By Henry Umoru

ABUJA—THE Senate has called on Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, to partner its committee on Local Content to ensure that the Act was strictly applied in the area of expatriate quota to secure employment of Nigerians.

President of the Nigerian 8th Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki

According to the Senate, adherence to the Act will prevent what it described as unnecessary transfer of foreign exchange in the name of engaging foreign experts when there are local human resources available.

Speaking, yesterday, in Abuja during a working visit to NIS headquarters in Abuja, Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West), said the 8th Senate was poised to fully see that the Local Content Act of 2010 was fully enforced in the oil and gas industry to ensure Nigerians were gainfully employed in the industry.

He also said the Senate was desirous about amending the Act to cover other areas that foreigners had been depriving Nigerians of employment as well as repatriate the nation’s foreign exchange through engagement of foreigners and procurement of goods.

In a statement, yesterday, by his Media Assistant, Kayode Odunaro, Adeola said  the expertise of NIS would be required when the committee visits companies covered by the Act in relations to employment of expatriates and their status.

In his response, Alhaji Mohammed Babandede, Comptroller-General of Immigration, said most of the problems of youth agitation in the Niger Delta could be solved by effective implementation of Local Content Act.

He said too often, expatriates take over jobs that could easily be done by locals, adding, however, that it was the Ministry of Interior that handles approval of expatriate quota, while NIS implements such approval.