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Tag: E-passport

  • Bureaucracy, cash crunch stall e-Passport issuance

    Bureaucracy, cash crunch stall e-Passport issuance

    There is a looming scarcity of passport booklets due to a cash crunch, it was learnt yesterday.

    Service providers are owed billions, while printed booklets are stuck in warehouses over debts.

    Also, bureaucratic bottlenecks over the remittance of Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS’) share of revenues from passport issuance have become a major obstacle.

    The situation is threatening to derail reforms initiated by the Federal Government to ease the burden of e-passport issuance.

    It was learnt that booklets have been exhausted.

    The e-passport reform is faced with bureaucratic challenges, especially with the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

    The TSA is said to have become inactive as officials are yet to address all stakeholder concerns regarding funds distribution challenges.

    TSA refers to a public accounting system using a single account or a set of linked accounts by the government to ensure all revenue receipts and payments are done through a Consolidated Revenue Account (CRA) at the CBN.

    The development has made it difficult for the NIS to access funds to offset huge debts running into billions of naira owed service providers.

    Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had initiated reforms that led to the clearance of over 200,000 passport backlogs.

    However, the current situation may result in another accumulation if not urgently addressed.

    Findings by our correspondent in Gwagwalada and the Headquarters of the NIS in Abuja indicated that applicants are having a tough time obtaining the document.

    There were also complaints from Alausa, Alimosho, and Ikoyi passport offices in Lagos.

    Top officials of the NIS who spoke with our reporter in confidence said the Service should not be blamed for impending passport scarcity.

    One of them said: “Let me give you an example.

    “The cost of the 32-page passport booklet outside Nigeria is $132, while the cost of the 64-page category is $230.

    “If an application is made outside Nigeria, the payment goes straight into the federal account which is shared amongst the three tiers of government.

    “The NIS has no control over the money that comes in from abroad.

    “The revenues from abroad form 50 per cent of the entire proceeds for passport issuance.

    “For the ones paid for in Nigeria, we not only have to apply for funds before we are considered, but all services related to the printing of fresh passports and payment of other service providers in the value chain are from that 50 per cent.

    “So, our application goes through many agencies of government while we keep our service providers waiting until we fulfil all righteousness before we can pay them.”

    Within the past year, no fewer than 105,000 e-passport booklets have been printed.

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    These include 35,000 copies of the 32-page category and 70,000 copies of the 64-page.

    Another source said: “At present, the 32-page category has been exhausted due to its high demand.

    “This means that there is already a scarcity of passports.”

    According to the source, there are 48 passport-issuing outlets outside Nigeria, with 44 in the country

    The source explained that there are booklets to be delivered to the NIS by the printers, but they are stuck at Customs and courier warehouses because of huge debts.

    It was learnt that Customs and DHL are among the service providers insisting on payment of their outstanding debt before the documents are released.

    NIS Public Relations Officer, Dr Dotun Aridegbe, a Comptroller of Immigration, could not be reached to confirm the developments.

    He did not pick up his calls and had yet to reply to text messages on his WhatsApp as of the time of filing this report.

  • Senate summons ministers, AGF, four firms over e-passport deals

    Senate summons ministers, AGF, four firms over e-passport deals

    The Senate ad hoc committee investigating alleged misuse, under remittance, and other fraudulent activities in the collection, remittance and expenditure of internally generated revenue by MDAs has invited the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, Minister of Interior, General Danbazzau and  Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris over alleged shady deals in the production and sale of e-passport.

    Also summoned by the committee to shed light on the multi-billion naira production and sale of e-passport includes four companies.

    They are to appear before the Senator Solomon Adeola led committee to explain their roles on e-Passport production and other immigration related issues that the companies performed on behalf of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The firms were said to have entered into public private partnership (PPP) arrangement with the NIS over the years.

    The invited companies included Contec Nigeria Ltd, Greater Washington Nigeria Ltd, New work Solution and Investment Ltd, and Iris Smart Technologies which works on e-passport production, expatriate residence permit and alien card and related immigration.

    The companies are also said to have contractual agreements to perform some revenue generating service on behalf of the NIS “with the companies withholding a hefty percentage of revenue that would have accrued to the Federal Government.”

    Senator Adeola issued the invitation following the presentation made by the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. Mohammed Babandede, on the revenue profile of the service. The committee wanted to know how generated revenue, “running into billions of naira and dollar, were shared by the companies, NIS and the Federal Government.”

    Adeola said, “I am at loss why huge part of revenue generated by NIS continued to be paid to private firms in the name of PPP that should actually be based on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT).

    “We cannot continue to deny Nigerians the benefits that would accrue to them through increase revenue to government coffers instead of huge earnings for private concerns.

