FG MOVES TO CHECK INFLUX OF FOREIGN WORKERS •SAYS ILL TREATMENT OF NIGERIANS ABROAD MUST STOP

FOLLOWING the renewed drive for foreign investments in the country, the Federal Government has indicated its intention to block the influx of foreign workers into the country in order to prevent them from taking up jobs that Nigerians can do.
The Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Viola Owunliri, told newsmen in New York, at the sideline of the ongoing 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, that the ministry would direct all Nigerian missions abroad to ensure that foreign investors coming into the country do not flood Nigeria with their nationals.
She said even though Nigeria welcomed foreign investments, it would not allow anything that would harm the effort of government to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the country.
Beyond the instruction to the Nigerian embassies, Owunliri also hoped that Nigerians and the nation’s security agencies would be alert to ensure that such possible influx of foreign workers was prevented.
She said: “I want to believe that Nigerians should be alert, all those dealing with foreign investments, foreign investors and foreigners.
“First of all, for us in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we will even instruct our embassies that anybody bringing in foreign investments is welcome but what we will not want will be people bringing in their own nationals to come and take over the jobs Nigerians can do because that will not help our drive for employment for young Nigerians.
“That is part of what we are doing to ensure that the right things are done. The Ministry of Trade and Investment would have put in place policies that will help to further control excesses of those who are coming in to invest in our country.”
The minister added: “I want to believe that the security agencies also will be at alert around people who are just coming in but we can only say that these are what they can do but the main thing is with the Nigerians who are interacting with these people, who are with them to be able to give information if Nigerians are not being treated well. Those will be taken up. I think that is also important.”
On the welfare of Nigerians abroad, the minister said efforts would be made to ensure that they were better treated by embassy officials as government would not tolerate ill treatment for such Nigerians who had no home except the embassies in foreign land.
Source: Tribune