FG Gives INTELS’ Expatriate Personnel Two Weeks To Leave Nigeria, Revokes Resident Permits

Baron Ike

The face off between the federal government and former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s firm, INTELS is getting messier as the federal government has given the expatriate personnel working for him two weeks within which to leave Nigeria or risk deportation.
As a first measure, the federal government has revoked the resident permit of expatriate staff of INTELS Nigeria Limited and five other companies for allegedly operating without valid license within the country’s Oil and Gas Free Zone.
Information on the planned revocation was communicated on Wednesday through the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The NIS named the other affected companies as PRODECO International Limited, West Africa Machinery Services Limited, Net Global System International Limited, MGM Logistics Solutions Limited, and ORIEAN Investment Limited.
The affected staff in the six companies were given up to Thursday, November 30, to leave Nigeria, or be deported on the orders of the Minister of Interior.
Comptroller-General of the NIS, Muhammad Babandede, announced the revocation order in Abuja through the agency’s spokesperson, Sunday James, saying that the action was pursuant to the powers vested in his office by section 39 subsection 1 of the Immigration Act 2015 and section 5, subsection 5 of the Immigration Regulation 2017.
According to him, the section empowers the NIS to revoke the resident permit of expatriate workers of companies whose operational licenses are withdrawn by the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, OGFZA for alleged infractions.
The statement read: “Consequently, Babandede has directed that the expatriate staff of the affected companies above leave Nigeria not later than November 30, 2017.
“They might be recommended to the Honourable Minister of Interior for deportation should they fail to leave the country as directed by the CGI,” James added.
For INTELS, co-owned by Nigeria’s former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, the action was the anti-climax of months of a bitter running battle between its management and the federal government over alleged refusal to comply with official directives on remittances of government revenue into the Treasury Single Account, TSA, in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Following a face-off with the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA over the issue, its Pilotage Agency Agreement and management services contract were terminated in October.
Although INTELS‎ co-owner, Gabrielle Volpi, apologised to the NPA management, promising his firm’s readiness to comply with the TSA directive, it appeared the action came a

little too late, as it was not enough to placate the Nigeria government to rescind its action.

.Additional report from Premiun Times