    “This is an area that government can generate huge revenue. There is need to get clarifications on this issue from all the parties involved.”

    The CG of NIS, in his presentation, noted that the reasons for entering into PPP arrangement at the time the government did was attributed to inadequate funding and late release of budgeted sums, multiple acquisition of travel documents and poor revenue generation. He added that the private partners provided all the funding while money realized in the course of issuing facilities is shared with government in order to allow the private partners recoup their investment.

    The Immigration boss said that for the period of investigation by the Senate between 2012-2016 total remittance to Federal Government stood at over N17 billion and over$112million.

    He noted that “revenue accruing to government has increased almost a hundred fold since the introduction of these (PPP) agreements”.

  • AU mulls visa-free e-passport 

    In order to achieve  free movement of goods and service within the continent  by 2020,  the African Union Commission (AUC) is planning to launch electronic passport.

    According to the AUC’s Headquarters, the  African Union (AU) is prepared to launch the electronic passport (e-Passport) at the next AU Summit tabled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, in July this year.

    This flagship project, first agreed upon in 2014, falls  within the framework of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and has the specific aim of facilitating free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent – in order to foster intra-Africa trade, integration and socio-economic development.

    The Chairperson AUC, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,  described this initiative as both symbolic and significant, calling it a “steady step toward the objective of creating a strong, prosperous and integrated Africa, driven by its own citizens and capable of taking its rightful place on the world stage.

    Aspirations 2 and 7 of Agenda 2063, respectively, envision an Africa that is ‘integrated’ and ‘united’, and the introduction of the Common African Passport as an effort towards realising integration and unity on the continent.

    The first group of beneficiaries will include AU Heads of State and Government; Ministers of Foreign Affairs; and the Permanent Representatives of AU member states based at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The AU e-Passports will be issued this at the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. In order for all the recipients to acquire the passports, they are strongly encouraged to comply with the needed paper work required to accelerate the processing lead time.

    The concept of unrestricted movement of persons, goods and services across regions and the continent is not new; it has been outlined in documents such as the Lagos Plan of Action and the Abuja Treaty – an indication that the unhampered movement of citizens is critical for Africa’s development.

    Countries such as Seychelles, Mauritius, Rwanda, and Ghana have taken the lead in ensuring easier intra-Africa travel by relaxing visa restrictions and in some cases lifting visa requirements altogether.

  • Civil society hails Fed Govt on e-passport

    THE Coalition of Civil Society Groups (CSOs) have lauded the e-passport initiative of the Federal Government, describing it as placing Nigerians in the league of serious nations.

    The coalition, in a statement issued in Abuja by its coordinator, Tunde Adegbemiro, said the initiative was a product of focused leadership.

    “The e-passport initiative has put Nigeria in the league of serious nations as the passport is a document of National pride,” he said.

    He added that passports as presently issued have been discovered to possess security features that made it almost impossible to be compromised.

    On the money being charged for the document, Adegbemiro said the amount was being remitted to the government through the Nigeria Immigration Service and that the amount was the cost paid by applicants for verification of addresses and delivery of passports upon issuance.

    The group further stated that based on its investigations, no individual or group had been found to have defrauded Nigerians as the said money is being paid into the Federal Government coffers through the Immigration Service and same jointly accessed by all parties involved in line with the Public Private Partnership agreement.

    “The e-passport initiative is a laudable one and should be vigorously supported”, he said.

    “The 21st century is propelled by the use of ICT in an era where the world is unified by free access to information and the use of ICT in solving both simple and complex problems.”

  • Ajimobi hails new e-passport

    Ajimobi hails new e-passport

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has hailed the 64-page newly approved international passport as an exercise that epitomises quality service delivery to the people.

    He made the remark after he was presented with the 64-page new international passport at the state headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Agodi, Ibadan, at the weekend.

    The governor, who had earlier undergone the necessary process of obtaining the passport, said the new document was of good quality and conformed to international best practices.

    He noted that the new passport would accommodate frequent travellers and reduce visits by Nigerians to immigration offices.

    The Comptroller of Immigration, Oyo State Command, Mr. Innocent Akatu, said the document would be issued to members of the public at the cost of N20,000, while the 32-page e-passport would continue to be issued to children below 18 years at the cost of N8,750.

    Akatu stressed that the elderly, who are above 60 years, would also have the 32-page passport at the cost of N8,750, while people within the age of 18 and 60 would have access to the same document for N15,000.

    The newly-introduced document is expected to reduce theft of passport, as the features such as fingerprint and others cannot be falsified based on the scientific fact that two persons cannot have the same fingerprints.

