The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has announced that the association is preparing for a face-off with oil companies that are prioritising expatriates for job opportunities while neglecting to hire qualified Nigerians.
President of the PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, raised the alarm during his address at the union’s National Executive Council meeting, held on Tuesday in Abuja.
Osifo said the growing trend by companies to employ foreigners, mainly Indians, is contrary to the local content regulations which seek to increase local content participation to 70 per cent by 2027.
He stressed that many companies have abused the expatriates quota outlined by the government, fuelling unrest and resentment among Nigerians who feel excluded from opportunities in their industry.
According to him, “A pressing concern is the high number of expatriates in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, mainly from India. While skilled foreign workers contribute to economic development, the current situation demands attention.
“We have been calling names. We are not shying away from calling names. We called out a company called Indorama and others and the issue was fixed in the past.”
Osifo further called on the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and the Ministry of Interior to stop granting employment licenses to every foreigner who comes into the country seeking employment.
