The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has admonished security stakeholders in Nigeria to make sure that they do everything to protect the country’s critical national assets.

Aregbesola said this while speaking at the Critical National Asset and Infrastructure (CNAI) and the National Protection Policy and Strategy (NPPS) 2023 Validation workshop in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the former governor of Osun State, safeguarding Nigeria’s critical assets and infrastructure will help to ensure the rapid development of the nation.

“We expect a fantastic outcome, so your contributions in this workshop must come out of your experience in areas we believe are critical to the well-being and security of Nigerians.

“Whether with this government or the incoming administration, the Federation Executive Council will find out if this document has gone through critical evaluation and contribution before approval,” he said.

Aregbesola told the attendees that because the CNAI was diverse, stakeholders need to brainstorm on the policies guiding it alongside how the organization affects the duties of security agencies.

The Interior minister added that there was a need to checkmate the roles security agencies and stakeholders play in securing the CNAI.

He further said that it was imperative to know what plans security agencies have in their effort to implement the strategies guiding the protection of the CNAI.

On the other hand, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has issued a threat in which it said it will publish the names of companies that are yet to comply with the expatriate quota policy of the country in due time.

Expatriate quota licences are usually issued to foreign and in some cases, Nigerian firms to enable them to bring in high-level-skilled manpower that is not readily available in the nation.

Aregbesola said the abuse and gross violations of the expatriate quota policies by foreign investors and Nigerian companies necessitated the latest move from the FGN.

He revealed this while speaking at the launching of the 2022 revised handbook on expatriate quota administration in Abuja on Tuesday.

“The 2004 edition of the handbook which provides guidelines for operationalizing the expatriate quota instruments, though well thought out when it came out, is now obsolete,” he started.

“The task force inaugurated in December 2020 has since been carrying out its assignment in all the geopolitical zones of the country.

“The report of the companies that have not complied with the rules will be published in due time and they will be sanctioned.

“All these measures became imperative in view of abuses and gross violations of the expatriate quota policies by foreign investors and Nigerian companies alike.

“Before now, I had appealed to foreign companies, nationals, and their governments to begin to respect our laws and warned them that it will no longer be business as usual.”