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FG Halts Refineries’ Privatisation, Says Ajaokuta Steel’s Problem, Complex

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4 years ago

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The Federal Government has halted its plan to privatise Nigeria’s refineries following demands by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC to allow the corporation revamp the dormant facilities.
Also, the Federal Government said on Monday that the problem with the Ajaokuta Steel Company was very complex, although efforts were ongoing to resolve the issues.
Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Alex Okoh, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja while presenting updates on the bureau’s 2021 work plan, said all the refineries under the NNPC management were in various stages of non-production.
He said, “We have four refineries with refining capacity of 445,000 barrels per day and they are all at various stages of non-production. I don’t have the figures correctly, but I think that Warri would be around five per cent, Port Harcourt around 19 (or) 20 per cent and Kaduna is zero.
“Dangote (Refinery) is looking at about 650,000 barrels per day, so the combined refining capacity for all of our four refineries is not even up to that. This means you are going into a space where competition will almost kill you.”
Okoh added, “So we thought we should privatise, but NNPC believes that the plants can be rehabilitated and they have got the government approval to go ahead and rehabilitate the refineries.
“So we have dropped the privatisation from our 2021 plan. But I’m sure we will follow with keen interest how the rehabilitation programme of the NNPC will go from here.”
The Federal Government had earlier in the year stated that it would sell or give out in concession some of its assets in order to raise funds to finance the 2021 budget.
In January 2021, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National, Zainab Ahmed, told lawmakers that the Federal Government would sell selected properties to fund this year’s budget.
On Ajaokuta steel, the BPE boss described the problem with the plant as being very complex.
Okoh said, “For Ajaokuta, it’s a very complex issue. Currently there are negotiations with GINL, who are the original concessionaires of Ajaokuta and it’s a very complex problem to untangle.
“But I can, without divulging too many details, state that we are close to being able to resolve the issue, especially the litigation around Ajaokuta and once that is done we can then go ahead and take a decision on what to do with Ajaokuta.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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9 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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10 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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10 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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