Ex Minister Abba Moro in another mess, fingered in fresh NIS project scam

  A document has revealed that ex Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, short-changed the federal government of Nigeria in an e-Pass biometric project with the help of a private firm, Continental Transfer Technique Limited and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

The e-Pass project is a scheme designed by the Federal Government to ensure that all non-ECOWAS immigrants visiting Nigeria with a Tourist or Business Visa pay a certain amount of money if they intend to stay beyond an aggregate of 56 days in a year.

The biometric project took off on September 22, 2015 and was initiated by the suspended Comptroller-General of Immigration, David Parradang, according to a letter to the then Interior minister on December 18, 2014.

“We wish to further propose that the service provider be given 15 per cent of the $100 added to the CERPAC fee, while NIS collects another 15 per cent and the remaining 70 per cent be paid into government coffers, as is the practice. The foregoing is respectfully submitted for your consideration and approval please,” Parradang had written.

But Moro favoured the private firm in the sharing formula for the proceeds of the project, which was based on Private-Public-Partnership arrangement.

Moro, who signed on the letter, amended the sharing formula by giving 30 per cent to the service provider as against the 15 per cent suggested by the immigration service.

Under the scheme, foreigners staying between 56 to 90 days would pay $200 fee while people staying between 91 to 180 days will pay $1,000. All payments are to be made to Sterling Bank Plc only.

Also immigrants staying beyond 180 days but not exceeding 365 days are expected to pay $2,000 while an over-stay without due permission from the Federal Government would attract a penalty, which is 100 per cent of the prescribed fees.

An additional fee of N8, 000 will be charged for each application form by the receiving bank.

Punch