Senate to probe hike in price of foreigners’ residence permit

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Solomon Adeola, said on Wednesday the upper legislative chamber would probe the hike in the price of the annual residence permit for foreigners in the country.

The Continental Transfert Technique Limited (CONTEC), a firm which is in a Private-Public Partnership with the Ministry of Interior had allegedly increased the foreigners’ residency permit from $1,000 to $2,000.

Adeola, who disclosed this during a joint public hearing on the 2021- 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Plan (FSP), stressed the need for a comprehensive investigation of the matter with a view to tackling it.

The Comptroller-General Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babande, appeared before the committee during the interactive session.

The lawmaker said: “We will take enough information and after the consideration of MTEF/ FSP, the committee will come up with a proper investigation into the revenue sources of the NIS.

In his contributions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure alleged that the NIS officials were frustrating the activities of CONTEC by preventing the firm from collecting an accurate fee from the expatriates as residence permit.

READ ALSO: FG hikes cost of resident permit card to $2,000

He said: “We have more than 15 million immigrants in the country. As we speak, less than 20 percent of were captured.

“They are collecting money through the backdoor. We need to invite the minister of interior, the consultants, and the NIS.”

In his submission, Babandede said the service generated its revenue from issuances of passport and visas, control and entry of persons in and out of the country.

“All these revenues are generated under PPP which was signed before the coming of this administration between the ministry of interior and technical partners.

“So the sharing formula of this PPP differs greatly. But in general terms, this revenue was accrued in favour of the technical partners and government itself,” he said.

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