Through its foundation, the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Europe (NIDOE) reported during the virtual news conference that was held in conjunction with the ongoing NIDOE Annual General Meeting (AGM) that it spent more than N25 million on humanitarian programs around Nigeria in 2024.
Mr. Bashir Obasekola, the chairman of NIDOE, stated that the organization’s health and education initiatives were intended to help Nigerians living in underprivileged areas, improve society, and advance national growth. According to him, NIDOE built boreholes, enhancing access to clean water in all of Nigeria’s states.
He claims that: “Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a major issue in many hard-to-reach communities in Nigeria, with unsafe water posing severe health risks to the people. NIDOE also distributed blood pressure monitors to help with early diagnosis and reduce sudden deaths among Nigerians. “Slump and die” incidents are a growing health challenge in Nigeria and are often caused by cardiovascular or related diseases.
“We are worried by the incident and trying to reverse the trend through regular screenings. That’s why we intervened by distributing the machines to health facilities, and individuals,” he added.
Continuing, he said that diasporans also paid for the Senior Secondary School pupils’ West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees and gave a variety of assistive learning devices to the Pacelli School of the Blind in Lagos. He reiterated NIDOE’s dedication to inclusive education and making sure that students’ academic goals are not thwarted by financial limitations.
He had this to say: “As socially responsible citizens, we understand that the government alone cannot meet all these needs, so we are stepping in to support national development beyond diaspora remittances.”
Obasekola emphasized that NIDOE’s humanitarian initiatives would be expanded to reach more lives, stating that they had been going on for years. Regarding the promotion of bilateral commerce and human development, he stated that NIDOE was committed to fostering business prospects for Nigerian companies and fortifying trade relations to boost economic expansion.
According to research available to BrandSpur national news desk, Nigerians living overseas contribute more than $20 billion home each year, Obasekola noted.
The Chairman of NIDO-Europe emphasized: “Beyond sending remittances, the diasporas have been promoting trade and foreign direct investment, creating businesses and spurring up entrepreneurship and transferring new knowledge and skills.”
Obasekola urged members to embrace peace during the NIDOE Central Executive Committee (CEC) Election on November 9, saying he has grown the organization from 13 chapters to over 20 chapters and cannot stand the chaos of any kind.
According to him: “Some disgruntled members held an emergency AGM to form a parallel government. Holding the meeting was an act of illegality and all decisions taken at that meeting were nullity. We would continue to engage with them and bring them on board, especially the bonafide members. We would respond to their yearnings.
“NIDOE is moving forward under my leadership, and we will be handing over the baton to new executives. We would continue to support and follow the legacy of our past leaders to promote cohesion and national development.
“I have piloted NIDO-Europe to the level of our presence is stamped everywhere. We have also moved on to focus on influencing policy-making, both from the local government to the state government and the federal government, respectively,” he added.
