EXCLUSIVE: ₦4.37bn Passport Scandal Rocks Tunji-Ojo’s Interior Ministry as Immigration Service Pays Iris Smart Technologies Outside Existing Contract

TRACKNEWS ONLINE | INVESTIGATIVE DESK

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) paid ₦4.37 billion to Iris Smart Technologies Limited on March 14, 2024, for 300,000 e-passport booklets, with payment records indicating that the supply was made outside an existing contract between the company and the Ministry of Interior.

The transaction, valued at ₦4,372,092,264, raises questions about the procurement process behind the separate supply, as the records examined by TrackNews reportedly provide no details of competitive bidding or a Bureau of Public Procurement no-objection.

Iris Smart Technologies, incorporated in 2003, has handled Nigeria’s passport production mandate since 2007. The company also controls critical passport-related infrastructure, including the Country Signing Certification Authority and passport-holder database, which Immigration Service officers previously identified as potential national-security concerns.

The payment occurred under the watch of Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who assumed office in August 2023.

While the available records raise questions about the circumstances surrounding the payment, further documentation would be needed to establish whether procurement rules were breached or whether an authorised exception applied.

TRACKNEWS ONLINE will continue to follow developments surrounding the ₦4.37 billion transaction and the procurement procedures involved.