From Joseph Inokotong, Abuja
In pursuit of its policy of easing foreign direct investment without jeopardising local content considerations, the Federal Government said an average of 30,000 expatriate quotas are issued and given to about 4,000 companies annually.
It added that in strict compliance with local content regulation and national interest, about 60,000 middle level employment opportunities are expected annually through the compulsory understudy programme for knowledge and skill transfer.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, at a stakeholders’ meeting on expatriate quota administration held in Abuja, yesterday.
He pointed out that Business Permit & Expatriate quota administration is global best practices and every nation regulates its economic relations with other nations in a mutually beneficial way, but putting its national interest and citizens above others.
According to him, “it is a healthy competition that has survived the test of time. If properly and effectively managed, it will lead to technology transfer, manpower development and rapid industrialisation”.
On the other hand, “where nations are careless or unmindful, it leads to untoward consequences of lopsided and imbalanced relationship, foreign domination and stunted development of the host country’s personnel and economy and ultimately creates a dependency syndrome”, he added.
Ogbeni Aregbesola said “this is not some far-fetched idea. We have suffered this syndrome to a reasonable degree due to non-diligent implementation of the rules and guidelines and it is what we are trying to correct now. It is also replicable in many African and developing economies. So, this is a very serious national policy”.
He frowned at some of the abuses, which he described as egregious, revealing that “we have seen cases of expatriates fraudulently coming in to work as bricklayers, painters and even high-end consorts.
“Some also circumvent the rules by dubiously acquiring Nigerian citizenship through scam marriages. The funny but tragic case of some Asians hawking vegetables went viral. These are clear economic sabotage acts that should be detected, stopped and sanctioned”.
Ogbeni Aregbesola urged the stakeholders to come up with a brand new, well-articulated handbook on expatriate quota administration that would have a fair and reasonable sanctions that will be effective enough to curb abuses of Business Permit & Expatriate Quota, among others.