The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Officials Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has condemned the massive influx of Indians into the country’s oil and gas industry.
PENGASSAN’s President Festus Osifo said Indians are blatantly abusing the foreign quota system, with Indians filling menial jobs in the sector.
Osifo expressed the concern on Friday at the closing of the three-day Third Energy and Jobs Summit in Abuja.
The theme of the summit is “The Future of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry: Energy Mix, Energy Security, Artificial Intelligence, Divestment, and Crude Oil Theft”.
Osifo said the growing dominance of foreigners, especially Indians, in the sector is alarming. “They are taking over low-level jobs, which is a blatant abuse of the expatriate quota system
“In Sterling Oil today, it will amaze you to discover that we have more Indians working there compared to the number of Nigerians.
“In fact, up to vulcanizers, you have Indians carrying out such low jobs and functions in all their plants as operators and some are even gatekeeping operators,” he said.
Osifo said the union had approached the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to resolve the issue but to no avail.
According to him, today Nigerians are looking for jobs and our graduates are also looking for jobs.
“But we keep granting expatriate quota to these Indian companies and they have abused it, ” he said.
He alleged that companies had manipulated the system by registering numerous shell companies to facilitate the influx of expatriates.
He said they had registered more than 200 companies to do this.
“When they are bringing in 10 Indians, they will use one company. Tomorrow, when they are bringing in another 20, they will use another company.
“So, if you check, you will discover that over 100 or 200 companies registered spread these Indians across board,” Osifo said.
He said PENGASSAN has been in extensive discussions with stakeholders for the past two years to resolve the issue but without results.
“What is left for us might probably be a confrontation. We are fully prepared because we cannot be slaves in Nigeria.
“Nigeria’s oil resources belong to Nigerians and it should benefit them first and foremost. It doesn’t belong to Sterling or any other,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to act swiftly and protect the rights and opportunities of Nigerian workers.
Osifo said the number of Indians employed at the Indorama facility in Port Harcourt outnumbers Nigerians.
He said wages are being paid in US dollars while Nigerian workers are struggling with the effects of the currency devaluation.
Osifo said “This situation is unacceptable and it must be addressed now,”
He called on the relevant authorities to take firm action against companies that misuse the foreign quota system to the detriment of Nigerian workers.
