Senate Appropriation Rethinks NIDCOM’s Existence Amid Funding Crisis, Seeks CBN Realignment of Diaspora Accounts
By Fatima Saka
The Senate Committee on Appropriation has raised concerns over the continued existence and structure of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), citing persistent funding challenges and the commission’s inability to access approved allocations, despite repeated budgetary interventions by the National Assembly.
The committee signalled a possible rethink of the agency’s framework, alongside calls for the realignment of diaspora banking instruments under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including the Non-Resident Nigerian Ordinary Account (NRNOA) and the Non-Resident Nigerian Investment Account (NRNIA), as well as a review of the roles of Nigerian embassies abroad in handling diaspora matters.
The development emerged on Wednesday during the 2026 budget defence session where Senator Aniekan Bassey, who recently replaced Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, appeared before the appropriation panel to defend the commission’s proposal.
Chaired by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Chief Whip of the Senate, and Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, the session featured extensive deliberations on the viability, funding structure and operational effectiveness of NIDCOM amid its prolonged budgetary constraints.
Members of the committee questioned the rationale for sustaining an agency that has consistently failed to access its capital allocations, despite increases approved by lawmakers.
One lawmaker recalled that when he chaired the Diaspora Committee, NIDCOM’s capital budget stood at N672 million in the 2024 appropriation, which the commission could not access. Following a passionate appeal to the Appropriation Committee, the allocation was increased by N1 billion, raising the total to N1.6 billion. However, the funds were still not accessed.
“In 2025, we added N2.5 billion to their budget, bringing it to N3.1 billion. Yet, again, they accessed zero. You cannot have organisations with no funds and expect them to deliver,” the senator said.
He described NIDCOM as a strategic institution established to harness the potential, expertise and remittances of Nigerians in the diaspora for national development, stressing that diaspora remittances remain a critical contributor to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
According to him, the philosophical cornerstone behind the establishment of the commission was to properly coordinate the vast number of Nigerians abroad, mobilise them for investment and national engagement, and manage diaspora data effectively.
Despite the financial constraints, lawmakers acknowledged that the leadership of the commission had continued to organise diaspora summits and promote Nigeria’s image globally, even without adequate funding.
However, the committee expressed concern that NIDCOM lacks the resources to respond to emergencies involving Nigerians overseas. It was revealed that only N47 million was allocated for travel, an amount described as insufficient even for domestic trips between Abuja and Lagos, let alone international interventions.
Lawmakers cited cases of Nigerians attacked or killed abroad, including an incident in the Philippines, where the commission and relevant committees were unable to travel for follow-up engagements due to funding limitations.
The committee also raised broader structural questions, suggesting that diaspora financial flows and engagement mechanisms may need to be streamlined through closer collaboration with the CBN, particularly in aligning the NRNOA and NRNIA frameworks to better capture diaspora investments.
Additionally, members called for a reassessment of how Nigerian embassies across various countries coordinate with NIDCOM in addressing citizens’ welfare and investment interests.
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While sympathising with the commission’s leadership, the Senate panel maintained that it must critically evaluate whether to sustain the current structure, restructure it, or adopt alternative models to effectively harness the estimated millions of Nigerians living abroad.
The committee is expected to make recommendations as part of its 2026 budget review process.
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