Moro achieved nothing as interior minister – CG

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Martin Abeshi, has carpeted the former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, for claiming that the immigration service lacked the capacity to produce international passport booklets and the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card.

Abeshi dismissed Moro’s claims, saying the service had the capacity to produce the two security documents if adequately funded.

The two documents are being produced for the NIS by two private firms.

Moro had told the House of Representatives Committee on Interior last Wednesday that the agreements the immigration service had with different private companies were not judiciously implemented.

But the CG, in a reaction to Moro’s claims at a news conference on Friday in Abuja, said the NIS had well trained personnel who could produce the international passport booklets and the CERPAC cards,

He said, “Moro is entitled to his opinion. If he says we don’t have capacity to produce international passport, what did he do about that in the period he stayed as minister of interior? I don’t believe we don’t have the capacity to produce passports.”

Abeshi stated that the service planned to hold its annual conference and stakeholders’ interactive forum between April 6 and April 8, 2016 in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

According to him, the conference is timely in view of the migrant crisis and migration in global discourse.

Abeshi explained that the forum would assess the performance of the NIS so far against global best practices, as well as evaluate papers presented, opinions and positions reached in order to fairly administer immigration laws, practices and other related instruments in a standard operational procedures document.

The CG said personalities that would present papers at the conference include the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, who would speak on “Immigration Practices and Visa Reforms: The UK Experience;” and the Head of European Union Delegation to Nigeria, Michel Arrion, who would present a paper on “The Global Migrant Crisis and the African Perspective.”

Others are Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, who would present a paper on “Migration Management through Legislation” and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Olisa Agbakoba, whose paper would be on “Review of the Immigration Act, 2015.