Lawmakers Begin Investigation On Proposed Domestication And Processing Of Nigeria International Passports

The House of Representatives has commenced investigation into the proposed Domestication And Processing Of Nigeria International Passports.

The House Ad-hoc Committee to investigate The Proposed Domestication And Processing Of Nigeria International Passports, at its inaugural sitting, interrogated consultants and companies involved in the production of Nigerian passports.

The Chairman of the Committee, Afees  Kawu, said that the investigative hearing  followed a resolution of the House of Representatives.

“We are here you know what and what transpired or how the process of domestication came about,” the Chairman said.

He stated that in the motion that lead to the investigation, the name of IRIS featured prominently, hence the need for them to clarify issues.

He said that the purpose of the investigation was to unravel the root cause of the scarcity of passport booklets in Nigeria.

The Comptroller General, CG of Immigration, Mr. Idris Isah Jere, said that to bridge the booklet gab, zonal offices were created across Nigeria and abroad.

He said that all contracts on e-passports was signed by the ministry of Interior and not the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS.

The CG also said that the scarcity of passport booklets are as a result of scarcity of forex.

He noted that improved forex would end the scarcity.

He noted that NIS would welcome any suggestions or actions that would end the issue of Passport booklets scarcity in Nigeria.

“There’s a need to provide three millions booklets annually to end the booklet scarcity in Nigeria,” he said.

He added that the consultancy firm needed to fulfill the terms of its contract and complete the number of booklets it signed up for.

The Managing Director of IRIS  Technology Limited, Mr Yinka Fisher told the committee that the Nigeria Security and Mint, the Central Bank of Nigeria were sabotaging the company’s effort leading to scarcity of passport booklets in Nigeria.

He said that people who work in the corridors of power have also been frustrating the availability of booklets through unfriendly policies.

“We were the first you propose to government you built passport manufacturing plant in Nigeria but we were not granted. The international best practice, no government security prints passport. E passport is a technology based project. Local manufacturing can generate employments,” Mr. Fisher said.

The MD also advised Nigeria to be mindful of foreign companies trying to invest in the country’s sensitive areas.

He added that the company faces a lot of challenges in the process of booklets production.

The minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola said that issues surrounding passports are security issues and should be treated as such.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of IRIS Technology, Dr Sule Yau Sule, said that the company was given the contact to produce twenty million booklets and has produced six million so far.

He added that the company has not defaulted in anyway.

Confidence Okwuchi