By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The complaints about expatriate quota abuses in Nigeria have remained largely unresolved.

Sadly, it is most strident in the Oil and Gas industry.

The menace, again, came to the fore few days ago during the picketing of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Company Ltd by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, over alleged breaches of expatriate quota, Labour laws among others.

However, another dimension was added to the protracted issue of the expatriate quota breaches, when the President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, accused the nation’s regulatory agencies of turning a blind eye to widespread abuse of the expatriate quota in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

He highlighted the practices of Sterling Oil, which he claims exploits the loopholes to employ thousands of foreign workers at the expense of Nigerians.

During the picketing of Sterling Oil’s Lagos Headquarters , Osifo raised issues with the employment practices at the company, which he claims employs a disproportionately large number of foreign workers, particularly from India, in roles that could be filled by Nigerians.

According to Osifo who is also the President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC: “Sterling is reported to have over 10,000 Indian nationals working in various capacities, from gatekeepers to panel operators and even cooks.

“This raises important questions about the application of the expatriate quota in the sector and whether Nigeria’s regulatory agencies are enforcing the rules as intended.”

Osifo highlighted a stark contrast to the operations of other international oil companies, IOCs, such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell, where Nigerians occupy the core operational roles, including panel operators on complex deep offshore platforms.




https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/regulatory-agencies-complicit-in-expatriate-quota-abuse-in-nigeria-pengassan/