By Chimaobi Afiauwa, Abuja
Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, has voiced grave concerns, alleging that prisoners from foreign countries are employed at construction sites across Nigeria.
He spoke in Abuja on Wednesday when the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committees on Interior for a budget defence session, Daily Trust reports.
During the session, the former Edo governor raised the alarm over the lack of regulation of expatriate quotas, making a shocking revelation that foreign prisoners were engaged as construction workers in the country.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, he highlighted that the policy, while exceeding revenue targets, has paved the way for foreigners to usurp jobs meant for Nigerian citizens.
“Your ministry needs to regulate the issuance of the quotas very well as I have it on good authority that prisoners from foreign lands are working in Nigeria as construction workers.”
He also cited instances of non-Nigerians residing in containers and being remunerated based on their home country’s minimum wage by construction firms operating in Nigeria, hinting that he might disclose these companies’ identities if provoked.
“Many non-Nigerians are in the country, some of them live inside containers. They were being paid according to their country’s minimum wage by the construction industry that brought them. I don’t want to mention the companies’ names, but if I’m provoked, I’ll mention them.”
In response, Tunji-Ojo assured the ministry’s proactive steps with the Expatriate Employee Network to safeguard Nigerian employment opportunities from exploitation by foreigners.
He revealed that the ministry had surpassed revenue targets, generating N1.195bn from expatriate quotas, well above the projected N600m, and also exceeded the N380m estimated income from marriage registrations, amassing over N892.7m by October 31st.
