The $138.4 million contract between IRIS Smart Technology Limited (ISTL) and the Federal Government for the production and supply of passport booklets and integration of passport offices is generating controversy almost 10 years after it took off.
There are concerns that the contract, which was reportedly renewed recently, was jeopardising national security because the central data centre is located outside the country and out of reach of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
But ISTL has dismissed these claims saying they were the work of competitors, who are envious of the successes recorded by the company in pioneering the e-passport project 10 years ago.
Insiders said the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting (NSPMC) with the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was behind the latest attempt to retrieve the contract from ISTL, despite its inability to print the passports booklets when it was launched in 2007.
The contract, signed by the Ministry of Interior, on behalf of the Nigerian government, was signed in 2003, to implement the Nigeria Harmonised ECOWAS Electronic (SMART) Passport Autogate Systems.
Additional contracts were entered into for the supply of E- Passport Booklets, Wafers, Laminates and Maintenance from 2006 and 2015, according to official documents.
Official documents analysed by Daily Trust shows as part of the contract, ISTL had designed a digital registration process, which provides for capturing of an applicant’s personal data in compliance with the specification of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as well as the country’s specific information on behalf of the NIS.
Findings by this newspaper show that ISTL has established and is managing the communications infrastructure to ensure real-time communication between the registration offices and the central data centre, through a closed private VSAT system.
The controversy
There is growing concern in the NIS that allowing the sole responsibility of operating the central database in a private hand could pave way for fraud, according to documents analysed by this newspaper.
The official documents show that the 10-year contract, which expires May, 2017 is riddled with problems of corruption, threat to national security, short change of Nigerians and abuse of due process, that marred the implementation.
Insiders told Daily Trust that though the database and all other infrastructure have been paid for by the government, but ISTL “is still holding unto it, using that to blackmail government into retaining them as contractors.”
“ISTL deliberately refused to train NIS officers in the management of the system. The NIS officers can’t even conduct basic maintenance and repairs,” a government insider close to the deal said.
The source said this is happening because the company “has tied the NIS to its apron by signing Maintenance Agreements that has questionable exclusion clauses that gives undue advantages.”
“Several efforts and directives by the Federal Government for partnership between ISIL and the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) were ignored by the company, who instead sub-contracted the printing to other security printers in Malaysia and Ireland.”
A ministry of internal affairs official said the company is going helter-skelter seeking for renewal of the contracts despite the fact that key officials of its foreign partners, IRIS Corporation Berhad (ICB), are facing corruption charges in Malaysia, their home country.
Another secret document addressed to the Comptroller General of NIS, revealed that the actions of ISTL has affected national security. The report, entitled “Report on Nigeria e-passport infrastructure and Nigeria public key directorate (N-PKD) and border control – submitted by Messrs NEFT/Auctorizium” was prepared by Assistant Comptroller of Immigration N.K. Tanko.
Nigeria must insist on “the implementation and domiciliation of the Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA) in the NIS,” the report said.
The document said CSCA as the country’s Anchor of Trust is controlled by ISIL and not the NIS; “noting that the CSCA is the seal of government of Nigeria and ought to be under its control and not the vendor (ISIL).”
On border control systems and N-PKD, the NIS “has to assert its position in its relationship with Messrs Vlatacom which is a company that is unnecessarily exploiting the service (NIS) and compromising our National Security.”
But several attempts to make the NIS officials speak on this matter were not successful. A senior official told our reporter that the controversy “is between contractors who want the contract. The NIS’ concern is simply the supply of the booklets.”
Data centre in Nigeria – ISTL
But the ISTL dismissed all these claims, saying neither the ministry of interior nor the NIS ever raised any issue with the company. The firm also said that the central data centre is not located in Malaysia and is not controlled by foreigners, as claimed in the reports.
Managing Director of ISTL, Olayinka Fisher said all the speculations are spread by competitors who are desperate firms to retrieve the contract from his company, having initiated for 10 years.
No scarcity of passport booklets – Immigration Service
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) yesterday denied that there has been scarcity of Passport Booklets across all Passport Issuing Centres in the country.
The Service spokesman, Sunday James in a statement on behalf of the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede claimed that there were Passport Booklets across all the issuing centres in Nigeria and missions abroad.
“It would be recalled that on 2nd March this year, the Service did inform the public about a shortfall in the supply of Passport Booklets in our system”, the statement read in part.
“You may wish to note that the situation has since been resolved following government’s intervention and normalcy restored in all the issuing centres as contained in our Press Release of 6th April, 2017.”
The Comptroller General therefore, encouraged all Passport applicants to approach the nearest Passport Offices to them to process their Passports and avoid patronizing agents, who may make the process cumbersome.
He also urged applicants to forward all complaints on the process to [email protected] for attention.
