By Adesuwa Tsan
Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) has asked the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Idris Wase, to tender an unconditional apology to Nigerians living in Diaspora for ”attacking and questioning their citizenship rights and their rights to petition the National Assembly on issues of mutual interests to them.”
Wase, while presiding in the absence of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila last week, had stopped a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mark Gbillah, from laying a petition from a group of Nigerians in America, Mutual Union of Tivs in America, on the floor of the Green Chamber.
He said he was not convinced of the locus standi of the petitioners and declared that the petition will not be presented to the House.
Reacting to the incident, NIDO, in a letter of protest e-signed for and on behalf of Nigerians in Diaspora in Europe, Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa on Saturday, March 14, 2021, and addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, demanded a full retraction of the statements made by Wase within 14 days.
It also demanded that Hon. Mark Gbillah be allowed to present the motion for and on behalf of Mutual Unions of Tiv in America’ as a concerned group of Nigerians in Diaspora; and for an urgent virtual meeting with Nigerians in Diaspora community to be convened by Speaker Gbajabiamila to address the issue and reassure them of his full support.
The letter was also copied to the Senate President, Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
Entitled ”Letter of protest over the uncharitable and derogatory statement on Nigerians in Diaspora by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase”, NIDO informed the Speaker that an attached video clip that has gone viral on the social media, showed the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, ”making disparaging and derogatory statements to vilify the whole Nigerians in Diaspora and putting to doubt our citizenship, privileges and rights as Nigerians.”
It added that ‘the whole Diaspora community was in total shock that the incident occurred in the Green Chamber where the Rt. Honourable Speaker, himself a returnee Diasporan with Diaspora always close to his heart, presides.
NIDO said the ”unfortunate statement from the Deputy Speaker has helped to cast doubt in the minds of the Diaspora community
as to the genuineness of the Federal Government’s intentions towards its Diaspora.
”We cannot understand up till now, why Hon. Ahmed Wase, a person occupying such a high position in the National Assembly, has decided to run down the whole Nigerians in Diaspora and the policy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Diaspora in such a manner at a time when the contributions of the Nigerians in Diaspora are highly needed and desired.
”Such an action and statements are clearly at variance with what we, the Nigerians in Diaspora are being made to understand and believe by the Federal Government of Nigeria. We are still in shock and total disbelief that everything that has been done and achieved in the last 20 years on Diaspora engagement is now being rubbished and put to nullity by the utterances of one single person.”
”In his frantic effort to shut down a petition being presented by one Hon. Mark Gilbah at the instance of ‘Mutual Unions of Tiv in America’, a social organisation of Nigerian Tiv ethnic group living in USA, Hon. Ahmed Wase openly displayed total ignorance of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that allows for dual citizenship, with rights and privileges of the Diaspora to call to the attention of the Federal Government on issues of common concerns.
”Instead of availing himself the opportunity to listen, Hon. Wase decided to pick on the whole Nigerians in Diaspora for attack and questioned their citizenship rights and their rights to petition the National Assembly on issues of mutual interests to them. In the video clip, he castigated the Nigerians in Diaspora as intruders and persons of no locus standi on issues bothering on Nigeria socio-economic wellbeing. He showed without self-restrain, his hatred and disdain for the Nigerians in Diaspora. This is an affront to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The letter continued, ”It vividly showed in his body language, coupled with the list of unguarded utterances he invoked erroneously to justify why the Nigerians in Diaspora cannot protest to their government, over any injustice and lack of good governance. In essence, Hon. Ahmed Wase is telling us, out of his abundant ignorance to ‘continue to live in their comfort zones abroad and allow Nigerians to face their fate in Nigeria’. What a statement! Are Nigerians in Diaspora merely seen as “cash cows” to help plug the hole in the Federal Government efforts to improve its GDP? Are Nigerians in Diaspora only useful to help lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty through home remittances, something which in the first place should have been the duty of the Federal Government through a comprehensive social development package?”
It asked the Speaker to clarify if ”Hon Ahmed Idris Wase’s view and position are the same as those of other members of the NASS? In that case, the $23 billion USD yearly remittances (according to the World Bank records), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), medical missions, community development programmes and professional skills transfer, amongst others, that Nigerians in Diaspora, routinely
bring into the economy of Nigeria should also be seen as unwelcoming distractions and undesirable!”
The organisation also said it was disturbed that none of the House Members at the plenary session spoke up to educate the Deputy Speaker on what the Nigerians in Diaspora bring on board for the development of Nigeria and that it was the fundamental right of
the Nigerians in Diaspora to intervene in respect of their kinsmen back home.
”We are therefore compelled and inclined to believe that perhaps, these views are shared by other Honourable Members in the Green Chamber and Nigeria’s political elites,” it added.