By Joy Odor, Abuja
Nigeria’s Interior Ministry has vowed to overhaul the nation’s expatriate quota system, admitting that the government still lacks accurate data on the number of foreigners living and working in the country.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, speaking on behalf of Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, dropped the bombshell on Tuesday while receiving a high-powered delegation from the Kaduna State Revenue Service (KADIRS), led by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Jerry Adams.
“Even as a country, we cannot yet fully assert the exact number of expatriates in Nigeria. But with our electronic reforms and the amnesty window for regularization, we are now closer to transparency and accuracy than ever before,” Ajani declared.
Ajani revealed that the Federal Government’s ongoing technology-driven reforms are exposing previously undocumented activities in the expatriate space.
She announced plans to set up a joint technical team with KADIRS to harmonise data, streamline reporting, and ensure lawful exchange of information.
“This is a government-to-government engagement. We are open to collaboration, but it must align with security protocols and extant laws,” she stressed, reminding the delegation that the Ministry is a security agency, not a revenue-generating outfit.
KADIRS boss, Jerry Adams raised red flags over incomplete and inaccurate expatriate records in Kaduna State, warning that the gaps undermine both transparency and revenue collection.
He called for the deployment of API links for real-time data sharing, stressing that collaboration with the Interior Ministry is crucial to plugging leakages.
Adams also pushed for revenue reconciliation on services rendered by Interior agencies, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigerian Correctional Service , covering January to August 2025.
“This visit is not just about raising concerns but about building a long-term partnership with the Ministry. We are confident these issues will be resolved fairly and quickly,” he said.
The meeting underscored a growing national concern: Nigeria’s inability to fully account for expatriates operating across states.
With mounting pressure to safeguard national security and boost compliance, both federal and state agencies are now turning to digital reforms, joint task forces, and stricter monitoring to clean up the system.
Present at the meeting were senior Interior Ministry officials, including Mrs. Okuboere S. Mukah, Director of Citizenship & Business; Assistant Comptroller General (Visa & Residency) Franca Nwanneka, representing the Comptroller General of Immigration; and other top bureaucrats.
The partnership signals what could become the biggest shake-up of Nigeria’s expatriate quota regime in decades, aimed at eliminating data gaps, exposing irregularities, and aligning the system with the Tinubu administration’s push for transparency and reform.
