E-passport deal: Senate summons AGF, Dambazau, four firms

The Senate has summoned the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami; Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Ahmed Idris; Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.); and four private companies.

The upper chamber invited them to explain a multi-billion naira e-passport production deal.

They are to appear before the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Alleged Misuse, Under Remittance and Other Fraudulent Activities in the Collection, Remittance and Expenditure of Internally Generated Revenue by Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Kayode Odunaro, Media Adviser to the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Olamilekan Adeola said the invitees are expected to appear on April 6.

He listed the companies as Contec Nigeria Limited, Greater Washington Nigeria Limited, Newwork Solution and Investment Limited and Iris Smart Technologies.

Odunaro said the companies were contracted for e-passport production, expatriate residence permit and alien card as well as other immigration services.

He added that they had contractual agreements to perform some revenue generating services on behalf of the NIS.

The statement said the companies were “withholding a hefty percentage of revenue that would have accrued to the Federal Government.”

The Chairman of the committee was quoted to have confirmed from the Immigration boss that the service could now undertake the services provided by the companies as a way of increasing revenue accruing to the government.Adeola was quoted as saying, “I am at a loss on why a huge part of the revenue generated by the NIS continued to be paid to private firms in the name of PPP, which should actually be based on Build, Operate and Transfer. We cannot be denying Nigerian people benefits that would accrue to them through increased revenue to government coffers instead of huge earnings for private concerns. This is an area that government can generate huge revenue. There is the need to get clarifications on this issue from all the parties involved.”

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