Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has warned Nigerians not to travel to Northern Cyprus.
Dabiri-Erewa told State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday that the Federal Government can do little to resolve issues in the territory diplomatically because Northern Cyprus is not recognized by the international community, with the exception of Turkey.
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The warning comes amid reports that a large number of Nigerians are being killed in Northern Cyprus.
Dabiri-Erewa also urged Nigerians in the Diaspora not to be afraid to invest in Nigeria due to security concerns.
While admitting that the country’s insecurity is a source of concern, she claims that it is only temporary due to the Federal Government’s (FG) aggressive measures to address the situation.
She stated that the Nigerian government has made it clear that it will not allow any Nigerian to suffer in foreign countries for a crime he did not commit, noting with delight that Nigerians in the Diaspora are excelling in various fields outside the country and making significant remittances to the country.
Hon. Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerians to refrain from making comments that could tarnish the country’s image.
She explained that Northern Cyprus lacks a robust mechanism that would allow the Federal Government to pursue justice for the more than 20 Nigerian students who have been killed there so far.
According to her, “Honestly, it’s been a lot of problems in Northern Cyprus. So, we had youths come and tell us, ‘Please tell everybody to stop going to Northern Cyprus. We did that some time ago and some people said, ‘how can you tell people not to go.’ And I’ve said it again, if you’re going to Northern Cyprus, think twice about it.
“Over 20 students have been killed over the years, and nothing happened. So, some of these students came themselves and said, they have to embark on an awareness campaign. Don’t go to these places. Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey. It’s not a UN-recognised nation.
“So, we can’t do much. Our students are being killed on a daily basis, and nothing is happening. So again, I’m going to appeal that we need to take a strong position, about places like Northern Cyprus.”
She urged Nigerian students worldwide to register with its diaspora data portal identification portal so that foreign missions can easily identify them during emergencies.
“And also, we tell our students, we’re doing this because a lot of them don’t want to go to the missions. Wherever you go, let the missions know that you are there. When trouble comes, that’s when you start running around. We saw what happened in Ukraine and during Covid. So, it’s important that we know where you are at any point in time.” NiDCOM’s chairman said.
She stated that the commission received more than $20 billion in diaspora remittances in 2021.
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