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S’East States To Revive Regional Bank

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10 years ago

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L-R: General Manager, Nigerian Content Development, Shell Nigeria, Chiedu Oba, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) Administrator, Jumoke Oyedun, Head of Nigeria Content Development, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria, Austin Uzoka and PETAN’s Publicity Secretary, Nik Odinuwe, at the just concluded Nigeria-UK Suppliers Engagement Programme sponsored by SNEPCo and its co-venturrs in Lagos, recently.

L-R: General Manager, Nigerian Content Development, Shell Nigeria, Chiedu Oba, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) Administrator, Jumoke Oyedun, Head of Nigeria Content Development, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria, Austin Uzoka and PETAN’s Publicity Secretary, Nik Odinuwe, at the just concluded Nigeria-UK Suppliers Engagement Programme sponsored by SNEPCo and its co-venturrs in Lagos, recently.

The Five South East States
under the aegis of South East States Cooperatives Financing and Investment Limited (SESCOOP) are set to revive the moribund regional Cooperative and commerce Bank Limited.
Involving thousands of cooperative groups, it is expected to kick start with an initial N10 billion as take-off capital. This is to enable the drive for deeper operations of micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. The Tide source revealed.
Authoritative information made available to our correspondent indicate that SESCOOP top officials have already got favourable dispositions from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to refloat the cooperative bank.
It was reliably gathered that the CBN while largely supporting the move has advised SESCOOP to fly fast with the idea and get it established.
The source said such an institution clearly falls in line with CBN aim of promoting micro, small and medium enterprises for which it has since setup a funding agency  known as the micro, small and medium enterprises development fund (MSMEDF).
In an interview with newsmen in Owerri, Imo State on Monday, a top member of SESCOOP and one of the brains behind the establishment of the cooperative bank, Peter Okoye, said cooperative groups constitute the greatest change agents in empowering rural dwellers and the urban poor through the establishment of micro businesses, adding that it was these MSMEs that generate jobs for the unemployed.
“Only a cooperative bank understands the positions of a little pig farmer, a groundnut seller and fish farmer cooperatives and promotes them through advancement of micro-credits to the individual cooperative societies at little interest rates”, he said.
Okoye, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rhino Energy Limited in Anambra State informed that the cooperative bank when established would be typically a regional bank.
He said it would be devoted to promoting cooperative development in the South East by advancing cheap micro loan facilities at very minimal interest rates to cooperatives societies.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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19 hours 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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19 hours 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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19 hours 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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