The recognition was announced in a statement released by the commission and obtained on Saturday, titled, “NiDCOM confers National Diaspora Merit Award on US-based Nigerian professor.”
According to the statement, the decision was formally communicated in a letter dated May 22, 2026, signed by the Secretary of the commission, Sule Bassi, on behalf of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
The commission explained that the award forms part of activities marking the National Diaspora Day, an annual event established by the Federal Government to acknowledge the immense contributions of more than 20 million Nigerians living abroad to the country's socio-economic growth and development.
NiDCOM noted that the celebration has become an important platform for engaging Nigerians in the diaspora through networking, policy advocacy, collaboration and recognition of exceptional achievements across different sectors.
Explaining the significance of the honour, the commission stated:
“This National Diaspora Merit Award (NDMA) therefore is predicated upon recognizing and celebrating Nigerians in Diaspora who have excelled in their various fields of endeavours and contributing to the overall development of Nigeria.”
The commission said Professor Tijani emerged as one of the distinguished awardees because of his remarkable impact in the field of education, where he has built a reputation for academic excellence while contributing to the advancement of knowledge and promoting Nigeria's image internationally.
As part of the notification, NiDCOM invited the professor to participate in the two-day National Diaspora Day celebrations scheduled to take place at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The invitation read:
“This is an invitation to be part of the National Diaspora Day 2026 celebrations, scheduled to hold on the 24th and National Diaspora Merit Award on 25th July 2026.
“The events will be at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, by 15:00hrs (WAT) on Friday the 24th of July 2026 and the National Diaspora Merit Award by 17:00hrs (WAT) on Saturday, 25th of July, 2026 respectively.”
The commission also encouraged prospective participants to complete their registration through NiDCOM's official website ahead of the events.