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.

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.

http://www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/news/indian-firm-takes-over-nis-job-hijacks-sensitive-national-security-project?utm_source=Verified+List&utm_campaign=cf215f417c-January_91_9_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a560bb15f8-cf215f417c-47912765

I smell something fishy, EFCC should do needful