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Capital Projects Get N31bn Virement

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14 years ago

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The House of Representatives last Wednesday approved N31billion virement for12 Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) as against the N98 billion proposed by the Executive.

It also approved the extension period for the implementation of the 2011 budget to March, 31, 2012 for capital projects.

Our correspondent  recalls that on Sept. 27, President Goodluck Jonathan requested the House to approve a virement of N98 billion in the 2011 budget of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDA.

The MDAs are FCTA, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Aviation , Justice, Police Formations and Command.

Others are, Minsitry of Niger Delta, Public Complaints Commission, Ministry of Defence/Army, National Sports Commission, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.

Virement is an exercise that involves moving funds allocated from one sub-head to another where they are supposedly more needed.

It would be recalled that, the House on Oct. 13, referred the matter to its relevant committees for scrutiny. This resolution was sequel to the report of the House committee on Appropriation which was unanimously adopted. Leading the debate, Rep. John Enoh (PDP-Cross River), the Chairman of the Committee, said that the request for virement by the executive was in line with the Appropriation Act.

He explained that the committee included some agencies omitted in the covering letter forwarded to the House by President Jonathan. According to him, the committee generally accepted the request under capital projects.

He said that it would be necessary to extend the implementation period for the 2011 budget. “We are of the opinion that for effective implementation of the capital components of the 2011 Appropriation Act, it may please this Hallowed chamber to authourise the extension of capital budget implementation to the 31 of March,’’ he said. He said that the committee rejected the virement proposal on the 2011 recurrent budget as requested by the executive.

Rep. Leo Ogor (PDP-Delta), Deputy Majority Leader, noted that approving the virement without extending the implementation period of the budget would be worthless.

Rep. Samson Osagie (ACN-Edo), the Minority Whip noted that the practice of extension of budget implementation period was not provided for by any law, but done by necessity.

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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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