Professor Hakeem Ibikunle Tijani
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has named Professor Hakeem Tijani, a Nigerian academic based in the United States, as a recipient of the National Diaspora Merit Award (NDMA) 2026 in recognition of his contributions to education.
This was detailed in a release shared with PUNCH Online on Saturday and titled, “NiDCOM confers National Diaspora Merit Award on US-based Nigerian professor.”
The commission conveyed the decision in a letter dated May 22, 2026, signed by its Secretary, Sule Bassi, on behalf of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
According to the letter, the Federal Government designated July 25 as National Diaspora Day to recognise the contributions of more than 20 million Nigerians living abroad to the country’s development.