  • Fed Govt launches 64-page e-passport

    Fed Govt launches 64-page e-passport

    • Jonathan advises Immigration officers at airports

    The Federal Government launched the new 64-page e-passport yesterday to reduce the suffering of Nigerian travellers.

    The new travel document will be used with the existing 32-page e-passport.

    President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo were issued their new passports yesterday after their data were captured before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting started at the State House in Abuja.

    Jonathan urged Immigration officers to be efficient in their duty.

    The President said the impression they give visitors at the points of entry, such as the airports, has some effects on the nation’s image.

    He advised the service to end the complaints of Nigerians abroad by making it easier for them to get their passports.

    Jonathan said: “I always sympathised with those who travel almost weekly, changing passport every month. At least, we have moved a step forward. The key thing is for us to have a robust relationship with key countries so that some of these frequent travellers may not need visas. That will really help us more.

    “One thing we must know today is that it is not the issue of 64-page passport that is key to Nigerians but the security. If our passport could be easily faked by criminals, then we will have problems. One thing again is that how can Nigerians get the passport easily, especially those living outside this country?

    “When I travel, there is this complaint about how to get the Nigerian passport. It’s not necessarily the issue of 64-page passport but how do they get passport. So, the ministry (of Interior) must look into this.

    “What affects every traveller is how efficient and committed our Immigration officers work at our airports. Visitors …have different impressions about our Immigration officers. So, they must improve; they are the image of this country. How they handle visitors matters so much. If they conduct themselves poorly, it reflects on all of us. So, their conduct at the airports is key, besides the passport.”

    The President urged Nigerians, including those in government, the media and the civil society, to work for the improved image of the country.

    He said: “I always say that when people continue to paint their country with all kinds of colours, that is the way foreigners will associate those colours with your green passport.

    “I want a situation that whenever you travel to another country and you raise your green passport, people will appreciate you. It should not be that when you raise your green passport, people will begin to think that that it signifies some suspicious character. We are not helping ourselves when we paint ourselves the colours that we are not supposed to bear.

    “I wish to continue to appeal to all Nigerians that we must all collectively learn how we do our things: statements that we make, to paint brighter colours for our green passport.”

    Interior Minister Abba Moro said the new e-passport is part of the Federal Government’s commitment to giving seamless service delivery to Nigerians wherever they are.

    He said: “The introduction of the 64-page Nigerian e-passport …is, to say the least, a demand-driven initiative to meet the needs of frequent Nigerian travellers. Based on some recommendations arising from the operational experiences of the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Ministry of Interior recently approved some reforms concerning the Nigerian e-passport, including the newly introduced 64-page.

    “The fundamental rationale behind the reforms is to enhance the integrity of Nigerian travel documents and the image of the Nigerian traveller anywhere in the world.

    “Appropriate strategies are being put in place to sensitise the public on the new e-passport reforms to enhance full implementation after this official launch by Mr. President.”

    Addressing State House correspondents, Immigration’s Comptroller-General David Parradang said the 64-page passport would last for five years before renewal, just like the standard 32-page passport.

    Hen said the 64-page passport, which will officially be issued to the public as from tomorrow, is meant for heavy travellers.

  • FG launches 64-page Nigeria e-passport

    FG launches 64-page Nigeria e-passport

    To ameliorate the sufferings of heavy Nigerian travelers, the Federal Government on Wednesday launched the new 64-page Nigerian e-passport.

    The new travel document will be in use with the existing 32-page e-passport.

    President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo were issued their new passports after their data were captured before the Federal Executive Council meeting started at the State House, Abuja.

    Jonathan urged the immigration officers to be efficient and committed as the impression they give visitors at the point of entry like the airports determine the perception the country gets.

    He also tasked the service to do everything possible to end the complaints of Nigerians abroad by making it easier for them to get Nigerian passports.

    He said: “I always sympathize with those who travel almost on a weekly basis, changing passport every month, at least we have moved a step forward. The key thing is for us to have a robust relationship with key countries so that some of these frequent travelers may not need visas, that will really help us more.

    “One thing one must know today is that it is not the issue of 64-page passport that is key to Nigerians but the security. If our passport could be easily faked by criminals, then we will have problems. One thing again is that how can Nigerians be able to get passport easily especially those living outside this country.

    “When I travel there is this complaints about how to get the Nigerian passport not necessarily the issue of 64-page passport but how do they get passport, so the ministry must look into this.”

    He went on: “What affects every traveler is how efficient and committed our immigration officers work at our airports, visitors that come into the country have different impressions about our immigration officers, so they must improve. They are the image of this country, how they handle visitors matters so much, if they conduct themselves poorly, it reflects on all of us. So their conducts at the airports are key besides the passport.”