Connect with us

Business

2018 National Budget: PH Residents React

Published

7 years ago

on

Some residents of Port Harcourt City, the Rivers State Capital, have reacted to the 2018 Federal Government Budget, recently passed by the National Assembly (NASS).
The budget of N9.12 trillion as passed by NASS has a budget estimate increase of N508 billion from the N8.612 trillion submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari, late last year.
One respondent and manager of Forte Oil Filling Station, Eastern by-pass, Amete Effiong, while expressing relief that the budget had finally been passed, expressed disappointment at its late passage.
According to him,” if we are a country that have respect for rule of law, this budget should have been passed at the very latest, February of this year, however, we are happy that they have finally done the right thing by releasing it”.
Another respondent, a real estate management consultant, James Odoliyi, feels that the passage of the budget would open the Nigerian business environment to new vistas of investments.
He said, “Those investors who stayed action on their activities due to the non-passage of the budget would now continue with whatever they were doing and invest even more in the country.
He noted that delay in budget passage oftentimes raise uncertainties in the minds of investors and sometimes even drive them to other countries perceived to be more investor friendly.
For economic activist, Andy West, the increase in the oil benchmark was not necessary, adding that Nigeria needs to learn to save the season’s surplus.
According to him, “there was no need increasing the oil benchmark from $45 to $51 per barrel. The senate did this for selfish reasons, whatever surplus we get from oil could have be saved for future use. We made the mistake during the days of Udoji, we didn’t save and see where that landed us”.
Also speaking, the Medical Director, Promise Land Hospitals, Dr Udofia Udofia, lamented the poor attention given to the health and education sectors, saying Nigeria’s GDP would not improve remarkably until these two most important sectors are adequately catered for in Nigeria’s budget.

 

Tonye Nria-Dappa

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

1 day ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

1 day ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

1 day ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Trending