NIS blames CBN’s forex policy for scarcity of passport booklets

By Onome Amuge

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has faulted the foreign exchange regulation policy of the government and CBN’s refusal to grant access to forex for the scarcity of international passport booklets in the country.

Jere, comptroller-general of the NIS, who stated this at a public hearing organised by an ad-hoc committee of the house of representatives, disclosed that the booklets are imported into the country.

Business A.M gathered that the committee was set up by the House to investigate the proposed domestication and processing of Nigerian international passports.

According to the comptroller-general, Nigeria generates forex from the sale of passports but does not have access to buy the same booklet, which is a challenge for NIS.

Speaking further on the challenges bothering provision of international passport booklets, Jere said, “The factors responsible for scarcity of passports include the inability to set up passport producing factories in Nigeria as its production is done abroad.

“The major seven components used for producing passports are sold in the international market and the assemblage and production are done in Malaysia.

“This makes the production process solely dependent on FX and the scarcity of FX due to the fall in naira value is of major concern.”

Jere, however, commended Iris Smart Technology Ltd, the foreign company responsible for producing the passport for  doing very well given the conditions. He added that the presidential directive to commence production of passports locally by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) was a welcome development.

He also recommended that a proper exit plan be put in place for a smooth handover from Iris Smart Tech to prevent any breach of contract and production process.

Also addressing the lawmakers, Yinker Fisher, the managing director of Iris Smart Technology Ltd , noted that before the advent of the e-passport system, the Nigerian passport was marred with embarrassing irregularities and inconsistency under the watch of NSPM.

According to Fisher, as a result of lack of capacity, NSPM outsourced the process to three companies which led to so many irregularities including passport colour and numbers.

The managing director  said under the administration of Iris Smart Technology Ltd, the Nigerian passport was now regarded as one of the best in the international community.

He,however, stressed that the human factor in the process of producing passports is highly limited, adding that even passport approval is granted by biometric.

Fisher also alleged that there were plots by companies who lost the contract to produce the Nigerian passport at the bidding stage and some people on the corridor of power to thwart production by Iris Smart Tech.