News
Indian Firm Takes over NIS Job, Hijacks Sensitive National Security Project
Continental Transfer Technique Limited (CONTEC), an Indian firm, has hijacked a sensitive national security project – the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card – which was supposed to be managed by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), according to Punch Newspapers.
Apart from controlling the sales of the residence permits to foreigners, each of which goes for $1,000 (about N250, 000) and is valid for two years, the company has also sidelined the NIS and it is the sole manager of the project.
The CERPAC project was for the automation of the issuance of residence permit (Green card) as well as Aliens Registration (Brown card) to expatriates who are either residing or working in Nigeria or visiting for long periods (that is beyond 56 days) and seamen who stay ashore beyond 28 days.
Punch findings indicate that the contract was awarded to CONTEC in 1999 by the Ministry of Interior on a build-operate-and-transfer basis and it took off in May 2002 after installation of equipment and systems by the contractor.
Investigations by our correspondent indicated that the project should have been handed over to the NIS in 2006, but this was not done as the firm had refused to train immigration service officers on the nitty-gritty of the project and had been using its own workers ever since.
Apart from controlling the production of the vital security cards, CONTEC also excluded the immigration service in the sale of the security document, according to sources.
The implication of this, according to NIS officers, is that the firm can unilaterally issue the CERPAC cards to foreigners and illegal migrants who may pose a security threat to the country.
Face-off over CONTEC’s incompetency
According to the contract agreement, the company was supposed to produce 900,000 CERPAC cards at the profit-sharing formula of 60 per cent for the Federal Government, 30 per cent for CONTEC and 10 per cent for the ministry for operational expenses.
But the firm failed to meet the target as it was producing only 37,000 cards per annum instead of 300,000.
Punch reported that the Federal Government had attempted to take over the project in 2007 following the inability of CONTEC to meet the production targets of 300,000 residence permits and 200,000 aliens’ registration certificates annually, but the move was resisted by the firm which demanded N5bn pay off.
Minister Calls for Revocation of Contract Agreement
In 2009, the then Minister of Interior, Godwin Abe, wrote a letter to then President Umaru Yar’Adua informing him about the need to review and possibly revoke the contract with the firm.
In the letter dated February 17, 2009 and obtained by our correspondent, Abe narrated how the CERPAC project was awarded to the detriment of the nation. He stressed that those who signed the contract agreement with the firm “did a disservice to our country as it was heavily skewed in favour of Messrs CONTEC.”
Abe further explained that he arranged for a meeting with the then Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Andoaaka, adding that he was accompanied by the Minister of State, the Permanent Secretary, Comptroller-General of Immigration and Director, Finance & Accounts and the legal adviser.
At the meeting on April 17, 2008 with CONTEC, the minister stated that the sum of N3.67bn was offered as exit option to the firm, adding that he also offered to pay off the company the sum of N1bn.
He said, “CONTEC resolutely rejected our offer and even refrained from making a counter-offer, despite promptings from the members including the representative of the Attorney-General of the Federation, to indicate what they wanted.”
In spite of Abe’s advice to the government to either review or revoke the contract, checks showed that nothing had changed as CONTEC is still in control of the project and may remain so for a long time.
A brief on the NIS presented by the CG, Immigration Service, Martin Abeshi, to the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (retd.) on November 26, 2015 indicated that the reviewed contract agreement on the project favoured CONTEC.
Code of Silence
When asked for comment on the discrepancies in the project management, the spokesman for CONTEC, Tunde Ayansanwo, directed all inquiries on the project to the immigration service, stressing that it was being managed under a tripartite arrangement between the firm, the Federal Government and the immigration service.
He said, “The project is being managed under a tripartite arrangement between CONTEC, the Federal Government and the Immigration Service. So, we cannot comment on it, please direct your enquiries to the immigration service.”
The CG, Martin Abeshi, also declined to comment. He said questions on the project could best be answered by the ministry.
“I am sorry; this question can best be answered by the Ministry of Interior, not NIS please. NIS did not sign any contract with CONTEC,” he said in a text message.
The Director of Press, Ministry of Interior, Alhaji Isiaka Yusuf, in turn passed the buck to the immigration service.
Moro Turns Blind Eye, Inks New Deal
Findings indicate that past interior ministers had turned blind eyes to the anomalies observed in the contract as pointed out by Abe in his letter to Yar’Adua.
For instance, rather than address the discrepancies in the CERPAC project, the immediate past Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, awarded a new project to CONTEC in which he awarded a higher percentage of the profit to the company against the Federal Government.
Investigations reveal that Moro approved the award of an e-Pass biometric project to CONTEC on behalf of the NIS without advertising it for competitive bidding in violation of the Public Procurement Act.
According to Section 17 of the Act, requests for proposal for contracts must be advertised in at least two national newspapers of general circulation and the Federal Tender’s Journal, but this was not done.
