House of Reps speaker guarantees that diaspora voting bill will be passed before 2027

HOUSE of Representatives speaker Hon Tajudeen Abass has promised Nigerians that the current 10th National Assembly will pass a bill authorising diaspora voting before the end of its tenure in 2027.

Since the return to democracy in 1999, diasporans have been campaigning for the right to vote in Nigerian elections but every time the matter has come before the National Assembly, they have lost the vote. Very soon, the matter will be put before lawmakers again and lobbying has been intensified by diaspora organisations.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the recent National Diaspora Day, Hon Abbas, represented by his deputy Hon Benjamin Kalu,  said the House of Representatives will be passing the bill into law during the course of this parliament. Hon Kalu revealed that he reintroduced the bill on diaspora voting at a plenary session a week ago and it had passed its first reading, indicating how serious this parliament is.

Hon Kalu, who once lived in Australia, told diasporans that he is one of them and shared their sentiments on diaspora voting. He stressed the importance of the diaspora in Nigeria's development, going by the huge financial remittances they send back home and their expertise in national development.

Fortunately, Hon Kalu is the co-chair of the National Assembly constitution review committee and has the support  of the senate in ensuring that the diaspora voting bills sails through. He added that while abroad, he contributed his quota from abroad to national development and urged other Nigerians in the diaspora to consider returning home to play their own part in the country's development.

Hon Kalu said: "Diaspora voting is in good hands and as the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, you can consider it as done. It's time for this vision to become a mission. We need to ensure that Nigerians abroad are not only contributing economically but also have their rights protected, including the right to vote."

Hon Abbas urged Nigerians living abroad to be patriotic and remain connected to their homeland by  contributing to its development. He added: "Our nation needs your skills, your investments and your commitment. Together, we can build a stronger, more prosperous Nigeria."

Earlier in the day, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chair of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission called on the National Assembly to pass the diaspora voting bill as a way of encouraging Nigerians living abroad to do more and have a say in the political activities in Nigeria. She said the much expected diaspora voting bill aims to grant over 20m Nigerians living overseas the right to vote, recognising their substantial impact through remittances and investments back in Nigeria.