Shettima seeks diaspora support for Tinubu’s economic reforms

Nigeria and the United States have signed a landmark framework aimed at unlocking investment in Nigeria’s estimated $700 billion mineral resources and deepening bilateral cooperation in the critical minerals sector.

Nigeria broke new ground in a drive to woo the United States to invest in the mining sector at a historic agreement-signing ceremony at Nigeria’s Mission House on Wednesday in New York, United States.

The agreement, signed and exchanged at Nigeria’s Mission House in New York by Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, is expected to provide a framework for U.S.-backed investment and business-to-business partnerships across Nigeria’s mining value chain.

Alake described the signed and exchanged agreement as a framework for American investment in Nigeria’s $700 billion mineral resources.

The agreement is expected to use the Nigeria-US government relationship as a foundation for business-to-business transactions to boost Nigeria’s value-addition-driven value chain.

Welcoming Landau and the United States delegation to the ceremony, Alake spoke glowingly of the agreement as a development that would shape the future.

In another development, Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly residents in the United States, to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu in its efforts to transform the economy and reposition the country for sustained growth.

Shettima said the Federal Government was seeking to harness the expertise, capital, networks and intellectual capacity of Nigerians abroad.

To accelerate national development, describing the diaspora community as “the greatest resource of the future.”

The Vice President made the call on Wednesday at Nigeria House in New York during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian community in the United States.

The meeting was organised and coordinated by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Shettima said the administration was implementing reforms across critical sectors, including education, healthcare, agriculture, science and technology, while creating an environment conducive to investment and economic growth.

The Vice President also defended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, saying the President had demonstrated courage by taking difficult decisions from the outset rather than dwelling on the challenges inherited from the previous administration.

In her remarks, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described Nigerians in the Diaspora as indispensable partners in Nigeria’s development and urged them to deploy their expertise, investments, networks and global experience towards advancing the country.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the presence of the Vice President at the engagement underscored the importance the Federal Government attached to Nigerians living abroad, their welfare, concerns and contributions to national development.

She said the Diaspora remained an important pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy and stressed that Nigerians abroad should be regarded as strategic partners rather than solely as contributors to the country’s economy through remittances.

The Minister described the Town Hall meeting as an important component of the government’s continuing dialogue with Nigerians abroad, noting that effective Diaspora engagement must be based on trust, openness and sustained communication.