(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Amb. Zubair Dada, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has assured that Nigerians in the Diaspora would soon be able to vote from their countries of residence.
He gave the assurance at a webinar organised by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Saturday.
The minister said the Federal Government was working with relevant authorities, including the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to achieve this feat.
He noted that there were about 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora making a significant impact on the country’s economy that could not be ignored.
He added that Nigerians in the Diaspora were critical components when considering the country’s development, saying that the need to effectively mobilise them could not be over-emphasised.
By Bola A. Akinterinwa
At the epicentre of Nigeria’s foreign policy in 1960 was Africa as the cornerstone and thereafter, in 1976, as the centrepiece. Africa, as cornerstone and centrepiece, was largely defined by Nigeria’s policy of no compromise with the obnoxious policies of apartheid in South Africa and the need for decolonisation. In the eyes of many scholars, Nigeria had a foreign policy with the anti-apartheid war and struggle for decolonisation. This was the first pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy. When South Africa was freed from the clutches of racial segregation in 1994, the belief was that Nigeria did not have any foreign policy anymore.
Vanguard News
Reps may legalize diaspora voting Bill in 2023
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By Tordue Salem, Abuja
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for third reading, a proposed law to constitutionalize Diaspora voting in subsequent elections in the country.
The piece of legislation, sponsored by Rep. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe and 15 others, seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, Cap. 23 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The bill seeks to amend section 77 Subsection (2) of the Principal Act to now read ” Every citizen of Nigeria, who has attained the age of eighteen years residing within or outside Nigeria at the time of registration of voters for purposes of election to a Legislative house, shall be entitled to be registered as a voter for that election.”