Metro
Nigerian govt bans issuance of visas to foreign engineers
The Federal Government on Tuesday said foreign engineers seeking to take up engineering roles in the country would no longer be issued visa as it had commenced the restriction of visa issuance to the engineers.
This was to ensure more jobs are taken up by Nigerians to reduce unemployment rate in the country and to improve local contents.
President Muhammadu Buhari made this disclosure yesterday while speaking in Abuja at the 27th Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
According to him, the government had also approved the Regulation on Licensing of Engineering Firms and Regulation on Construction Industry.
Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said the restriction of the visas to foreign engineers was enforced by the Ministry of Interior in compliance with Executive Order 5, which he signed recently.
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Recall that President Buhari recently signed the Executive Order 5, which states that procuring authorities shall give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.
“The implementation of this order has started and as expected some of its attendant benefits, including the promotion of science, technology and innovation in several centres of the economy, are beginning to manifest.
“Directly connected to these benefits is the fact that the Ministry of Interior has now restricted issuing visas to foreigners seeking to take up engineering roles in the country. Overall, the proclamation of Executive Order 5, meant to improve local content and free up more jobs to Nigerians and give them increased access to procurement opportunities, is achieving its intended purpose.
“There is a disturbing gap between engineers trained in Nigeria and those trained abroad. Hence the need for universities to churn out quality and well-trained professionals,” he said.
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