The Senate, on Wednesday, revealed that many foreign prisoners were working in construction firms in Nigeria, noting that some of them live inside containers.
This was as the Ministry of Interior claimed to have surpassed its budgetary target of N600 million in revenue from the issuance of expatriate quotas in the 2023 fiscal year by raking in N1.195 billion from January to October this year.
On foreign prisoners, the Chairman, of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, made the revelation when the Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo led top officials of his Ministry and heads of agencies under his supervision to defend their 2024 budget proposal before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Interior.
While expressing concerns over the situation, Oshiomhole asked the Minister to pay more attention to the issue of these illegal expatriates smuggled into the country.
He particularly alleged that expatriates including those committed to prisons in their various countries are currently in Nigeria working at construction sites.
Oshiomhole said, “Many non-Nigerians are in the country, some of them live inside containers.
“I even believe and dare say that there are foreign prisoners who are working in Nigeria. They were shipped to our country to serve their prison terms. They were being paid according to their country’s minimum wage by the construction industry that brought them. I don’t want to mention the company’s name but if I am provoked, I will mention them.
“Honourable Minister, this is a serious issue, prisoners are not expected to work in their countries if the product or whatever they engage in is meant to be exported. In this country today, there are prisoners, they live in containers and they are more from a particular country.
“Even if their home country borrows us money, they should not take away our sovereignty and they must not distort our commitment to creating jobs at home. Many come here as tourists. They don’t have work permits and they are working completely illegally while Nigerians are being harassed in their country.
“The Minister has a huge task. Nigerians must be working. They are attending political rallies in their hundreds because they are idle.”
Oshiomhole expressed the fears that if nothing was done to address the situation, it could lead to a calamity shortly, insisting that the government must look into the matter to tackle it.
