Ecobank Nigeria Managing Director, Patrick Akinwuntan has said that the bank is privileged to work closely with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NiDCOM) and will continue to pursue one of its key mandates of helping to enhance the economic development and integration of Africa through its support to Nigerians living and working abroad.

Akinwuntan, speaking at the maiden edition of the Diaspora Quarterly Lecture Series with Ecobank as the sole banking partner on Saturday, May 8th, 2021, stated that Ecobank remains a critical bridge for Nigerians abroad, as it has made huge investments in the necessary platforms to enable them connect with home seamlessly.

Akinwuntan said; “Nigerians in the diaspora play a major role in nation building, their contribution goes a long way to catalyse economic development.”

“For us at Ecobank, we are a pan-African institution positioned to foster the economic growth and integration of our continent so we are particularly pleased to work closely with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), ably led by the Chairman/CEO, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa”.

“We are committed to ensuring that every Nigerian living abroad is able to remit home seamlessly and affordably, access viable investment opportunities and as the financial institution of choice for Nigerians abroad, we have deployed the necessary resources to actualise this.”

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was also present at the event that held online and had over 2000 participants from across all the continents in attendance, reiterated the readiness of the government to collaborate with Nigerians in the diaspora, highlighting the new processes put in place to facilitate passport issuance, noting that all backlog of passport applications would be cleared by the end of May 2021.

Hon. Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Amb. Zubairu Dada said;

“Harnessing the human capital and material resources of Nigerians in the diaspora towards the socio-economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria can no longer be ignored. The Nigerian diaspora community is well educated, resourceful, skilled and exposed to global best practices.”

The NiDCOM Chairman/CEO, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa explained that the Diaspora Quarterly Lecture Series is projected to be a major aspect of national discourse, where Nigerians abroad can be kept abreast of the government’s policies, programmes and projects.