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FG Restates Commitment To Continental Peace

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14 years ago

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The Nigerian Army, has reaffirmed its commitment to support peace keeping operations in Africa.

Speaking during the African Conference of Commandants of Staff Colleges (ACoCs) Week in Kaduna on Wednesday, Air Chief, Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, noted that peace keeping operations were a veritable instrument for crisis management and conflicts resolution in Africa.

Petinrin, who was represented by Rear Admiral Dele Ezeoba, expressed concern over the increasing spectrum of conflicts in Africa.

He said that the role played by the military in restoring peace had become crucial with the increase in intra-state conflicts since the end of the Cold War.

He said the objective of the conference was to enhance the operational efficiency of the Africa Regional Standby Forces through training, to meet the contemporary security challenges across Africa.

Petinrin said that the conference was also aimed at reinforcing the growing concept of regionalism for peace support operations in Africa under the auspices of AU, ECOWAS and SADC.

He said that Africa could only achieve operational efficiency in peace support operations, if the training of troops was effectively coordinated to achieve its objectives.

Petinrin said coordination of peace support operations training for the ECOWAS standby Force was a very appropriate appraisal in Africa as the ACoCs had challenges that could halt its goal.

Earlier, in an address of welcome, the Commandant of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Air Vice Marshall A.T. Mu’azu, said the 2011 conference was designed to contribute to African security through development and transformation of education and training in military environment.

Mu’azu said it would facilitate and improve understanding and general coordination among African Staff Colleges in order to develop the African Standby Force (ASF).

He said it would also explore the commonality of the curricula with the intention to facilitate the Joint African Exercise.

Mu’azu urged the participants to embrace peace even in crisis, adding: “Peace Keeping is not all about fighting but ensuring peace that would tackle crisis.”

While presenting a paper titled: ‘Coordination of Peace Support Operations Training for the ECOWAS Standby Force: An Appraisal,” Mr Idris Zabadi, described peace support operations as a mechanism designed to manage conflicts.

Zabadi said new dimension of conflicts required more than traditional peacekeeping as training and re-training were vital to achieve its objectives.

He disclosed that inadequate funding was a major bottleneck stalling the African peace keeping operations, and urged ECOWAS to fund the operations to enable it to achieve its aim.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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2 days 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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2 days 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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