In advance of the FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to begin in the Middle Eastern country in November, Qatar welcomed Nigerians on Friday to take advantage of many opportunities in all industries, including oil and gas.
Qatar will host the quadrennial soccer championship from November 20 to December 18.
This was said by Mr. Ahmad Al-Horr, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Qatari Embassy in Nigeria, when he met Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, in Abuja.
He claimed that because of the small number of Nigerians employed in the Gulf State, the Qatari administration was eager to collaborate with its Nigerian counterpart on worker migration.
The embassy representative emphasised that the nation was concerned about the protection of engineers, doctors, and other professionals at work.
Al-Horr said: “We are processing the bilateral agreement between the Government of Nigeria and the Government of Qatar on the regulation of employment of Nigerian migrant workers in the State of Qatar.
“We need a relationship with the labour ministry because the number of Nigerian workers in Qatar is limited. We want more Nigerian workers in our country.”
He added that Qatar was ready to host the premier soccer tournament, the first in the Arab world.
He also invited the minister to the World Cup.
In his remark, Ngige said the ministry was looking forward to the formalisation of the bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Qatar on labour migration.
He said the large number of unemployed people in Africa falls between the ages of 17 and 35 who constitute 60 per cent of the population.
The minister noted that the youth constitute about 60 percent of the population with an unemployment ratio of about 34 per cent.
Ngige said: “If you include underemployment, you will be talking about close to 40 percent, which is also very alarming.
“That is why we are looking forward as a country towards formalising labour migration agreement with you.
“Your country has been identified as one of the destinations for people who are looking for work.
“You have even reiterated here that the Nigerian component of foreign workers in your place is limited.”
