The Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), Thailand, has thrown its weight behind the campaign to establish voting rights for Nigerians living abroad, commending the efforts so far made.
This endorsement was made during a recent global webinar titled, “Towards Electoral Inclusion: Policy Pathway for Diaspora Voting in Nigeria,” on July 12, and organised by the NIDO worldwide voting rights committee.
This was contained in a statement by NIDO Thailand president, Dr Lloyd Nwafor.
In his address on ‘Technology, Security and Infrastructure for Diaspora Voting,’ during the webinar, Dr. Nwafor underscored the urgent need to enable over 17 million Nigerians who are living abroad to participate in national elections.
He outlined a comprehensive framework, involving secure online voting systems, referencing global examples such as Estonia’s digital election model and Sierra Leone’s use of blockchain.
He further emphasised biometric verification via the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), end-to-end encryption and the oversight role of cybersecurity agencies to ensure the integrity of the voting process.
He also proposed key infrastructure recommendations, including legislative amendments to the Electoral Act, creation of an INEC Diaspora Voting Unit, and leveraging Nigerian embassies and consulates as voting centres.
He suggested a phased rollout beginning with pilot programmes in countries with large Nigerian communities.
The Coordinating Chairman of NIDO Worldwide, Sir Chibuzor Ubochi, encouraged Nigerians in the diaspora to keep advocating for constitutional backing for diaspora voting.
Echoing this call, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Tochukwu Okere, and Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed optimism and commitment toward realising the diaspora voting. Both leaders urged stakeholders to work collaboratively in pushing the initiative forward.
Moderator of the programme and Lead co-chair of the diaspora voting rights committee, Mrs. Vire Komolafe, thanked all contributors from NIDO chapters across Thailand, Singapore, the Americas, Europe, China and Lesotho, as well as representatives from the Global President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK).
She praised their recommendations and suggestions for achieving electoral inclusion for Nigerians worldwide.
