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APCON Moves Against Unwholesome Advertisements

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The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), said it has set up a task force that would ensure that ‘unwholesome and unapproved’ advertisements were not placed in the media.
The APCON spokesperson, Mr Joe Onuorah, made this known in a statement in Lagos, Thursday.
He said that, the move which had been carried out in Abuja, Minna, Jos, Kastina, Ilorin, Onitsha and Nnewi, would be extended to other cities in Nigeria.
The APCON spokesperson, said outdoor advertisements that do not satisfy the regulation requiring advertisements to be submitted for vetting and approval by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) would be rejected.
“The exercise also involves enlightening advertisers, media owners and the public on the regulatory responsibilities of APCON as well as on the purpose and procedures for compliance with advertising regulations.
“Incidences of indiscriminate exposure of advertisements, some of which contain misleading and unwholesome messages, have caused APCON serious concern.
“These unprofessional conducts have been traced mainly to persons and organisations that are not licensed to practice advertising in Nigeria.
“A large percentage of the advertisements targeted in the exercise are first party advertisements usually produced and displayed by business owners without the use of advertising professionals’’, he said.
Onuorah, said the enforcement measure was necessary to checkmate the rising incidences of fraudulent and offending advertisements.
“The advertisements typically employ graphic designs, images and messaging which attract, persuade or invite patronage for the businesses advertised.
Some of them make claims requiring substantiation.
“The exercises do not affect regular business signages which are typically identification or informational signs without persuasive illustrations and claims.
“The task force is one of the measures to stem misleading, deceitful, offensive and other forms of spurious messages and protect members of the public from such harmful acts.
“The exercise compliments the council’s routine monitoring and enforcement undertaken by its various zonal and liaison offices across the country’’, Onuorah said.
Onuorah, however, restated APCON’s commitment to ensuring positive use of advertisements and economic benefits.
“APCON is committed to ensuring responsible advertising and use of advertising communication to positively impact the economy and society rather than take undue advantage of consumers, disparage competitors or offend members of the public’’, he said.

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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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