Nigerians in diaspora have tremendously assisted in boosting the economy of the country amidst economic recession.
Abike Dabiru
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs
and Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Tuesday said between
January and now, over $35bn had been remitted to the country by
Nigerians living abroad, according to Investor King.
Dabiri-Erewa disclosed this when she visited the Executive Chairman
of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, and the
management team of the FIRS in Abuja.
She said the amount so far remitted to the country by Nigerians
living abroad this year exceeded the $21bn sent home by them last year.
The $35bn remittance, according to her, is the highest so far recorded in Africa this year and the third highest in the world.
“In 2016, they (Nigerians living abroad) remitted $35bn, which
is higher than what was remitted in 2015. This is the highest in Africa
and the third largest in the world,” she stated.
Dabiri-Erewa drew the attention of the FIRS management to tax
concerns raised by Nigerians living abroad, adding that this might
frustrate the objective of the government in encouraging them to invest
back home.
She said, “There is a lot of talk about your organisation from
Nigerians in the Diaspora concerning taxes; whether there will be tax
incentives for Nigerians coming back home to engage in agriculture and
other businesses.
“Recently, they expressed concern over reports that we need to
pay tax on our passports. There should be collaboration between both
offices to disseminate information in case they have questions or want
answers.”
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