€20m Scandal, Leadership Tussle Rock Immigration Service

 

Abba Moro

 

This Day reports that the aggrieved officers said that the president will encounter more decay than that of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) if he decides to probe the NIS.

Talking exclusively to This Day, the officers alleged mismanagement of over €20 million (N7.5 billion) European Union funds released to NIS under the immediate past Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro. They also lamented the negative effect of the internal war and struggle for power between the former ministers and ex-Comptroller-General, Mr. David Paradang, on the service.  The officers, who do not want their names mentioned, also said the DSS “has been petitioned to investigate how the former minister and his associate in the NIS, spent these funds,” alleging that “the minister bought houses, sponsored children in various universities in Asia, Europe and America and purchased different luxury cars.”
They alleged that the associate, who was seconded to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other related matters (NAPTIP), was using EU funds “to support and fund the former minister. What is happening at the Mediterranean Sea could have been prevented to a large extent if the EU fund was not mismanaged. They said:

”Under Moro, NIS did not really carry out sensitisation and advocacy exercises which the EU fund was meant for. The fund was wasted. This is donor fund Spain, Netherlands and other countries. It is meant for training, border control, computerisation and other equipment. If they donated computers, they pretended as though the NIS bought it and moved the money away.
“The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) was also pumping in materials and equipment into the NIS. But Paradang could not practically function with associate and Moro working against him. Had it been Buhari appointed Moro associate as CG, he would have given the service to Moro. If Moro is denying all these allegations, let him answer all these questions. The Buhari administration need to clean the NIS. As it is, it is worse than NNPC. The service is caught in the web of centrifugal forces. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held at one angle because of overseas visa funds.
“The minister held the service at another side. The permanent secretary too did leave the NIS alone. The board also held it. It was held by the centrifugal forces. Internally, various business interests wield undue control over the NIS. The firm producing passport has its own influence on the service.
“The foreign company in charge of Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) has its own influence. The firm in charge of revenue collection has its own influence, promoting their allies to take control of NIS. All these interests are working against the mission and vision of NIS.”
The retired officers also lamented that the service itself had been practically outsourced, noting that whoever “emerges as the comptroller-general, these interests often control him or her through gratification and inducements. So, the job of securing Nigeria is already outsourced for financial gains.
“Unfortunately, Nigeria and Nigerians do not understand the importance of immigration service. There is no candidate for presidency or Prime Minister in Europe and the United States that will not give immigration attention during electioneering. Immigration policy ranks topmost in their manifesto. But in Nigeria, we do not understand. That is why it is possible for all these people to mismanage the NIS.”
However, when Moro was contacted, he denied the allegations, saying the allegations were all lies. He said no such fund came to his notice and therefore, could not have participated or ordered its appropriation.
“Quite frankly, I laugh when I hear people mention this big money and said I embezzled it. It is quite strange because I am just hearing about the EU fund for the purchase of materials for the NIS for the first time. Since I was the Minister of Interior, not a single Kobo of such fund passed through me or came to the ministry.
“So if they took the money to the NIS, it was not to my knowledge. I never knew about it and nobody told me about it as I never spoke to any one concerning any of such fund. And therefore, I am not in a position to say whether it was appropriated or misappropriated. Nothing passed through me and no one told me that anybody came,” he said.
On allegations of nepotism in foreign posting, Moro said he never interfered with the administrative procedures adopted by the NIS. He, however, clarified that none of all the officers connected to him on the foreign postings were related to him except the one posted to Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Also quite frankly, he said, it amuses me because when last CGI was asked about this foriegn posting, he categorically stated that foriegn posting was done by the Immigration Service in line with procedural guide and that people were picked essentially on merit.

The former minister insisted: “I will say it for the umpteenth time, it is not true that 35 per cent of the people posted were from Benue. It is absolutely untrue.
“I have no niece in foreign posting in China and Brazil but to only relations I have is a young man in Atlanta but he has joined the service right before I became a minister.
“Also the two couples they said was promoted the same rank on same day have been in the service before I became a minister. And if they are qualified and recommended by the appropriate authorities, am I going to stop it. And mind you the couples in question are not from Benue State but Edo,” he further clarified.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service in a new policy, recently noted that foreigners who are willing to stay beyond 180 days in Nigeria will pay $2,000 extra.