According to The Nation, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) is pressing Saudi authorities to release Suleiman Olufemi, saying key settlement steps have been concluded and urging final action.
The report framed the case as a diaspora‑protection issue and suggested the commission believes conditions for release are now in place following interventions and engagements.
NiDCOM says accurate public communication is critical in sensitive consular matters, particularly when legal and compensation processes are involved.
NiDCOM’s official statement said it is “setting the records straight” and added that “the blood money has been paid.” TVC News also reported the commission’s push, quoting NiDCOM’s stance and noting the paid settlement as part of the pathway to release.
Echotitbits take: The story shows how diaspora cases can drag without sustained diplomacy and clear communication. Watch for confirmation of release timing, clearer consular protocols, and whether NiDCOM uses the case to strengthen rapid‑response support for Nigerians abroad.
Source: The Nation — December 30, 2025 (https://thenationonlineng.net/nidcom-appeals-for-release-of-suleiman-olufemi-from-saudi-prison/)
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has again “appealed to the authorities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to as a matter of urgency intervene by promptly paying the allowances, tuition and other incentives of students on their scholarship scheme, to guarantee their stay and continue their education in the United Kingdom.”
Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement in Abuja by Gabriel Odu of NiDCOM Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit, made reference to a letter written to the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, on June 18: NIDC/001/20/1, drawing attention to the plight of the students, and urging NDDC which is directly responsible for the students’ scholarships to resolve all the lingering issues.
She added that her commission counts on the minister’s assurances that all outstanding payments of the affected students would be made accordingly.
“At the moment there have been persistent calls by the students for urgent intervention.
“While deadline for payment of the fees of some of the students have expired or about to expire, non-payment of their allowances have turned many of them to virtually become beggars.
“NiDCOM chairman once again appeal to Niger Delta Ministry and NDDC to intervene urgently and promptly too,” said the statement.
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to actively participate in the country’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.
In a video message to commemorate this year’s Diaspora Day, observed on July 25 of every year, the President appealed to his compatriots, whose home remittances exceeded $25 billion annually in three years, not to abandon their fatherland in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Over the past three years, Nigerians in the diaspora have brought in over $25 billion annually as home remittances to the Nigerian economy through official and non-formal channels.
President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, during a Video Message to commemorate the annual Diaspora Day, July 25th, 2020.
“This is about 6.0 per cent of our annual GDP and upwards of 80 per cent of our annual budget. This has impacted on livelihoods of Nigerians in terms of education, health, housing and estate development, industry, trade and investments, agriculture and technology/skills transfer.
“In terms of diaspora home remittances, Nigeria is rated as number one in sub-Saharan Africa and this is still growing especially with the advocacy and mobilisation programmes of the newly established Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
“Nigerians in Diaspora are also known to be engaged in skill transfer in ICT and industry. They are also active in our universities as lecturers, and in carrying out medical missions.
“It is, therefore, my sincere hope that even with the depressed economy under stress in the year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerians in the Diaspora will rise up to the occasion of not abandoning their country of origin, but be active in our post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts,” Buhari said.
The President told participants from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania at the webinar event that his three-point agenda for the Nigerians in Diaspora remains the same and particularly relevant on the auspicious occasion.
Reiterating the agenda, the Nigerian leader said: “You are our Ambassadors-at-large by your behaviour and character in your host countries.
“Whatever legitimate endeavour you choose, you must excel and be the best.
“Do not forget home, Nigeria, by giving back and engaging in her development.”
The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also used the occasion to commend the support and contributions of Nigerians in the Diaspora to the socio-economic development of Nigeria, recounting fond memories of his several interactions with them at town hall meetings.
While congratulating them on this year’s celebration, Buhari said the Federal Government set aside July 25 of every year to celebrate Nigerians in Diaspora estimated to be over 17 million.
According to him, “The day is also to facilitate networking among the Diaspora with the ministries, departments and agencies, the government, the Diaspora State Focal Point Officers and other private and civil society organisations in the implementation of a practical framework for the effective engagement of the Diaspora for national development.”
Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, “Leveraging Diaspora Resources for National Development in a COVID-19 Era,” NiDCOM Chairman/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the focus of the 2020 celebration is indicative of the mandate of NiDCOM as well as what the agency has accomplished since its creation.
“Since its establishment a year ago, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has a lot to celebrate. This is because the passion and consistency that saw to the establishment of the commission have been maintained and sustained.
“The activities we have executed, those ongoing, and the ones that are yet to take off are all definitive, of the theme. Our interaction today is expected to mobilise you to key into some of the programmes and chart improved or better ways on how to achieve them,” she said.
On Diaspora voting, Dabiri-Erewa announced that the commission was working with the National Assembly to make it a reality.
Among other initiatives, she said NiDCOM is partnering with the OPS WASH – the umbrella body for private engagement to support the declaration to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2024.
“We plan to mobilise millions of Nigerians in the Diaspora to fund a toilet per household. A global project will soon be launched and we look forward to all Nigerians in the Diaspora to participate in this most needed project,” she said.
In his remarks, the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, said the ministry would continue to stress the importance of engaging with Nigerians in the Diaspora at the state, national and international levels in advocating the Diaspora potentials in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.
The minister thanked members of the Diaspora who have donated to the COVID-19 response, especially those that were channelled to the grassroots through the states.
Photos:
President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, during a Video Message to commemorate the annual Diaspora Day, July 25th, 2020.President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, during a Video Message to commemorate the annual Diaspora Day, July 25th, 2020.President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, during a Video Message to commemorate the annual Diaspora Day, July 25th, 2020.
Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given Nigerian citizens living in that country with expired visas up till August 17 to pack up their belongings and leave otherwise they would be greeted with wrath of the law.
Following this development, the Nigerian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has implored Nigerians in UAE with expired visas to use the emergency evacuation flights organised by the Federal Government of Nigeria to depart the country on or before the August 17 ultimatum.
“The Embassy wishes to inform that the government of the United Arab Emirates has granted waivers on fines/penalties on visas that expired before 1st March 2020 to leave the country on or before 17th of August 2020.
“Consequently, the Embassy is urging fellow Nigerians living in the UAE to avail themselves of this opportunity to return home with the impending Air Peace evacuation flight scheduled for 1st August 2020, and or subsequent Emirates evacuation flights before the expiration of the grace period.
“Accordingly, affected Nigerian nationals who are willing to return home are kindly requested to submit their names and passport numbers to the Embassy and or the Consulate for onward transmission to the UAE authorities in order to obtain the necessary clearance,” said a statement by the Nigerian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
By Idowu Sowunmi
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