TheCable

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, says his ministry generated N1.195 billion from the issuance of expatriate quotas (EQ) to foreigners seeking to work in Nigeria between January and October.

EQs are granted by the ministry of interior to foreign-owned or indigenous companies.

The permits enable them to recruit foreign employees to legitimately work in the country.

The EQs enable the companies to process subject-to-regularisation (STR) visas for the expatriates.

During his appearance before the national assembly joint committee on interior on Wednesday in Abuja, to defend his ministry’s budget, Tunji-Ojo said the revenue target for the issuance of EQs was N600 million.

“Aside from the projected revenue from expatriate quotas that had been surpassed by about N600 million extra, the N380 million projected revenue from marriages, has also been surpassed by over N500 million with N892.774 million realised as at October 31, 2023,” he said.

However, Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the joint panel, said the ministry needs to regulate EQs very well.

The senator said he learnt that prisoners from other countries are working as construction workers in Nigeria.

“Your ministry needs to regulate issuance of the quotas very well as I have on good authority that prisoners from foreign land are working in Nigeria as construction workers,” Oshiomhole said.

“This is even different from the age long fraud the oil companies have been carrying out in the country through the policy of expatriate quotas by making our own qualified engineers to work under foreign technicians.

“They are being paid according to their country’s minimum wage by the construction industry that brought them. I don’t want to mention the companies’ name but if I am provoked, I will mention them.”

While responding, the minister said his ministry is working hard to protect jobs for Nigerians.