President Bola Tinubu has launched a handbook on expatriate employment levy.

At the event which took place on Tuesday at the council chamber, Abuja, the president said the scheme was a game changer that would add technology transfer, and save the current brain drain in the country.

While speaking, Tinubu described the handbook as a game changer, adding that it would impose an effective timeline on expatriates working in this country to be able to train and develop Nigerians.

“I have the honour to be part of the Expatriate Employment Levy program handbook. I consider it a game-changer. It is important to know that EEL is a contribution recently approved by the government, which will impose an effective timeline on expatriates working in this country, to be able to train and develop Nigerians. I’ve listened to Honourable Adams Oshiomhole, the Distinguished Senator making very good and valid points on why Nigeria should be at the forefront of technology transfer and stem the brain drain associated with our current situation.

“We expect revenue generation improvement, improved naturalisation and indigenisation, employment of more Nigerians by foreign companies operating in this country, balancing of employment opportunities between Nigerians and expatriates, the close wage gap between the expatriate and the Nigerian labour force by making it more attractive to hire Nigerians,” he said.

The President said it was necessary to Nigerians that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“We might be going through difficult periods now, but when you look at the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and people manning the ship of this country, including Central Bank of Nigeria- they have collaborated and in the spirit of development and progress, we are glad that good effort is being made to retool, re-engineer the finances of the country and make growth our hallmark,” he said.

He further assured that the project could plug loopholes and gaps that have bedevilled the country in dealing with security challenges, and the movement of foreigners in and out of the country. “Interestingly, this scheme will wield the dual fold of revenue generation as well as addressing employment challenges as salary gaps attendant in the remuneration of expatriate workers as compared with their Nigerian counterparts,” he said.

While declaring support for the Expatriate Employment Levy scheme, the President said he would continue to encourage the operators, practitioners of immigration matters and expatriate quotas, warning not to use the handbook as a bottleneck.

“Don’t use it to frustrate potential investors,” he said.

While speaking, Minister Of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, explained that the launch of the export rate employment levy is a contribution imposed by the government on organisations that employ expatriate workers in Nigeria with the aim of both labour and technological domestication in Nigeria.

“The project will be operated on a public-private partnership PPP model between the federal government of Nigeria represented by the Ministry of Interior, the guarantor with the Niger Immigration Service NIS implementing agency and the technical partner is E L. Projects Limited;” he said.

The project was approved by FEC in May 2023.