom State Diaspora Focal Officer attributes to her unwavering commitment towards Governor Umo Eno sincere effort in building bridges of trust with the diaspora community for the benefit of homeland development. The event brought together diverse voices from various sectors to deliberate on the ways in which the Diaspora community can contribute to national development despite the challenges of migration.
She reinstated that the creative initiatives and strategies discussed will undoubtedly serve as leverage for effective policy formulation and program implementation that will propel initiatives for knowledge transfer and mobilization of investment capital from the diaspora community.
As the Akwa Ibom State diaspora focal officer, she attested to Governor Umo Eno’s deliberate commitment in building diaspora trust and two strategic events held in 2023 was a reference point. These two events are the 36th annual convention of the Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria USA in San Diego, California, and the 8th Annual London Political Summit in London, respectively
She commended the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa OON for the successful celebrations of the National Diaspora Day 2024 and the second edition of the Diaspora Merit Awards with the theme, ‘JAPA Phenomena and Its Implications for National Development’, as the Akwa Ibom State Government looks forward to the implementation of resolutions made in the event.
The event, which was also a virtual discourse and merit award ceremony held between July 25 and 26, 2024, at the Banquet Hall of Nigeria’s Presidential Villa in Abuja, witnessed a large convergence of Nigerians from all over the world. Other Diaspora Nigerians who could not travel down for the event gathered at their respective branches as the event was streamed live on multimedia screens and they were also afforded the opportunity to link up with Abuja from New York, Australia, Ghana and many other destinations for live discussions. Also, the event had engagement of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and delegations from the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDO).
Both the President and First Lady of Nigeria were participants in the event. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator
George Akume, represented the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria as Special Guest of honor and stated that the country has received a total received a total of $646 million in remittances between January and May 2024. This financial contribution shows the importance of Nigerians abroad in the national economy.
The convention resource persons also made their presentations from the United States of America, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Singapore, India, and other locations without having to be physically present in Nigeria. Over 152 merit award nominations have been made since November 2023 and 24 were honored across critical sectors.
As Governor Umo Eno’s administration takes proactive steps in the speedy diversification of the Akwa Ibom economy beyond crude oil, real estate development, agriculture value chain commodities and enterprenuership development have become the key drivers in attaining short term development goals.