More Profits for CONTEC
Moro, according to the document obtained by our correspondent, favoured the private firm in the sharing formula for the proceeds of the project which was based on Private-Public-Partnership arrangement.
Visitors who stay in the country beyond 56 days but not exceeding 90 days would pay a fee in the equivalent of $200 while 91 days to 180 days will attract a fee equivalent to $1,000 which must be paid to Sterling Bank Plc only.
According to the scheme, an aggregate stay by immigrants beyond 180 days but not exceeding 365 days would attract a fee equivalent to $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.
Parradang had, in his letter to Moro on the e-Pass project, proposed that the government should abolish the issuance of re-entry visa while adding a $100 fee to the $1,000 being charged for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card.
Parradang had proposed that the service provider, CONTEC be given 15 per cent of the $100 added to the CERPAC fee while NIS collects 15 per cent.
But Moro, who signed the letter, amended the sharing formula by giving 30 per cent to the service provider against the 15 per cent suggested by the immigration service.
Security Experts Weigh in
A retired Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, called on the Federal Government to investigate the observed discrepancies in the management of the CERPAC project.
He warned about the security implications of allowing a foreign private firm to manage such a sensitive project which has a bearing on national security, particularly now that the country is fighting an insurgency.
Tsav said, “The Federal Government must direct the company to hand over the project to the immigration service immediately given the security implications; allowing a private foreign company to handle such a sensitive national project have serious consequences because they could bring in anybody into the country.
“They can use the alien cards for diabolical purposes just like the way Nnamdi Kanu brought in transmitters for his Radio Biafra project. The government needs to find out the people behind the company.”
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that two foreign currency accounts opened in connection with the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) have remained inactive since their creation, with no funds deposited and no transactions recorded.
The revelation emerged on Monday during the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operations of the council.
Lawmakers are investigating allegations that the PFIPC was created and operated without a valid legal framework and outside the established procedures required for government agencies and institutions.
Appearing before the committee, representatives of both the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) distanced their institutions from the establishment of the council.
The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation stated that it neither created the council nor possessed the constitutional authority to establish federal agencies.
Representing the office, officials explained that the OHCSF is only responsible for approving administrative structures of government agencies after all necessary requirements have been fulfilled.
According to the office, records showed that the council submitted a request on August 6, 2025, seeking approval for its organisational structure.
However, the application was not approved because the required supporting documents were not attached.
The committee heard that despite the rejection of the request, officials linked to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/PFIPC later appeared during the 2025 manpower budget defence exercise and sought approval for staffing and recruitment arrangements.
The office disclosed that the council informed government officials that its activities were being carried out largely through personnel seconded or deployed from other institutions.
Lawmakers were told that the council requested approval for a total of 314 positions. The figure consisted of 14 existing officers and an additional 300 proposed positions.
The Office of the Head of the Civil Service further revealed that concerns later arose regarding documents presented by the council as evidence of its legal backing.
Officials told the committee that upon examination, the documents failed to display essential features expected of an enabling law or valid legal instrument establishing a government body.
Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, head of the Civil Service of the Federation, also rejected claims that her office deployed civil servants to work for the council.
She maintained that the office did not assign personnel to the body and did not provide office accommodation for its operations.
According to her, matters relating to the creation, supervision and oversight of government agencies fall under the responsibilities of other relevant institutions, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The Central Bank of Nigeria also provided details regarding accounts linked to the council.Nigerian current events
Hamisu Abdullahi, director at the apex bank, who represented the CBN Governor before the committee, explained that the bank opened two foreign currency accounts following a formal request from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He told lawmakers that the request was received on July 30, 2025, and instructed the bank to create a United States dollar domiciliary account and a Pound Sterling domiciliary account.
Abdullahi stressed that the CBN only opens accounts for government agencies after receiving official authorisation from the Accountant-General’s office.
However, he disclosed that the accounts never became operational because the council failed to provide authorised signatories required for activation.
As a result, both accounts remained dormant from the day they were opened.
He informed the committee that neither account had received deposits nor processed withdrawals. The accounts also recorded no foreign exchange allocations, remittances, inflows or outflows.Governor election news
According to him, the balances in both accounts remain at zero.
The CBN official further stated that the council did not engage directly with the apex bank regarding the management or operation of the accounts after they were created.
Following the submissions, members of the committee demanded more information as part of efforts to determine the full scope of the council’s activities.
Hon. Abdulmalik Danga, chairman of the committee, directed the Central Bank to submit comprehensive records relating to both the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
The committee requested details covering the opening of the accounts, their operational history and any information connected to related banking activities.
Lawmakers also instructed the CBN to work with commercial banks to identify and provide records of any accounts linked to the entities under investigation.
However, the committee is expected to continue its hearings as more government agencies and officials appear before lawmakers to provide explanations on the controversial council and the circumstances surrounding its operations.
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