Connect with us

Business

N’Delta: Unpaid Debts Threaten N230bn Projects

Published

16 years ago

on

The non-payment of outstanding debts is threatening high priority road projects worth N230bn in Niger Delta, as three major construction companies handling the projects have threatened to pull out.

The construction companies-Setraco Nigeria Limited, Reynolds construction company-have threatened to abandon the road projects due to non-payment of outstanding debts by the Federal Government.

Hon. Olaka Nwogu, chairman House committee in N’Delta, revealed this in Abuja at the weekend, explaining that the contractors are requesting for supplementary budget of N28b to enable them complete the project on time.

For the project, Reynolds construction company (RCC) was paid N5,684,881,518.18 out of N35.66 for the dualisation of the East-West Road (section III) Port Harcourt from Eleme Junction to Eket in Akwa Ibom State.

Selraco Nigeria Limited was given a contact of N74,806, 197,097.37 for the dualisation of the East-West Road from Port Harcourt Ahoada and Kaima-Ahoada as well as dualisation of East West Road from Warri-Kaiama (section i and ii) following the decision of julious Berger to quit the Niger- Delta region.

On its own part, Gitto construction company got a contract of N26n for the dualisation of East-west Road (Section IV) from Eket-oron road, Akwa Ibom State.

According to Nwogu, the projects were parts of the priority projects embarked in by Federal Government to stem the lingering crisis in the Niger Delta.

Julius Berger construction company recently terminated a contract of N11bn due to insecurity in the region.

Nwogu revealed that Julius Berger refunded N66, out of the N11bn, as against N8bn, being outstanding money for the work executed.

His words: “Julius Berger left the project after which it was re-awarded to Setraco. Julius Berger sent a letter that they have spent N3b out of the N11bn for the Port Harcourt, Section, 1, East-West Road, but we later found out that the company only returned N66. so they have a refund N2b to pay.

So we want to find out why the disparity.”

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Ufot Ekaette, and minister of state for Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, were not present at the interactive session with the construction companies to shed more light on the issue.

However, another meeting has been scheduled with the Minister for Thursday, July 23, to find out the reason for the delay in the release of the fund to the construction companies.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

21 hours 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

22 hours 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

22 hours 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