One in every five African is Nigerian; Nigeria is not just Africa’s most populous nation, but also Africa’s most popular nation.
Nigerians are all around the globe, inscribing their names on the map of every continent. Nigeria is often referred to as the ‘Giant of Africa’, owing to its large population and economy. In Qatar, they are more than 10,000 and work in different sectors including, construction, media, energy, hospitality and health.
The Nigerian in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO-Qatar), an association of Nigerian residents in Qatar who are willing to associate with one another socially, is one of the most active expatriates’ body here. It is an umbrella body of all Nigerians, associations and professional groups in Qatar. The Government of Nigeria recognises the NIDO-Qatar as an official platform through which individual Nigerian diaspora, their community organisations and corporate bodies can channel their developmental efforts to Nigeria.
“The name NIDO-Qatar was given to the organization following a directive by the government of Nigeria to establish a Diaspora Commission responsible for all diaspora matters of Nigerians worldwide,” said Jelili Opadijo, public relations officer at NIDO-Qatar.
“The aims and objectives of NIDO-Qatar include to promote, support and encourage global trade awareness and moral consciousness that promote positive business climate between Nigeria and Qatar,” he added.
It also aims at promoting the spirit of patriotism among Nigerians living in Qatar and encourage their participation in the affairs of Nigeria and encourage Nigerians living in Qatar to be good and law-abiding residents of Qatar.
NIDO-Qatar is a networking platform for Nigerians living in Qatar, as well as with other community groups, voluntary organisations, government departments, businesses, individuals and all other organizations. It also helps Nigerians in Qatar by creating opportunities in different ways including assisting the investment plans of Nigerian expatriates in Qatar, who wish to invest in the Nigerian economy.
NIDO-Qatar also organizes socio-cultural events, economic and investment seminars sporting events and town hall meetings. NIDO-Qatar has played a major role in advocating the establishment of the Nigerian embassy in Qatar in 2015. “NIDO-Qatar has partnered with government departments in Qatar such as Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, National Human Rights Committee and Qatar Red Crescent Society,” said Opadijo.
Nigerians in diaspora across the globe, including Qatar, are remitting over $21billion into the country annually. The remittances inflow contributes substantially to foreign exchange earnings and household finances in the country.
