Gbajabiamila Leads Zulum, Soludo, Others to Nigeria-Canada Investment Mission

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff,  Femi Gbajabiamila, is expected to lead a high-powered federal government delegation to the maiden Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference (NIDEC) in Toronto, Canada, a government statement said yesterday.

The delegation includes Governors Babagana Zulum (Borno); Charles Soludo (Anambra); Uba Sani (Kaduna); Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).

Others are:  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The delegation also features representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), reflecting the government’s whole-of-government approach to attracting foreign direct investment and facilitating cross-border business.

According to the government, the move is a fresh push to attract diaspora capital, deepen trade ties and position Nigeria as a preferred investment destination, signalling the administration’s determination to leverage the economic influence of millions of Nigerians living abroad to drive investment, job creation and economic growth at home.

The nomination was announced in a statement issued in Abuja by the Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

According to the statement, the conference, themed “Invest Nigeria, Thrive Abroad,” will be held in Toronto, Canada, from August 12 to 15, 2026, bringing together senior government officials, global investors, business leaders, financial institutions and members of the Nigerian diaspora.

On the Canadian side, senior political and economic leaders expected at the conference include President of the Treasury Board of Canada, Hon. Shafqat Ali; Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Hon. Graham McGregor; Ontario lawmaker Hon. Deepak Anand; Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown; Councillor Rod Power; and Ontario Minister of Women and Economic Opportunities, Hon. Charmaine Williams.

Quoting NiDCOM Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Balogun said the calibre of officials attending the conference demonstrates Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation between Nigeria and Canada through trade, investment and diaspora engagement.

She described the event as more than a conference, saying it is designed as an outcome-driven investment platform that will connect international investors with “investment-ready” opportunities across strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy while reinforcing bilateral economic relations between both countries.

Organised by NiDCOM in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa, the Canadian High Commission in Abuja and other national and international stakeholders, the conference will focus on high-impact sectors including agriculture, technology, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, healthcare and the digital economy.

The Tinubu administration, the statement said, has increasingly placed diaspora engagement at the centre of its economic agenda, recognising Nigerians abroad as a major source of investment, innovation, skills transfer and remittances.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria has consistently ranked among Africa’s largest recipients of diaspora remittances, with inflows running into billions of dollars annually, making the diaspora one of the country’s most important sources of foreign exchange.

By convening the inaugural NIDEC, the federal government said it hopes to convert those financial flows into long-term investments capable of accelerating industrialisation, creating jobs and boosting sustainable economic development.