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Ban Cars Importation, Says PAN

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16 years ago

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Peugeot Automobile Nigerian Limited (PAN), has called for a ban on the importation of used cars that are five years old and sub-standard ones.

The call was made by the company’s Managing Director, Dr. Haroun Aliyu, during a recent oversight visit of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation to PAN headquarters in Kaduna.

Aliyu also urged government to legislate on patronage of locally-manufactured vehicles, observing that PAN has injected N5 billion into the new Peugeot 307 sedan production line which replaces the 406 production line.

He informed that with 950 workers, PAN produces 70,000 cars per annum on an average of 24 cars per day.

Aliyu also pointed out that the company planned to upgrade its training institute to a vocational training centre, adding that as part of its social responsibility, it had asked state governors to nominate ten candidates each from their states for training.

On the challenges facing the company, the chief executive officer said; “The challenges facing the company include difficulty in securing bank facility, investor apathy, depreciation of the naira, under utilised capacity, lack of deliberate tariff regime and influx of imported brands”.

In his remarks, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Alhaji Ahmed Njiddah Gella, directed the management of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Limited to deal only with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) as the recognised government representative on its board.

Gella expressed concern over attempts by other government agencies to sit on the board of PAN when it is the statutory responsibility of the BPE.

The Federal Government has a 10 per cent equity in the company which the BPE holds in trust for government.

He told the company’s management to “henceforth draw the attention of BPE to any correspondence from any of the agencies purporting to be government representatives on the board,” adding that, such act would no longer be tolerated.

The committee chairman also tasked BPE to immediately convene to meeting of relevant stakeholders so that all thorny issues would be addressed.

The committee had earlier visited Zuma Steel Company, Jos, Electricity Meter Company of Nigeria Plc, Zaria and Federal Super-phosphate Fertiliser Company Limited; Kaduna.

A Ro-ro vessel ready to discharge its cargo of imported vehicles at the Tin Can Island port in Lagos.

A Ro-ro vessel ready to discharge its cargo of imported vehicles at the Tin Can Island port in Lagos.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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