Henceforth, expatriates whose skills are readily available in Nigeria will no longer be granted entry visas into the country.
The ban is one of the key points of Executive Order No. 5 being implemented by the Federal Government under the office of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The “no-visa” order, according to the government, is aimed at placing Nigerian professionals at the centre of the nation’s economy.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Ogbonnaya Onu disclosed this at the inauguration of the technical consultative committee of the Strategy Implementation Task Office for the Executive Order in Abuja.
Onu explained that with the commencement of the action on the “revolutionary document” yesterday, indigenous professionals and firms would be the pivot of the design and execution of projects involving national security.
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The Order reads in part:
“Procuring entities are to give preference to Nigerian companies and firms when awarding contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act (PPA), 2007.
“Hence, indigenous firms will have the opportunity to participate fully in national development through the award of contracts as well as appointment as consultants.
“It should be noted that the age of a firm will not be an obstacle to securing a contract, so long as it is legally registered and possesses requisite qualification and experience.
“The Federal Government will henceforth place a premium on the use of indigenous professionals and firms in the design and execution of projects involving national security.
“Foreign experts would only be engaged on condition that such expertise is not available in Nigeria, and when engaged, Nigerian professionals would be attached to understudy them. “Also, all MDAs(Ministries, Departments, and Agencies) are expected to take steps to encourage indigenous professionals in the Diaspora to return home and use their expertise to develop Nigeria.
“MDAs shall engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design, and execution of national security projects.
“Consideration shall only be given to a foreign professional, where it is certified by the appropriate authority that such expertise is not available in Nigeria.
“Ministry of Interior shall desist from giving visas to foreign workers whose skills are available in Nigeria. The Federal Government shall introduce Margin of Preference in National Competitive Bidding in contracts, in the evaluation of tenders, from indigenous suppliers of goods manufactured locally over foreign goods.
“MDAs shall ensure that any professional practicing in Nigeria must be duly registered with the appropriate regulatory body in the country.
“MDAs shall ensure that for all consultancy contracts awarded to foreign companies, engineering drawings, necessary calculations, design, etc., are made available to their corresponding Nigerian partners in the English Language.
“It is essential that arrangements are made to work with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as partners towards local production of needed materials. Suppliers and contractors under national competitive bidding process shall disclose local material (processed or unprocessed), where available and needed for the execution of the project.”
Onu added that:
“The Presidential Monitoring and Evaluation Council with President Buhari as Chairman, will oversee general implementation of the Order, while the Strategy Implementation Task Office for Presidential Executive Order 5 (SITOPEO-5), domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation will serve as the Secretariat.
“The Presidential Executive Order 5 is not only a revolutionary document, but it is also interventionist in nature, designed by the present administration of President Buhari to place Nigerian professionals as well as manufacturers at the centre of the Nigerian economy.”
