TheNewsGuru

Tag: NIDCOM

  • BREAKING: Nigerian doctor, wife found dead in Texas home

    BREAKING: Nigerian doctor, wife found dead in Texas home

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced the death of a US based Nigerian doctor, Dr Ben Okigbo and his nurse wife, Theresa.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit (NiDCOM), Abuja made this known in a statement on Sunday.

    According to the statement Dr Okigbo and his wife were found dead in their Sugar Land, Texas home on Friday morning.

    The statement reads: “The news of the death of Dr. Ben Okigbo, a medical doctor in Houston and his wife, Theresa who was a nurse, is most shocking and depressing.

    “Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) condoles with the family, particularly the children, who are now orphans, as well as members of the Nigerian diaspora community in the US.

    “Dr. Ben Okigbo and his wife, Theresa, were found dead in their Sugar Land, Texas home on Friday morning, according to police.

    “NIDCOM commiserates with the Okigbo family and pray unto God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss. NIDCOM will continue to monitor police investigations into the unfortunate incident”.

    Meanwhile, Eric Robins of the Sugar Land Police Department in Texas has said the discovery made around 10:05 a.m. on Dec. 18, at the Greatwood Subdivision in the 1500 block of Brookstone Lane could be a murder-suicide case.

    “One of the kids dialed 911 apparently when he suspected that there was a fight or disturbance going on inside the resident and the Police said when its officers arrived at the house, they found the couple dead inside their home. It appears that it could be a potential murder-suicide but it has not been totally ruled,” Robins said.

  • FG rescues Ondo mother trafficked to Egypt by own brother

    The Nigerian government has rescued a mother of four, Omowunmi Aladeboyeje, who was trafficked to Cairo, Egypt.

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in a statement signed by its spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said Aladeboyeje was tricked to Egypt by her elder brother. He informed her about a nursing job in the United States.

    Balogun added that the Ondo State indigene is presently on her way to Okitipupa, Ondo State.

    The statement reads, “Trafficking: NIDCOM facilitates the return of another trafficked girl home, as Dabiri-Erewa restates her appeals to youth travelling out illegally.”

    The agency said the victim, an auxiliary nurse, was sexually harassed, beaten, and imprisoned at home by her abusers.

    NIDCOM said, “She was trafficked on March 17, 2020, and claimed to be sexually harassed regularly, beaten frequently and home imprisoned sometimes.

    “Rhoda, a mother of four, was trafficked by her immediate elder brother who claimed there was a nursing job opportunity in America.

    “The NIDCOM boss said Omowunmi’s story is the same as that of many victims lured abroad under the guise of securing them a job. She insisted that the traffickers must be arrested, named, shamed and punished for their dastardly act.”

  • NIDCOM not for deportation of Nigerians, says Dabiri-Erewa

    NIDCOM not for deportation of Nigerians, says Dabiri-Erewa

    Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said on Friday that the commission was not created for the deportation of Nigerians.

    The chief executive officer of the commission said this in a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NIDCOM’s Head of Media and Public Relations unit.

    Dabiri-Erewa said the malicious reports about the commission were false.

    “Our attention has been drawn to a malicious, mischievous and fabulous story where the leader of the proscribed Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Uchenna Madu, alleged that NIDCOM is the medium used by the Federal Government to forcefully deport persecuted Biafrans.

    “In a statement entitled “security agents killing our members secretly,” the group had alleged that NIDCOM was being used to crack down on its pro-Biafra groups leaders in the diaspora.

    “These and other fabricated stories by the group are false, mischievous and at best another tale by moonlight narrative.

    “NIDCOM, as we know has no such powers nor has such agents of harrasment in Nigeria and in foreign lands.

    “In international relations, the process of deportation is a country to country decision which lies with the country foreign policy within the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    “It must be pointed out that most countries are clamping down on irregular immigrants irrespective of their faith, ethnic affiliations,” Balogun said.

    “So, the allegation that the Federal Government is secretly working with some agents of foreign countries to arrest members in diaspora and deport them to Nigeria for persecution and prosecution is a figment of the group’s imagination.

    “Dabiri-Erewa and her commission are for all Nigerians irrespective of their tribe or religious inclinations as enshrined in the Act of the parliament setting up the commission,” he said.

  • Pay stranded students tuition fees abroad, NiDCOM tells NDDC

    Pay stranded students tuition fees abroad, NiDCOM tells NDDC

    The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has appealed to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to pay the allowances, tuition fees and other incentives of students on scholarship scheme.
    In a statement signed by Mr Gabriel Odu, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit, NIDCOM, Dabiri-Erewa said that as a matter of urgency, NDDC should intervene by promptly paying other incentives of students on their scholarship scheme to guarantee their stay and education in the UK.
    According to her, a letter written to the Hon Minister of the Niger Delta Sen. Godswill Akpabio in June draws the attention of NDDC to the plight of the students that are under their scholarships scheme.
    “The commission counts on the minister’s assurances that all outstanding payments to affected students will be made.
    “At the moment, there have been persistent calls by the students for urgent intervention.
    “The deadline for payment of the fees of some of the students have expired or about to expire, non payment of their allowances have
    turned many of them to virtually beggars,” she said.
    The NiDCOM Chairman once again appealed to the Niger Delta Ministry and the NDDC to intervene urgently and promptly too.
  • Pantami, Abike-Dabiri Saga: Again, NCC absolves Minister of involvement in office space allocation process

    Pantami, Abike-Dabiri Saga: Again, NCC absolves Minister of involvement in office space allocation process

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has, again, clarified that the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, was never involved in the process of offer of office allocation to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) at the NCC’s Communications and Digital Economy Complex located at Mbora District, Abuja, as the public is being made to believe.

