Employ Nigerian graduates or face sanction, FG cautions companies

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Special Task Force of the Federal government charged with Monitoring and Enforcement of Nigerian Expatriate Business Permit and Expatriate Quota Administration has called on companies to employ Nigerian graduates or face sanctions.

The Task Chairman, Mr Bola Ilori, who made the disclosure stated that companies that failed to comply with the law guiding the employment of qualified Nigerians as an understudy for expatriates should be ready to face heavy sanctions from the hands of the Federal Government.

To ensure compliance to the rules, the task force inaugurated on December 1st 2020 by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has directed companies in the country to submit the Tax Identification Number, National Identification Numbers, phone number and email address of Nigerians understudying expatriates in their firms.

The decision was the outcome of meeting of the Ministerial task force, with representatives of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Society of Engineers, officials of Ministry of Interior and other professional bodies.

The effort is aimed at monitoring the number of expatriates employed in Nigerian Companies and also help the government to ensure that an expatriate is not occupying a job position a Nigerian is qualified to fill.

level of unemployment in the country will be reduced, as well as ensure that skilled Nigerians are not denied employment opportunities they ought to have occupied.

The 9-man Special Ministerial Task Force on Monitoring and Enforcement of Nigerian Expatriate Business Permit and Expatriate Quota has Mr Bola Ilori, as the Chairman with members drawn from NLC, Federal Ministry of Interior amongst others.