The Nigerian Immigration Lawyers Association ( NILA) hosted Immigration Round Table & Dinner in honour of her legal adviser Mr Inam Wilson who was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on Monday the 28th of November 2022.
The Round Table & Dinner which took place at HAWTHORN SUITES BY WYNDHAM, Gariki Abuja had in attendance the leading lights of the Association led by Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, ( President & Chair Board of Trustees) , Dame Georgina Ehuriah- Arisa ( former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Interior and Trustee of NILA ), Dr Roland Otaru, SAN, Prof Larry Chukwu , Dr Sirajo Yakubu and a host of fellows , members and associate members of the association.
The event also brought together representatives of the Nigerian Immigration Service, other policy makers and stakeholders at the frontline of immigration practice and policy in Nigeria who shared their knowledge and expertise on the subject for discussion which centered on the 2022 Revised Handbook on Expatriate Quota Administration in Nigeria.
Leading the discussion, Prince ( Sir ) Ebere Nwokoro, FCArb, FNILA, KJW who is the Vice President and a Trustee of NILA observed , inter alia , that the Revised Handbook made notable changes which are worthy of interrogation.
He spotlighted the potential impact of the shareholding requirements for business permit applications on foreign direct investment ( FDI ) and argued that the high share capital requirement may be a disincentive to foreign investors. He also highlighted the issue of overlapping mandates in the issuance of Business Permits which in his considered opinion is an impediment to the ease of doing business.
At the end of the discussions members of the association were unanimous on the fact that the potential negative impacts of some provisions of the Handbook underscore the imperative for NILA to bring them to the front burner of public discourse with the aim of positively influencing policy change in that regard.
The distinguished Silk Inam Wilson Esq thanked his colleagues for the honour and pledged to double his efforts towards ensuring the progress of the Association.