The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD) has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s government’s expatriate employment levy, stating it is discriminatory, duplicative, and anti-investment.
The organization warned that the policy would have severe diplomatic implications and demanded a stay of action. The Expatriate Employment Handbook (EEH), launched by the Ministry of Interior, announced a levy of between US$10,000 to US$15,000 on employers employing expatriates, claiming it was aimed at enhancing skills transfer in Nigeria.
NEFGAD argued that the levy was purely exploitative and that Nigeria cannot afford to maintain such an unfair reputation. The NEFGAD also criticized the Interior Ministry’s duplication of the Handbook on Expatriate Quota Administration in Nigeria (HEQAN), which mandates expatriates and Nigerian firms to employ at least two Nigerian understudies for each expatriate employed.
The group called on the President to delay the implementation of the policy to allow for necessary considerations by the National Assembly and relevant stakeholders.
