By Chinelo Obogo
In order to tackle the scarcity of passports at immigration offices across the country, the Federal Government has been advised to immediately engage the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC)to print new passport booklets and make them available to Nigerians who need them.
Aviation expert, Amos Akpan, told Daily Sun that the issue of scarcity of passport booklets should be treated as an emergency and the government should buy whatever equipment the Nigerian security and minting company they need to get the job done. There has been acute scarcity of passport booklets at Nigerian immigration offices nationwide which has been attributed to the huge debt owed by the country’s immigration agency to Iris Smart Technology Nigeria through its Malaysian based parent company, Iris Corporation.
The Nigerian Security and Minting Company is reported to have charged almost twice the amount which Iris Corporation charges for the production of booklets, which may be the reason the FG didn’t engage them, Akpan says that if the emotional and image cost is added to the monetary cost of producing locally, it might be cost effective in the long run. He said the FG should disengage the company currently printing the country’s passports as no foreign company or country will keep Nigeria’s interest as her first and number one priority.
“Nigerian security and minting company should be engaged to print our passports. They print bank cheque books and Naira notes. Engage them and buy whatever equipment they need to do the job. Disengage the foreign company currently printing our passports. No option, no short and medium term options. Treat as emergency and keep it permanently improving. Stop the technically sounding reasons we give as excuses.
“No foreign company or country will keep Nigeria’s interest as her first and number one priority. They will not willingly transfer their know-how to you. CG of immigration, the minister of internal affairs and the NIA should realize that Nigeria has the capacity to print international passport if they direct us to do so.”