    The Commission reiterated this position in a press statement signed by its Director Public Affairs, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, in which it made further clarifications to the members of public and other stakeholders on the situation.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, was never involved in the offer to the office space, nor in the withdrawal of the offer for same office space. The Minister should not, therefore, be brought into the issue,” he said.

    According to Dr. Nkemadu, the decision to withdraw the offer of office space from NiDCOM was purely of the NCC, the custodian of the office complex.

    “It should, however, be made abundantly clear that the withdrawal of the offer of the office space, which was unconditionally given, in the first instance, to NiDCOM, was informed by exigencies and change in priorities within the NCC, which led to the taking back of the office space earlier allocated with intention of finding a suitable replacement for NiDCOM,” he said.

    The Commission, therefore, reiterates its confidence in the leadership, person and office of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

  • Abike Dabiri blasts Pantami: Your disrespect for women legendary [Video]

    Abike Dabiri blasts Pantami: Your disrespect for women legendary [Video]

    The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has responded to the claims of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, over the usage of gunmen to chase staff of NIDCOM out of the office given to them by the Nigeria Communication Commission.

    Pantami had claimed that Dabiri-Erewa lied over the allegation.

    But the NIDCOM boss, through her verified Twitter handle, said the Minister’s disrespect for the women is legendary.

    She said also that an Islamic scholar like Pantami should not tell lies.

    She tweeted: “An Islamic scholar should not lie Hon Minister.

    “You did that to me cos I am a woman.

    “Your disrespect for women is legendary.

    “Left the ugly incident behind me since February.

    “But pls release all our office equipment.

    “Public office is transient Dr. Pantami.”

  • NIDCOM condemns attack on Amaechi in Spain

    Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has condemned, in its entirety, the attack on Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi in Madrid.

    NIDCOM condemned the attack in a statement by the Chairman/CEO, NIDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Friday.

    According to NIDCOM, Amaechi was attending an official event in Madrid.

    “NIDCOM appeals to Nigerians in diaspora to be of good behavior wherever they are because such incidents tarnish the image of the country in their host countries.

    “Also such attitude has multiplier negative effects on Nigerians living in that country, who are law-abiding,” the commission said.

    NIDCOM applauded the prompt intervention of the Nigerian Mission in Spain and the Spanish police who ensured that the attacks did not escalate.

  • Xenophobia: 640 Nigerians ready to return – NIDCOM

    The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that 640 Nigerians in South Africa have voluntarily registered to return home following the xenophobic attacks in the country.

    Dabiri-Erewa, who disclosed this after a closed door meeting with the Senate Committee on Diaspora and non-governmental organisations in Abuja on Monday, said that the volunteers would arrive in Nigeria in a couple of days.

    “ As I speak with you now, we have 640 Nigerians voluntarily registered to come to Nigeria and they will be home in a couple of days, and we believe that more will still be coming to register.

    “Right now, we have 640, that means two planes will convey them home , now the envoy will be briefing the president and with everything in place, the president will be taking a few more decisions after the briefing,” she said.

    She said Federal Government had pledged that any Nigerian that wanted to return would be given the required support

    She said that the returnees would be encouraged to enroll and participate the various social intervention programmes of the government.

    “ We will encourage them to enrol in small scale entrepreneurial programme with the Bank of Industry with the social investment programme , so there are things that they can do’’, she said.

    She, however, reiterated that government would continue to demand for compensation for property of Nigerians destroyed in the various attacks.

    She said eight South African police personnel’s had been charged to court for their involvement in the killings of Nigerians in the previous attacks, while another four officers were recently arrest.

    “So we will continue to work on that and we assure Nigerians wherever they are that this government will come to their aid.

    “For Nigerians in South Africa, they have also been advised to remain calm, why we continue to ensure justice for all Nigerians affected.

    “There must be consequences for actions; South Africa should have political will to talk to their people to put a stop to it.

    `So a lot of education, awareness need to go down to the South Africans on the street, who still believes that foreigners are their problem,” she explained.

    The Chairman of the committee, Sen Bashiru Ajibola, said that they had been briefed on the steps taken so far by the Federal Government on the attack of Nigerians.

    He said that further measures on ending the attacks would be decided by President Muhammadu Buhari after being briefed by the special envoy to South Africa, who just returned to Nigeria.

    He said NIDCOM had assured the committee that the strategic objectives effort of Nigerian government on tackling the matter was still in focus.

    According to him, the objectives, among others was to ensure that South African government lives to its responsibility of protecting life and propertiy prosecutions of culprits and payment of compensations to affected Nigerians.