NIGERIANS IN ITALY BERATE SQUABBLES AMONG BUHARI'S MINISTER

National Union of Nigeria Associations in Italy (NUNAI), an umbrella body of Nigerians resident in Italy has berated the media war between the Director-General of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the Minister of communication and digital economy, Dr Isa Pantami over office allocation.

The union submitted that it is Nigerians, especially those in Diaspora that will suffer for it.

The president of the association, Mr Iriakanu Samson Hodge said, "If the commission that is established purposely to look after Nigerians in diaspora does not have a functional office after more than a year let alone they will settle down to look after the mandate for which they are created, then I wonder what service or what benefit they want to offer to millions of Nigerians in Diaspora looking up to them for myriads of problems they face daily on consular and other related issues."

He made this assertion while explaining a new collaboration between NUNAI and the Nigerian Embassy in Rome to assist undocumented Nigerians benefit from a new amnesty law, the Italian government just passed.

In his words, he said, "We want to thank the Nigerian ambassador to Italy, His Excellency, Yusuf Jonga Hinna for his magnanimity to help simplify the process of obtaining a vital document that will facilitate easy participation of Nigerians without resident permit in the new amnesty program to regulate illegal migrants in Italy.

"In the new arrangement, Nigerian Association will help collate the relevant documents from interested applicants and save them the problem of travelling hundreds of kilometres to the embassy in Rome to obtain their certificate of Nationality. Not only this, but the arrangement will also equally save the embassy logistic pains of crowd management as more than 10,000 Nigerians are expected to benefit from the program."

He admonished various organs, ministries and parastatals of the Nigerian government to cooperate and collaborate on issues that concern Nigerians in diaspora as their contribution to the national economy can not be over-emphasised as only last year, more than $17.57 billion was remitted to the economy.