Kabiru Haruna
In a landmark move to strengthen Nigeria’s global intellectual network, Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hussein Hadejia, officially launched the Diaspora BRIDGE Programme in Abuja.
The initiative, developed under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and championed by the Federal Ministry of Education, is designed to reconnect, realign, and reengineer Nigeria’s intellectual and professional capacities across the globe.
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In his address on behalf of the Vice President, Senator Hadejia conveyed VP Shettima’s message that BRIDGE is not just another government programme, but a bold and strategic mechanism symbolizing a renewed national vision—anchored on trust, transparency, and inclusivity.
“For too long, collaboration between Nigeria-based professionals and our brothers and sisters in the diaspora has been fragmented by distance, bureaucracy, and, most critically, a deficit of trust,” he said.
The BRIDGE programme, he added, is laying the foundation for stronger ties and shared national purpose among Nigerians everywhere.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa CON, emphasized the power of human capital in shaping Nigeria’s future.
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Reflecting on his own journey as a Nigerian-trained medical doctor who also studied abroad, he highlighted the importance of structured engagement with the diaspora.
“We are not simply asking professionals abroad to return,” he stated, “but seeking innovative ways to leverage their expertise through digital platforms, collaborative teaching, capacity building, and policy innovation.”
Dr. Alausa further explained that BRIDGE will empower Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to raise academic standards and foster innovation framing the initiative as a national project with transformative potential.
The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, described BRIDGE as a landmark initiative of the Renewed Hope Agenda, drawing parallels with successful diaspora strategies implemented by India, China, and South Korea.
She praised the inter-agency collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) as a model of institutional cooperation aimed at delivering an inclusive and transparent platform for diaspora engagement.
In his remarks, Mr. Abel Olumiyiwa Enitan, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, lauded the programme’s sustainability and reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to actualizing President Tinubu’s development vision.
He noted that BRIDGE reflects a timely and strategic connection between national goals and global Nigerian expertise.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (OON), warmly welcomed the initiative, describing it as a major step forward in streamlining diaspora engagement.
“This eases our work and opens new doors for effective collaboration,” she said, urging all stakeholders to rally behind the programme.
The launch ceremony attracted a host of dignitaries, including the Ministers of Health, Science and Technology, and Foreign Affairs; the Governor of Enugu State, several Deputy Governors, diaspora clergymen, and representatives from various professional bodies.
The Diaspora BRIDGE Programme signals a new chapter in strategic national development, as Nigeria moves deliberately to harness its global talent pool, enhance educational standards, and build a nation united by shared purpose—across all borders.