Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has commended the expatriate quota policy being adopted by the LADOL Free Zone (LFZ), saying the offshore logistics service firm is a model for economic development in Nigeria.
Mohammed Babandede, deputy comptroller-general, NIS, made this commendation Monday, when he led a top management team of the NIS on a facility tour of the Floating Production Storage and Offtake (FPSO) site where the Egina vessel was currently being fabricated.
Babandede speaking with journalists shortly after touring the zone, which is said to be 100 percent indigenous owned, expressed delight at the high number of Nigerians compared with expatriates currently working on the project, saying what he saw was nothing short of a ’60 to one” ratio.
“I am happy that I came. I am also happy with the team I met on ground, which shows clearly that you are creating employment for Nigerians in the most cost-effective manner. This is not what we’ve heard that your zone is flooded with expatriates.
“On behalf of the Honourable Minister of Interiors and my comptroller-general, we are ready to collaborate with you in your quest to move the country forward technologically.
“What I see on my table is that a lot of expatriates are here. The impression is that a lot of them are here, and that no one knows what they are doing. But I have seen that a lot is happening here. Something is being done in this zone with technology at work. What I have seen is a ratio of 60 Nigerians to one expatriate. This is what I have seen physically, contrary to assumptions. Simply put, I am impressed,” he said.
Amy Jadesimi, managing director, LADOL, in her presentation that centred on the genesis of the base to its current phase two development as well as its future aspirations, said the ongoing fabrication at the free zone was part of its readiness to receive the world’s largest ship in Nigeria.
The project valued at $3.8 billion, which is said to be first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, is being constructed at the LFZ by the Korean based-Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), with LADOL acting as the local content partner.
