The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has granted temporary work permits to hundreds of expatriates, even as concerns mount over the displacement of local workers in the oil and gas sector.
Findings from the board’s stakeholders’ magazine, obtained on Saturday in Abuja, revealed that a total of 549 expatriates received temporary work permits in the first three quarters of 2024.
However, 43 applications were rejected during the same period.
Breakdown of the data showed that 311 permits were approved in the first quarter, with 32 rejections, while 72 were granted in the second quarter, with three denied.
In the third quarter, 164 permits were issued, with eight applications declined.
Amid these approvals, the report indicated a gradual shift towards indigenous employment, noting that 184 jobs previously held by expatriates in the upstream segment are now managed by Nigerians, alongside one job in the midstream sector.
The board also sanctioned 33 companies operating across the three segments of the oil and gas industry for violations related to expatriate employment.
According to NCDMB regulations, any company employing foreign staff outside the approved guidelines risks penalties, including the removal of the expatriates involved.
The surge in expatriate employment approvals comes amid rising tensions in the industry.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria recently threatened a nationwide withdrawal of its members over unresolved labour issues with Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company.
The union also demanded the removal of 10,699 Indian expatriates allegedly working in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to boosting local content in the petroleum sector.
He disclosed that indigenous participation had reached 56 per cent, with ongoing reviews aimed at further increasing this figure.
“We are glad to mention that with our efforts, the level of local content in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria has reached 56 per cent as of the last count we had,” Ogbe stated.
“The review is ongoing to determine where we stand in terms of local value creation.”
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