Lagos — With deepening recession in the world's leading economies and various companies closing shop or cutting jobs, global unemployment can only worsen. The job losses include those of highly skilled labour, considered much secured before the financial crisis. And with the world reduced to one big global village there is understandably an increasing competition for jobs.

The International Labour Organisation has said global unemployment and poverty are set for a "dramatic increase." The UN agency explained that in a worst-case scenario, recorded unemployment could rise by more than 50 million from the 2007 level to a total of 230 million, or 7.1 per cent of the world's labour force, by the end of 2009.

Expectedly, the current recession, likely to be the worst in a generation, will affect international migration, remittances, and job protection by labour unions. Last month in the UK, contractors at a refinery owned by France's Total protested after Italian firm IREM won a contract to build a new unit. Unions said it had brought in workers from Italy and Portugal and deprived Britons of work.

Apart from job losses of Nigerians abroad and a drastic reduction in remittances home, we are worried about the likely increase in the international migration of expatriates who receive preferential treatment from their multinational employers in Nigeria.

We are aware that in some companies, expatriates displace Nigerians on jobs for which the latter have better competencies. Yet the expatriates are paid far higher salaries, provided furnished accommodation and chauffeur-driven cars and house helps.

We are also aware of the close political relationships between some multinationals and their home governments, which they support by creating jobs opportunities here for their nationals.

And we are also aware that some foreigners who are allowed in the country on various visas end up in plum jobs or in high remunerating sectors of the economy at the expense of their Nigerian counterparts.

That is the reason for our unease over reports from Nigeria's High Commissioner to the UK, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, that there has been "a noticeable rise in the number of British nationals applying for entry visa as well as permits to come and work in the country".

Tafida who said Nigeria is the second largest African market for the UK, disclosed that between 100 and 250 visas are granted daily, while in 2008, 950 subject-to-regularisation (STR) work visas were issued and 1030 temporary work permits (TWP) were also granted to British nationals.

The increase is inspite of the fact that the British government has consistently issued a negative travel advisory on Nigeria to its citizens owing to what it calls "insecurity", especially because of the kidnappings in the Niger Delta where some 42 British nationals have been kidnapped in the last four years.

Nigeria also suffers from image problems in the UK as a result of drug trafficking, credit card fraud, identity theft, general immigration offences and the advance fee fraud, otherwise known as "419" perpetrated by some Nigerians.

"Nigeria remains a very important country to the United Kingdom despite all these negative developments," the High Commissioner said. "The fact that more and more British citizens are applying for work permits and visitor visas is an indication of this. The trend is increasing."

We also know that Nigeria's oil and gas industry offers the highest growth potentials to most of the international oil companies operating in Nigeria.

What Tafida perhaps doesn't know is that the expatriates are richly compensated by what some companies call the insecurity in the country.

Sadly, the undue advantage of expatriates over Nigerians is facilitated by the collaboration of some Nigerian Immigration officials in the HR Departments of companies who do that to curry favour from their bosses.

Only recently, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and their Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) counterpart, condemned increasing expatriate quota abuses and the alarming engagement of Nigerians as casual workers in the oil industry.

At a meeting with the two ministers of Petroleum Dr. Rilwanu Lukman and Odein Ajumogobia, leaders of NUPENG and PENGASSAN said: "Petroleum Act 1969 made good provisions to safeguard the interests and opportunity for the jobs and career of nationals working in the oil and gas industry except that the monitoring and enforcement agencies support easy circumvention and breach of the laws through official compromises that create avenues for abuse of expatriate registration and renewals; and unjustifiable employment of skilled and trainable graduates as casual workers for both core and non-core activities with the aid of licensing agencies."

In the telecoms sector, Zain, was reported to have replaced four its senior management staff with expatriates.

As the deepening recession fuels international migration, we call on the Immigration Department to be more vigilant to save Nigerians their jobs, particularly as many skilled Nigerians displaced abroad are returning home. We also call the National Assembly to activate its oversight functions on this issue. We are sure that they would be shocked by the competencies of some expatriates who have displaced skilled Nigerians.