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Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for increased rights and representation of Nigerians living abroad, particularly regarding their ability to vote in Nigerian elections.
Speaking during the Newscentral Townhall Series on Thursday, which held in New York, US, Sowore argued that Nigerians in the diaspora, who contribute significantly to the Nigerian economy, should not be begging for the right to vote but should instead have a say in how the country is governed.
“Anybody who brings in over $50 billion into an economy should not be asking or begging to vote,” Sowore said. “They should be the ones who determine lightly how to vote, where they vote, because they’ll be voting with their pockets. It’s time for them to vote with their fingerprints.”
His remarks come at a time when the debate over diaspora voting rights is gaining momentum in Nigeria. He highlighted the role of Nigerians abroad, noting that they have played an essential part in supporting the country’s economy through remittances. However, he expressed frustration with the Nigerian government’s efforts to control how the diaspora organises itself politically, particularly through the creation of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), which he claims has limited the independence of diaspora leadership.
“The Nigerian government has always tried to control how the diaspora organises themselves,” Sowore remarked. “One of the biggest coups they did against the diaspora leadership was to create what they called the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, which was an appendage of the Nigerian government. It was done by Obasanjo, and that took away the independent voice of the diaspora.”
Sowore urged Nigerians abroad to reclaim their political autonomy by forming independent organisations, free from governmental influence. He also pointed to the success of countries like India, which have developed policies to engage their diaspora in national development.
“There must be a deliberate policy to bring back Nigerians in the diaspora to come and be the engine room for development and industrialisation, and progress here,” Sowore emphasised. “They have gone out there, acquired the skills—doctors, engineers, technologies—and we must find a way for them to come back.”
Furthermore, Sowore stressed that it is not enough for Nigerians in the diaspora to have a voice in the political process simply. He called for policies that would enable them to participate more actively in the country’s development, whether through voting rights or other forms of engagement, making an urgent call for action and urging Nigerians in the diaspora to use their economic influence to demand political rights.
