Construction & Civil Engineering Senior Team Association (CCESSA) lauds government initiatives to partner with places which can be ready to buy Nigeria, support the infrastructural progress and donate to the development of the economy.
The National Leader of the association, Comrade (Dr.) Augustine Etafo, while commending the Government and the Asian version for the bilateral agreement and the Memorandum of understanding reached with the China Civil Engineering Construction Firm (CCECC), claimed it's heartwarming to see that the business, as said in one of the Nigerian national dailies, by China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. U Yucheng, that CCECC is going to be investing enormously in Nigeria, with planned investment in Actual House, concrete manufacturing, Beach Slots, railways, highways progress and the steel market among others. Mr. Li also added that the Asian Construction big CCECC conducting business in Nigeria has used about 20,000 Nigerians with about 1,000 Expatriates.
CCESSA but note that the Asian construction big unsuccessful to inform people that against 1000 expatriates on history, there are only 35 elderly team in almost all their development in Nigeria. This is certainly indefensible. That is also in comparison variance to the extant law on expatriate quota; and even the labour laws. It's incredible that one of the 20,000 Nigerians used in the entire operations in Nigeria only 35 are elderly staff. It's significant complication for Nigerian graduates.
This indicates very convenient for the Asian multinational organization to utilize 1000 expatriates, and only 35 Nigerians. What goes on to the Nigerian professionals who are likely to perform in the establishments? It indicates the professional like Engineers, accountants, individual resource workers aren't required by the business or what? That leads to motion without development. How do we transfer technology between expatriates and junior team? That trend has identified Asian company in Nigeria.
If this continues we might be left with no alternative than to end that China doesn't intend to transfer technology to Nigerians. You might have expected that in line with expatriate quota, the type of employees should be such that it may improve transfer of technology to the area populace. That brings us to the 2nd aspect of our fear, which can be; in a desperate effort to have hold on our government they compromise quality, common and choose the best cadre of labour, therefore causing a great space between quality and price.
That 1000 Asian is working wherever only 35 Nigerian graduates are used only leads to conclusion: Nigeria is sinking in to deeper graduate unemployment while Asian is solving their unemployment problems in Nigeria. Again, what is the qualification of the so-called expatriates? A cursory stop by at the internet sites of the corporation display, that individuals have expatriates cooks, expatriate home keepers and expatriate clerks, in the end what they contact expatriates are those who couldn't discover employment in China and are brought to Nigeria.
That brings to problem the type of employment relations such establishment. Whereas the junior team is wholly Nigerians, and is numerous, the elderly cadre employment is said to be discussed involving the expatriates and the Nigerians. Expatriates such as the title implies are said to be used wherever the area employees lack capacity however the reverse may be the case.
The Government should take cognizance of the truth that it's inadequate to signal agreements, but that Nigerian personnel interest should also be factored in. Our trust and need is that Nigerians are experienced to dominate the jobs of expatriates after they have understudied them.
CCESSA is not advocating that most expatriates should be delivered providing nor is he expressing that Nigerians can handle most of the complexities mixed up in construction industry. But the idea is that, honestly there are places wherever the presence of experts is imperative. In many other places, regional team has the capability to control affairs. Such regional team must get the opportunity to perform, initially beneath the direction of the relevant experts.
In this market, we have Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, Workers Officers, Accountants e.t.c and we believe if many of these are acknowledged and effectively put, then CCECC Company can not be speaking of less than 2000 elderly team as against the 1000 expatriates they have rightly or wrongly established.
Finally, we but welcome Asian investors in Nigeria, but it should be built to benefit Nigerians and much less a ploy to fix their particular unemployment crisis.