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Princewill, Bobo-Brown Differ On Fuel Subsidy Removal

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Following plans by the Federal Government to finally phase out fuel subsidy in the nation’s budget next year, two prominent opinion leaders from Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill and Amaopusenibo Soifiri Bobo-Brown have called for a thorough study of the situation.

Speaking to newsmen on the issue yesterday in Port Harcourt, Princewilll who expressed support for the policy said measures should be taken by the authorities to cushion the effect.

“I believe that fuel subsidy should be removed. When you look at all the arguments, I have a third school of thought. For me, subsidy is an opportunity for few people to enrich themselves, so, they can take away the subsidy without increasing the price of fuel,” he said.

The former Chairman of the Organised Opposition Political Parties in Rivers State argued that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) should be blamed for the lapses in the sector because of its inability to sustain local refining capacity of the refineries,” even at N65 per litre, I don’t believe the price of fuel is subidised,” he said.

He, however, lauded the Federal Government for raising capital expenditure and security vote in next year’s budget and submitted, “if we have security challenges next year with the kind of budget we have, then, we must ask ourselves questions.”

In his reaction, former President of the Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Amaopusenibo Soifiri Bobo-Brown called for a national debate by the citizenry over whether the subsidy should be removed,” the fuel subsidy should be a starting point of a debate for the salvaging of our economy”.

He explained that the issue should be a wake-up call for Nigerians to discuss how to improve the economy.

The former NIPR President blamed the issue on the comatose refineries, “so if the refineries do not produce, the price will naturally go up. In my view, Nigerians have not gained anything by importing fuel from abroad,” he said.

He, however, recommended that before the subsidy was removed, all efforts should be made to resuscitate the local refineries, “if the refineries start working, it would soak up the unemployed population and create more resources for local industries”, he opined.

On the state of security, Bobo-Brown remarked, “insecurity in the country is an expression of the frustration of many unemployed Nigerians”, and appealed to the federal and state governments to create employment opportunites to curb social vices.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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