Senate halts consideration of immigration budget

   

   The Senate yesterday suspended consideration on the 2017 budget of the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) over passport contracts sharing formula.

    The suspension was after the report of the Senate committee on Interior on the budget was presented by Senator Andy Uba (APC, Anambra) during yesterday plenary session. The presentation of the report, Senator Bassey Akpan (PDP, Akwa Ibom) moved a motion for the suspension of the budget consideration. It was seconded by Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos).

    

   The Senate resolved that a technical committee be constituted comprising chairmen and vice chairmen of committees on anti- corruption, judiciary and interior to be headed by the committee on interior. The committee is to meet with the Ministers of Justice, Interior, Comptroller General of Immigration and Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look into revenue and expenditure of the Immigration with a view of terminating the contract. The committee is to report back in 2 weeks.

     A copy of the NIS budget revealed the sharing formula for E- passport as follows; FG 45 percent, NIS 7 percent, Ministry of Interior (MOI)1 percent and partners 47 percent. It showed that for CERPAC, FG will get 20 percent, NIS 7 percent, Ministry of Interior 1 percent and the private sector 72 share in line with the PPP agreement. CERPAC is a document that allows a non-Nigerian to reside in Nigeria.