Nigerian President Signs Order Promoting Local Jobs

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed an executive order aimed at promoting local content.

“Presidential executive order 5 (EO5) for planning and execution of projects, promotion of Nigerian content in
contracts and science, engineering and technology” seeks to improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and technology components, and has been implemented with immediate effect.

EO5 has some impact on existing immigration practice:

• It prohibits the Ministry of Interior from giving visas to foreign workers whose
  skills are readily available in Nigeria.
• It, however, states that where expertise is lacking, procuring entities will give
  preference to foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan
  for indigenous development, prior to the award of such contracts.
• Consideration shall only be given to a foreign professional, where it is certified by
  the appropriate authority that such expertise is not available in Nigeria.

• The application for the grant of Expatriate Quotas will be more rigorous. New
  guidelines are expected from the Federal Ministry of Interior.
• The understudies requirement for expatriates will be closely monitored by the
  Federal Ministry of Interior (FMI) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), to
  ensure compliance with extant laws
• Registration with professional bodies has thus become a strict requirement.
• Filing of monthly expatriate quota returns will be closely monitored.
• It is expected that there will be more onsite visits and audits by the NIS.

Further guidelines and directives are expected from the Federal Ministry of Interior and Nigeria Immigration Service on the implementation of EO5.

Sources:  Famsville Solicitors, [2]. Image source: [1].