The Nigerian Ambassador to
Thailand, Nuhu Bamali, has asked Nigerians especially the youth leaving the
country to do so through proper channels, saying over 1,000 Nigerians are
languishing in Thai jails for different crimes.
Mr. Bamali made the plea
while speaking at the Africa Gems and Jewellery Exhibition and Seminar in Abuja
on Wednesday.
"Over 1,000 Nigerians
are currently in jail in Thailand. We need to encourage young Nigerians leaving
the country to do so through proper channels."
In 2013, a former Nigerian
ambassador to Thailand, Chudi Okafor, disclosed that one out of five Nigerians
living in Thailand was serving a jail term for drug-related offences.
He also said the mission
had been able to secure an agreement that allows Nigerians serving jail terms
to be released at a point so that they could go and complete their terms in
their home country.
Mr. Bamali said Nigerians
in the mining and gemstone industry could find worthy partnership in Thailand
as the country had made advances in the sector.
Present at the event was
the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, who said that the
country lost more than $3 billion per annum through illegal export of
gemstones.
"Despite the huge
potential in gemstone mining, phenomenal loss of revenue and damage to the
environment remain major causes of concern.
"This is due to the
uniqueness of the occurrence of gem deposits and the quantity to value per
quantity advantage of gemstones which make illegal activities and smuggling
rampant, thus the inability of the sector to deliver on expected economic
outcomes," Mr. Fayemi added.
Nigeria is currently
focusing and investing in the mining sector in an attempt to diversify its
economy and rely less on revenue from oil.
Source: premiumtimesng
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