A professor of Migration, Refugee and Diaspora Studies at Lagos State University (LASU), Olawale Lawal, has urged the Nigerian government to reform its remittance tracking framework, describing the current system as “orthodox, unreliable, and inadequate for national planning.”
Lawal made the call while delivering the university’s 110th Inaugural Lecture, themed *“The Triage of Human Migrations in Nigeria,”* at the Buba Marwa Auditorium. He noted that the absence of a coordinated, data-driven approach to diaspora remittances remains a major gap in Nigeria’s migration and economic policies.
While commending recent reforms under Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, which boosted remittance inflows by 130 per cent to \$553 million in July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, Lawal stressed that deeper structural reforms were essential.
“Cardoso’s sequencing of forex policies and the licensing of new international money transfer operators have revived confidence among Nigerians abroad,” he said. “But without an overhaul of how we collect and analyse remittance data, Nigeria risks underutilising one of its most stable foreign exchange sources.”
The scholar recommended a multi-agency collaboration involving the CBN, Nigeria Immigration Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, NBS, NPC, NAPTIP, and other key institutions to create a transparent, reliable remittance-tracking system. He also proposed that remittance data should capture demographic and socioeconomic profiles of senders abroad — including age, employment, education, and household income — to guide development planning.
“These are not just funds; they are socio-economic tools for planning and development,” he emphasised, citing field research in diaspora communities across the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Cameroon.
Lawal further urged Nigeria to align with international frameworks such as the World Bank’s *General Principles for International Remittance Services* and the African Institute of Remittances. To drive reforms, he recommended a phased rollout under a *Diaspora Remittance Economic Recovery and Human Empowerment Scheme*, supervised by a specialised task force of experts and stakeholders.
“We cannot afford to continue with siloed efforts and outdated models,” he warned. “If Nigeria must harness the full power of its diaspora, it must modernise its systems, protect data integrity, and build trust — both at home and abroad.”
The lecture, attended by academics, students, policymakers, and government representatives, drew wide commendation for offering practical strategies to unlock Nigeria’s migration potential for national development.
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