Onome Amuge
Nigeria’s push to reform its migration framework is gaining traction as the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) throws its weight behind the federal government’s ongoing expatriate quota reform and post-amnesty regularisation programme, a move aimed at reshaping how businesses attract talent, ensure compliance, and compete within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, the director general of NECA reaffirmed the association’s readiness to work with the federal government and private stakeholders in building a migration ecosystem that upholds dignity, security, and enterprise.
Oyerinde made this known at the Stakeholders’ Sensitisation Workshop on Expatriate Quota Reform, New Visa Regime, and Post-Amnesty Programme held recently in Kano.
Oyerinde argued that migration management is not just as a regulatory issue, but an economic enabler that can drive inclusion, protect investments, and deepen regional integration.
“Nigeria must lead by example, demonstrating that lawful mobility and economic opportunity can coexist within a secure and predictable policy environment,” he said.
Oyerinde’s remarks come at a time when the government, through the Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said it is intensifying efforts to sanitise the country’s expatriate employment space and bring informal or irregular migration practices into compliance.
For the business community, these reforms are not merely administrative adjustments as they touch the core of workforce planning, cross-border recruitment, and competitiveness in a global economy increasingly defined by compliance and transparency.
“The post-amnesty programme is timely and necessary. It ensures employers operate within clear legal parameters, protects enterprises from liability, and enhances workforce integrity. It also contributes to enterprise sustainability by aligning workforce planning with national immigration frameworks,” Oyerinde stated.
The NECA DG linked the migration reform agenda directly to the broader objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), arguing that transparent and efficient migration policies are central to unlocking intra-African trade and labour mobility.
“Free movement of goods, services, and people across Africa depends on credible and predictable migration systems. The post-amnesty process intersects meaningfully with AfCFTA’s objectives by allowing for more lawful and structured mobility,” he said.
Oyerinde commended Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, and Kemi Nanna Nandap, Comptroller-General of Immigration, for their leadership in implementing a reform agenda that balances security with economic opportunity. He praised their results-driven approach and commitment to humane enforcement, saying it has given new credibility to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
“When governed by clear rules and strong institutions, migration remains a source of national strength. Proper documentation helps employers plan confidently, allows government to forecast accurately, and ensures migrants contribute productively,”,” Oyerinde said.
He cited examples from Spain, Portugal, and Argentina, where similar regularisation programmes yielded measurable economic dividends including expanding tax bases, improving labour compliance, and strengthening border management. Nigeria, he argued, has the same potential to turn migration governance into a strategic asset.
