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Nigerians Celebrate Diaspora Day

The best and biggest Nigerian Diaspora Day so far will take place on July 25, 2008. This is the 3rd Diaspora Day anniversary and it will take place at the Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar, Cross River State, in conjunction with the 4th Science and Technology Conference scheduled to take place between 23 and 27, July 2008.

‘Diaspora Day’ was a declaration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, made in 2005 during the annual Science and Technology Conference held in Abuja. It is a day for Nigerians to remember and appreciate the contributions of their expatriate nationals in the country’s development. The event was first celebrated in July 25, 2006 in conjunction with the three-day Science and Technology Conference for that year.

In 2006, 200 Nigerians from the Diaspora were registered in attendance. This number was more than double the 76 Nigerians from the Diaspora that attended the first conference in 2005.

The Nigerian National Volunteer Service – the organizers of the events expect the 2008 Conference to more than double the 2006 one in size and number of attendees from home and abroad.

According to the NNVS Coordinator, Ambassador Joe Keshi, the 2008 Conference focuses on Vision 2020 and President Umaru Musa Yar Adua’s Seven-Point agenda. The theme of the Conference is “Using Science and Technology to Drive Vision 2020”.

One of the aims of the Conference is to ensure Diaspora participation in the transformation of Nigeria. It is designed to encourage the Nigerian Diaspora to help build a knowledge-based Nigerian economy and to be “more proactive in engaging the country in her efforts to attain the Vision 2020”.

The Conference will seek to formulate ideas on national development that will be delivered to the National Committee on Vision 2020 following the conference. Based on this objective, the NNVS encourages those Nigerians in the Diaspora who wish to present ideas and papers at the conference to register (use the banner ad at the top of this page) and follow the guidelines.