The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe(NIDOE) has elected new executive members who will oversee the activities of the body for the next two years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dr Bashir Obasekola, an economist based in Moscow, Russia, emerged chairman in the election which held virtually on Sunday.
Other newly elected members of NIDOE executive are Issa Abdullahi (Vice-Chairman), Georgian Opkara (Secretary-General) and Dotun Adegbesan (Financial Secretary).
Others are Rex Essenowo; Treasurer, Godson Azu; Welfare Officer, Dr Monica Emmanuel (Liaison) Laura Ikeobi (IT), Fidel O’Neil (PRO), while Christopher Okuonghae and Adeyemi Aderemi were elected ex-officio members.
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Speaking with NAN on the telephone, Obasekola said that the new executive would establish NIDOE Youth Wing for the continuity of the organisation.
He stressed the need for more youth inclusion in the activities of the body, adding that young men and women must be allowed to participate for any system to be sustainable.
According to him, NIDOE can only realize its best potential when all hands are united and kept on deck.
“The establishment of the Youth Wing for NIDOE will ensure that youths are brought in and groomed for the strengthening and continuity of the organisation.
“Nigerians are known for their sporting prowess and the influence of professional footballers and sports icons in Europe will be leveraged.
“Our sports icons are ambassadors of goodwill, hence we should use their untapped resources to impact our people back in Nigeria,” the NIDOE chairman said.
He promised to strengthen the administrative system of the organization for the smooth running of the Diaspora body.
“By structure, NIDOE is the umbrella organization for Nigerians in Europe and we intend to carry out that function by strengthening our internal mechanisms on membership guide.
“We will make sure that membership is widened with a lot of participation and encourage the establishment of more chapters in countries where there are Nigerians,” he told NAN.
Obasekola encouraged Nigerians in Europe to get more involved in the activities of the organization not only by word of mouth but also financially.
According to him, Nigerians in Europe can make significant contributions through programmes, policies and advocacy to harness their talents, expertise and resources for nation-building.
He added that promoting the image of Nigeria remained one of NIDOE’s major objectives.
“There is no country where moral ills do not exist but we should project the good parts of our home country when we find ourselves abroad,” he said.
The NIDOE chairman urged all Nigerians in Europe to keep doing good, adding that this would help them to stay strong and confident when faced with adversity in Diaspora.
NAN reports that NIDOE is an arm of global Nigerian Diaspora network established in 2000, registered in England and Wales in 2002, and headquartered in London.
NIDOE provides a unique opportunity for Nigerians living in Europe to learn to work and collaborate with one another in the process of building their home country.