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Illegal Structures At MMA To Go

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The Federal Airport Au-thority of Nigeria (FAAN) is fashioning a legitimate means of demolishing all structures built by individuals without approval at any part of the land allocated to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMA) Lagos, as well as other airports in Nigeria.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN, Mr. Akin Olukunle, who made this confirmation said the authority will give owners of the said structure one month to voluntarily demolish the structures or allow FAAN to do so, immediately it receives legal backing from the court.

He said that most of the areas that would be demolished include parts of Mafoluku, Shasha and Ajao Estate along the Airport road.

The FAAN spokesman added that the illegal structure at the airport premises in Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt will also be affected with the demolition.

FAAN said that the decision to demolish these structures was to prevent situation beyond the control of airport management, that might jeopardize security and safety at the airport.

He said that it is against international standard for private individual to encroach and build houses at the airport, as airport management may not be able to subject such people to the strict conditions needed to ensure security of passengers and other airport users.

The FAAN image maker also posited that one thing that has given them headache is the encroachment of its land beginning from the Murtala Mohammed Airport road to Shasha and Mafoluku, such that will make it difficult to expand the airport.

He lamented that car dealers, commercial banks and other companies have hijacked one side of the airport territory along Ajao Estate, while the opposite side has been taken over by furniture makers and structures housing all shades of business.

Olukunle also disclosed that the agency had long ago discovered that some people have been encroaching on FAAN’s territory, stressing that the agency had served concerned organisations and individuals notice to move away from the area.

He said, “so we have gone to tell them to stop further construction, some of them have been writing letters to us, sending emissaries, all those are under pretences… that is why this time around, we are going to take decisive action. The notice is in the media, so that we can reach out to the people.”

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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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