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Coalition Undertakes N50m Mangrove Project In C’ River

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A non-governmental organization, the Nigeria Coalition for Environment (NCE), said that it has commenced work on a project that would protect the mangrove eco-system in parts of Cross River.

Executive Director of the coalition, Mr. Edin Usang, made the disclosure to newsmen in Calabar, recently.

He said that the project, named “Integrated Mangrove Forest Management Programme”, is estimated to cost N50 million and being executed in collaboration with Concern Universal, an international donor agency.

Usang said that work on the project, which began in 2009 was expected to be completed in 2013.

He added that the mangrove protection project was one of the numerous projects the NGO had undertaken in the area in collaboration with donor agencies to protect the forest.

“The first project that we undertook in this area was between 2003 and 2007, and it was at the cost of N20 million, and we collaborated with the Canadian International Development Agency.

“Last year, we undertook a small one, which lasted for only six months and cost us about 50,000 Canadian Dollars,’’ the NCE executive director said.

Usang said that the organisation was working hard in persuading forest communities in the state to protect and preserve the environment for future generations.

“We try to let them know the importance of preserving the environment for the benefit of mankind.

“We also introduce them to alternative means of livelihood within the same environment,” he said.

Usang disclosed that NCE had, for instance, discovered that there were more than 25 edible mushrooms in Cross River forests “and these are non-timber products”.

He said that the coalition had thus encouraged the domestication of most of the mushrooms and certain bush animals to provide a source of minerals and proteins for members of the communities.

“We are also trying to discourage the forest communities in the state from depending much on firewood and this we do by producing and providing “wood stoves” to them as an alternative.

“We started this when we discovered that the communities use firewood excessively because the forest is in their backyard, and we designed the wood stoves to consume less firewood.

“We trained some of them on how to make the stoves and today so many of them make the stoves by themselves,” Usang said.

He added that the NGO could do more for the communities and government if it, however, secured adequate funding.

The NCE official regretted the lack of adequate government funding for the takeover of the projects.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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