FG Approves Foreign Professionals Over Visa Ban

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, Dr. Dan-Azumi Ibrahim, has announced that the Federal Government has restricted the issuance of visas to certain foreign professionals through Executive Order 5.

According to him, the Ministry of Interior would only approve visas for foreign professionals with skills lacking in Nigeria.

He says this in his address at a media chat on the public presentation of indigenous software for the implementation Of Executive Order 5.

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Executive Order 5 was signed into law by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on February 2, 2018, to promote local content in public procurement.

The NOTAP DG says “The presidential Executive Order 5 for planning and execution of projects, promotion of Nigerian content in contracts on science, engineering, and technology, is aimed at ensuring that all procuring authorities shall give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.

“The Executive Order No.5 also prohibits the Ministry of Interior from issuing visas to foreign nationals whose skills are readily available in Nigeria. In other words, the order will preclude foreigners from taking contract jobs that Nigerians have the competence and capabilities to handle. This is in a bid to not only protect and sustain the indigenous competencies but also to further build capacities as well as enhance their financial base.

“The President, in addition, directed Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design, and execution of national security projects. He, however, noted that where expertise is lacking, procuring entities will give preference to foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan for indigenous skills development prior to the award of such contracts.”

Under Executive Order 5, NOTAP is mandated to establish, maintain, and regularly update a database of Nigerians with expertise in the sciences, engineering, technology and other related expertise.

It is expected that the Ministry of Interior will check this database to ensure that only foreign professionals with expertise not available in Nigeria at the time the contract is awarded will be considered.