Dipo Olowookere
The newly launched Nigerian e-passports will henceforth be solely produced by the Nigerian Security Printing & Minting Company (NSPMC), President Muhammadu Buhari has directed.
In a statement issued today by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Buhari said all existing memoranda of understanding and contracts on printing by other institutions/ companies will not be renewed.
Managing Director of NSPMC, Mr Abbas Umar Masanawa, while reacting to the directive, pledged that the company would justify the renewed confidence reposed in it by the President “as we are moving to the Next Level and poised to boost national security and integrity, we will conserve scarce foreign exchange, improve revenue generation, create job opportunities, and boost acquisition/transfer of technology.”
Popularly known as the mint, the company was established in 1963 with the objective of producing the nation’s currency notes and coins for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as well as security documents for Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government, banks and other blue-chip firms.
NSPMC is the largest banknote and security documents specialist printing company in West Africa. However, its performance was rapidly dwindling in terms of both currency production and security documents prior to 2014.
Under the chairmanship of the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, new targets were set and Mr Masanawa recounted some of the achievements to include: zero importation of currency from 2014 to date, with attendant benefits of conservation of foreign reserve, revenue and employment generation, as well as safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty.
He said, “The mint has returned to profitability. From a moribund organization with heavy losses, the company grew from a loss position of N14.6 million in 2014 to a profit of N14.3 billion in 2018. Turnover also grew from N17.8 billion in 2014 to N61.4 billion in 2018.
“Other achievements include enhanced production capacity, revenue diversification, reduced cost of production, institutionalization of corporate governance, improved staff welfare and industrial harmony, among others.”
