Build the African name, not African American, Jamaican African - NIDCOM

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has charged Nigerians, as well as Africans, both home and abroad to embrace and foster unity amongst themselves.

NIDCOM representatives made this known during a dialogue aimed at promoting unity between indigenous and Diasporan ethnic groups of African descent held in Maryland, United States, on Wednesday.

Chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and her counterpart in the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, led the delegation.

Mrs Akande-Sadipe charged all people of Africa descent to regard themselves as one Africa irrespective of where they live on earth, adding that the word Africa should be driven above words like African American, Jamaican African, as well as Caribbean African.

"The Jewish Nation has become very powerful because all Jews see themselves as one irrespective of where they are or their citizenship,” she said.

"I want us to have the African nation and make it a very powerful word; not the African American, not the Jamaican African, not the Caribbean African, but the African nation.

"The Jews are citizens of different countries but guess what, they are Jewish. We are citizens of different countries but we are Africans," she said.

Dabiri-Erewa and Akande-Sadipe were honoured with awards by the assembly.