Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians living abroad, particularly those in the United States, to support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in its efforts to transform the Nigerian economy.
Shettima made the appeal on Wednesday at the Nigeria House in New York during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian diaspora community in the United States.
According to a statement issued by State House Digital, the Vice President said the administration was working to reposition the economy through reforms in key sectors, including education, healthcare, science and technology, and agriculture.
He described Nigerians in the diaspora as “the greatest resource of the future,” stressing that their knowledge, expertise and investments could contribute significantly to the country’s development.
“Citizens of our country have the capacity and intellect to harness our nation’s potentials and take it to greater heights,” Shettima said.
The Vice President also defended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, saying the President had taken difficult decisions aimed at repositioning the country rather than blaming his predecessor for Nigeria’s economic challenges.
“When President Tinubu assumed office, he did not resort to trading blames and accusing his predecessor for the state of affairs of our nation. Rather, he took decisions that only a leader of courage and conviction would take,” he said.
Shettima said the reforms were already producing what he described as tangible results, citing an increase in Nigeria’s foreign reserves from $3.9 billion to more than $55 billion and a reported 4.45 per cent growth in the economy in the most recent quarter.
He added that improvements in the exchange rate and foreign reserves would help strengthen the security of diaspora remittances, stabilise the exchange rate and support investments by Nigerians living abroad.
“We are working day and night to reposition the Nigerian nation as investment confidence is returning to Nigeria, and the Dangote Refinery success story is a true manifestation in recent times,” the Vice President said.
Shettima further assured Nigerians abroad that, despite negative reports circulating on social media, the country was open to investment.
“Media, Nigeria is open for business. We have crossed the Rubicon, and we are on the path of sustained growth,” he said.
On education, the Vice President highlighted the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, saying more than 1.29 million Nigerian students in tertiary institutions had accessed N125 billion since the programme began.
Addressing security concerns, Shettima acknowledged that the challenges were not peculiar to Nigeria, but said the administration was deploying available resources to tackle emerging threats.
He also called for national unity, urging Nigerians to work towards building a prosperous country.
“Whatever binds us together supercedes whatever divides us as a people,” he said.
The Vice President’s engagement with the diaspora community is part of efforts by the administration to strengthen ties with Nigerians abroad and encourage their participation in the country’s economic development.
