By Henry  Umoru

Ministry of Interior said it had surpassed its budgetary target of N600million revenue from issuance of expatriate quotas in the 2023 fiscal year by  raking in N1.195billion from January to October this year.

Speaking,  yesterday, in  Abuja during the budget defence session with the  joint Senate and House  of Representatives  Committee on Interior of the Ministry  by the Minister of the Ministry, Olubunmi Tunji – Ojo noted that  in 2022 and outgoing 2023 fiscal years, the ministry surpassed its budgetary revenue projections on expatriate quotas and marriage.

Tunji Ojo told the committee that in 2023,  while N600million was targeted as revenue to be generated from issuance of expatriate quotas to deserving foreign firms in the country, N1.195billion had as at October 31, 2023, generated from it.

He said: “Aside the projected revenue from expatriate quotas that had been surpassed by about N600m extra, the N380million projected revenue from marriage , has also been surpassed by over N500million with N892.774million realised as at October 31,2023.

“The National Assembly, which through  its joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Interior took up the ministry on issuance of the expatriate quotas, said that it  served as avenue for stealing jobs from Nigerians in Nigeria by expatriates.

In his response,  the Minister who  assured the committee members that the ministry had already come up with project for job protection for Nigerians, said that the project is Expatriate Employee Network, EEN, primarily aimed to safeguard jobs meant for Nigerians from being stolen by expatriates and also prevent expatriate workers from evading tax payment in Nigeria.“