Federal government signs MoU with local firms to produce new 10 year passport locally

NIGERIA'S federal government has signed a memorandum of understanding (Mou) with local print firm Iris Smart Technology and the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company to produce the new 10-year international passport.

Late last year, Nigeria decided to improve the tenure of its Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) international passports to 10 years. Known as e-passports, they allow for travel within the Ecowas sub-region without any visa and with the signing of this MoU ay the interior ministry in Abuja, they will now be produced solely within Nigeria.

Interior minister Lt General Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), said that the process that led to the signing of the MoU began two years ago, explaining that before the agreement, passport booklets were produced outside the country. He enumerated the advantages of Nigeria producing the e-passport to include the protection of the country's database.

General Dambazau said that producing the document locally would provide employment for Nigerians to acquire skills in passport production as well as technological know-how in the production of high quality passport booklets. He added: “We must ensure that we provide Nigerians with the best quality passport booklet because that is what Nigerians deserve.”

Mohammed Babandede, the comptroller-general of the Nigerian Immigration Service, thanked the minister for ensuring that the domestication of passport production was achieved. He said that Nigerian Immigration Service was the greatest beneficiary of the development and assured that the passport would be of high quality.

Abbas Masanawa, the managing director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company  also commended the interior ministry for the initiative and efforts at seeing it through. He said that the MoU was an epoch event, proving that what is done outside the country can be done in Nigeria too.