Immigration blames CBN for passport booklet scarcity

The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Idris Jere, made this known during a public hearing organised by an ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives in Abuja.

Jere stated that the NIS earns foreign exchange through the sale of passports; however, due to the CBN's reluctance to grant forex for the importation of passport booklets, the NIS is unable to obtain the same booklet.

He also noted that the inability to set up a passport producing factory in Nigeria is a significant factor contributing to the scarcity of passports, as the production of the passport booklets is done abroad.

According to Jere, the seven major components used for producing passports are sold in the international market, and the assemblage and production of passports are done in Malaysia.

He commended Irris Smart Technology Ltd, the foreign company responsible for producing the passport, for their efforts, given the existing conditions.

However, Jere recommended that a proper exit plan should be put in place for a smooth handover from Irris Smart Technology to prevent any breach of contract and production process when the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) takes over the local production of passports.

He added that the presidential directive to commence production of passports locally is a welcome development.

In his testimony before the committee, the Managing Director of Irris Smart Technology Ltd, Yinker Fisher, revealed that prior to the e-passport system, the Nigerian passport was plagued by embarrassing irregularities and inconsistency under the watch of NSPM.

He noted that due to a lack of capacity, NSPM outsourced the passport production process to three companies, which led to several irregularities, including passport colour and numbers.