Chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission Abike Dabiri on Thursday gave fresh insights into
how Nigerian Alika Ugochukwu was killed in Italy.
Dabiri said Ugochukwu died of suffocation apparently as a result of strangulation by the Italian man who attacked him in public.
She said the Nigerian mission in Italy has secured the service of a lawyer who she said had been handing Ugochukwu’s insurance benefits case after an accident that turned him an handicap in the first instance.
“The family lawyer is handling the matter,” she said in an Arise TV interview
The commission chairman said the whole world is getting more problematic with violence.
“It is not only about Nigeria,” Dabiri said
She regretted that “Ugochukwu was a hardworking man who had a legitimate job in Italy” before he met his. Death.
She said that as at Wednesday some funds had been contributed for the wellbeing of his family.
Dabiri also stressed the need for Nigerians in the diaspora to be allowed to actively take part in the voting process in the country’s general elections.
She said President Buhari has given his nod for it to happen, the lawmakers haven’t quite agreed, Dabiri however said lobbying is ongoing ‘’We have to keep lobbying, everyone admits it must happen at some point in time. Those in the diaspora must form groups to make this happen. Diaspora voting would help us with data, it would let us know where exactly our people are and all that, we have to start somewhere’’.
Dabiri also spoke on the need for Nigerians in the diaspora to come together and operate under one umbrella. In her words ‘’We don’t have issues with NIDO (Nigerians In Diaspora Organization) but with their leadership at the time. NIDO wasn’t quite the ideal umbrella body for Nigerians in the diaspora. There are other groups and NIDCOM (Nigerians In Diaspora Commission) is trying to bring everyone together. We had issues with a few individuals who thought they owned NIDO. We hope we can have an umbrella body for Nigerians in the diaspora’’.
When asked about her response to the cult clash that involved some Nigerians in Dubai a few days ago, Abike-Dabiri berated the act ‘’I remember what happened four years ago when some Nigerians robbed a bank in Dubai, it was played on screens in Dubai for a week, eventually, they were arrested and given life imprisonment, I even mentioned their names then. In the last meeting we had with Dubai authorities, they asked us to define what cultism is because to them, it’s strange how two rival groups can go head-to-head fighting. Now their visa application is very stringent, to enter Dubai now you must show your bank statement and return visas. There are so many good people who are Nigerians in Dubai. It’s a bad case but we are engaging with the Authorities on a bilateral level’’.
‘’These are the bad apples corrupting the tree as far as the Nigerians in the diaspora are concerned. I know doctors who have excelled abroad and they are now doing big things in Nigeria, I know several doctors who are building hospitals here’’ she concluded.