Known for its professionalism, effectiveness and accountability and prompt remittance in the handling of fees for private and public entities, the Federal Government has entered into a partnership agreement with Sterling Bank Plc and a project contractor, Continental Transfert Technique for the collection and payment accounting for a project called ‘e-PASS. The project will commence on Wednesday 22nd September 2015.

The e-PASS project is a scheme designed by the Federal Government to ensure that all Non-ECOWAS immigrants that visit Nigeria with a Tourist or Business Visa and intend to stay beyond an aggregate of 56 days in a year are made to pay a certain amount of money as advised by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS. With this agreement, Sterling Bank in a statement said the fee can now be paid from the date of commencement of the scheme at the Bank’s designated airport stations or branches.

Already, the Bank has designated its representatives to be stationed at the five International airports located in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu for this purpose. The branches that will be involved in the e-PASS scheme in Lagos include the Airport Road, Ilupeju, Adeola Odeku, Allen Avenue and head office branch along Marina, Lagos while branches at Sterling Boulevard, CBD, Mamman Kotangora Close, Area 3, Garki and Adetokunbo Ademola, Wuse will take part in Abuja. Others include Okpara Avenue, Enugu, Trans Amadi 1 in Port Harcourt,and Murtala Mohammed way in Kano.

Shina Atilola, group head, Strategy & Communications, Sterling Bank, explained that an aggregate stay beyond 56 days but not exceeding 90 days would attract a fee in the equivalent of $200 while 91 days to 180 days will attract a fee equivalent to $1, 000. “Aggregate stay beyond 180 days but not exceeding 365 days would attract a fee equivalent to $2,000 while an over-stay without due permission from the Federal Government would attract a penalty which is 100 per cent of the prescribed fees. A fee of N8, 000 will be charged for each application form,” Atolola said.