By Jacob Kubeka (ABUJA) –
Nigeria’s House of Representatives on Tuesday, pledged to liaise with relevant authorities to secure release of the adducted students of Greenfield University in Kaduna State.
Speaker of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila made the pledge at plenary after a delegation of the House interfaced with the protesting parents of the students in Abuja.
Bandits had on April 20, 2021, abducted no fewer than 23 students and staff in Kasarami village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Six of the abductees had been killed by the bandits, who also threatened to kill the remaining 17 students on May 4, if a ransom of N100 million was not paid.
Gbajabiamila referred the matter to the House Special Committee on Security and said that the House would immediately liaise with relevant authorities to secure their release.
Briefing the House earlier, the leader of the delegation, Rep. Benson Babajimi (APC-Lagos), said that the parents, who were dressed in black, looked oppressed and dejected.
Babajimi who is the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, said that the parents’ hope of getting their children released, rest on the parliament.
According to him, the parents are asking the House to intervene and secure the return of their abducted children.
Babajimi urged the House to urgently intervene in the matter.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has resolved to investigate abuse of expatriate quota by telecommunications equipment vendors and service providers in the country.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Bello Shinkafi (PDP-Zamfara) on the floor of the House on Tuesday.
Speaking on the motion, Shinkafi said that the Immigration Act, 2015 and the Immigration Service Regulations, 2017 were the principal laws governing expatriates employment in Nigeria.
He added that the principal regulatory bodies were the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Ministry of Interior.
He stated that the law empowered NIS to from time to time, issue entry permits and expatriate quota to foreigners who intend to work in Nigeria for specifically approved jobs.
He added that this was for a specific period with a view to training Nigerians and transferring the skills to them during their period of employment.
The lawmaker said that the expatriate quota was to guide against indiscriminate employment of expatriates where there were qualified Nigerians who could fit into the positions.
He said that expatriate quota could be granted for an initial period of three years and renewed further for a period of two years subject to a total life span of 10 years.
Shinkafi said that he was aware of a clause in the expatriate law which provided for two Nigerians to understudy an expatriate, to promote the transfer of knowledge and technology.
He, however, stated that some foreign companies have taken advantage of such clause in active connivance with the NIS and other agencies to import as many of their nationals as possible.
He added that this was often done albeit illegally and in gross disregard for the law.
He said that the practice of expatriate quota abuse was initially restricted to the oil and gas sector but has been extended to the telecommunications sector in which there was a surfeit of local skills.
“Many of the expatriates still retain their employments after their permits had expired and not been renewed as required by law.
” The expatriates enjoy unimaginable pay and privileges while their Nigerian counterparts are paid less and treated with disdain in their own country.
“Many competent Nigerians lose their jobs and the country loses multi-million dollars annually.
The house, however, mandated the Committees on Telecommunications and Interior to investigate the alleged expatriate quota abuse in the Telecommunications Sector and report back within six weeks (With a NAN report)
