The Federal Government is set to reject frivolous expatriate quota requests by companies operating in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. This is to bring an end to the influx of expatriates with lower qualifications taking over juicy jobs at the expense of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had threatened to embark on industrial action if the Federal Government failed to stop replacement of Nigerians with expatriates by both indigenous and international oil companies (IOCs) in the oil and gas industry.

In response, the Federal Government has finalised plans that will ensure that companies seeking to get expatriate quota approvals for their operations in the oil and gas industry must first advertise the positions to Nigerians through national and international media outfits.

This was one of the action points adopted at a recent meeting in Abuja by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Federal Ministry of Interior in their efforts to ensure efficient management of expatriate quota approvals and compliance with the Nigerian Content Act.

NCDMB and the ministry also agreed to cooperate in data sharing on applications for expatriate quota, manpower development initiatives and creation of employment opportunities for Nigerians through effective management of expatriate quota approvals.

Section 32 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act stipulates that for each of its operations, an operator or project promoter may retain a maximum of five per cent of management positions as may be approved by the board as expatriate positions to take care of investor interests.

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