MARGARET CHIDERA
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), on Friday, raised the alarm over increasing dominance of expatriates, particularly Indian nationals, in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Speaking at the PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit in Abuja, the association’s President, Comrade Festus Osifo, expressed deep concern about the influx of foreigners taking over low-level jobs, which he believes is a blatant abuse of the expatriate quota system.
In his speech, Osifo singled out Sterling Oil as a major offender, accusing the company of employing more Indian nationals than Nigerians, even for roles that require minimal skills.
“In Sterling today, it will amaze you to discover that we have more Indians working there than Nigerians. In fact, up to vulcanizers, you have Indians carrying out such low jobs and functions in all their plants as operators,” Osifo stated.
Speaking further, he contrasted the situation at Sterling with that of International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria, where plant operations are primarily managed by Nigerians.
“If you go to the IOCs, the entire plant operation is manned by Nigerians, but if you go to Sterling Oil, they are all manned by Indians, even for low-level jobs. I even learned that some are doing gatekeeping operations,” he added.
While emphasizing that this issue is not new, he revealed that the union has been engaging the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on several occasions, in a bid to address the situation but to no avail.
He, therefore, criticised the government’s continued approval of expatriate quotas for companies that he believes have consistently violated the rules.
He pointed out the severe impact on Nigerian graduates who are struggling to find employment.
“We are happy that NCDMB is here because we have raised this subject before with them, not to allow anyone to abuse our expatriate quota. But today, despite our efforts, the abuse continues.
“Today, Nigerians are looking for jobs. Graduates are drawn from universities year in, year out, month in, month out, looking for work to do, but we keep granting expatriate quotas to these Indian companies, and they have abused it,” Osifo said.
He explained how these companies manipulate the system by registering numerous shell companies to facilitate the influx of expatriates.
“They have registered over 200 companies. 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 that they register, they spread these Indians across the board,” Osifo revealed.
PENGASSAN, according to Osifo, has engaged in extensive stakeholder discussions over the past two years to address the issue but has seen little progress.
“We have had that conversation with almost all the stakeholders in the industry, but there is no result. So, what is left for us might probably be confrontation. We are fully prepared because we cannot be slaves in Nigeria,” he warned.
Osifo underscored that Nigeria’s oil resources belong to Nigerians and should benefit them first and foremost. “The crude oil belongs to Nigerians. It doesn’t belong to Sterling,” he declared, stressing the need for immediate action to protect Nigerian workers’ rights and opportunities.
In addition to Sterling Oil, Comrade Osifo also called out Indorama, another company accused of similar practices. He noted that the number of Indian nationals employed at Indorama’s facilities in Port Harcourt surpasses that of Nigerians, with expatriates being paid in U.S. dollars while Nigerian workers grapple with the effects of currency devaluation.
“This situation is unacceptable, and it must be addressed now,” Osifo insisted, urging authorities to take decisive action against companies that exploit the expatriate quota system to the detriment of Nigerian workers.
