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Non-engagement Of PTDF’s Trained Nigerians Worries Agency

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16 years ago

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The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Mr Muttaqua Darma has decried the non-engagement of majority of highly skilled Nigerians trained on the scholarship of the fund.

The executive secretary who expressed this worry during a recent courtesy visit to the Director-General of the Standards Organization of Nigeria Dr John Akanya, in Abuja disclosed that the PTDF was set up among others to help develop and update necessary human capital requirements to meet the constantly changing and challenging demands of the nations oil and gas sector.

He said, “most of the scholars are getting employed outside the oil and gas sector due to no fault of theirs thus defeating part of the objectives of the scholarship to ensure adequate local content development in the sector in materials as well as human resources to enhance technology acquisition and transfer.;

The fund is currently training qualified Nigerians in 20 topmost ranked universities all over the world in oil and gas related courses, some of whom are highly sought after in other nations.    

It is a pity that the Nigerian oil and gas industry seems observed with the engagement of expatriates. He wondered what standards they use in their consideration as against the highly qualified PTDF scholars from some of the best training institutions in the world. 

He then invited the SON to take part in a stakeholders forum being organised by the fund to examine the subject, brainstorm with a view to funding a lasting solution in conjunction with operators in the sector.

SON Director General Dr John Akanya expressed his organization’s willingness to work with the fund to find a lasting solution to the challenge, disclosing that one of his staff is currently enjoying the PTDF scholarship.

Dr Akanya emimerated the dynamic nature of quality which he said are only defined by specifications referred to as standards, towards which his agency had been working assiduously to mobilise Nigerians to imbibe.

He said, SON has been working closely with the local content development team in the oil and gas sector and promised to join hands with the PTDF and other stakeholders to ensure that the nation take maximum advantage of the said scholarship on whom great investments are being made from the nations common wealth.

Dr Akanya posited that issues of standards and quality must form key issues in the Nation’s quest for the attainment of vision 20: 2020 and therefore called on consumers to help drive standardisation in Nigeria by demanding for and insisting on quality in their patronage of products and services as well as taking the trouble to seek redress for lack of satisfaction in value expectation.   

He then called on operators in oil and gas sector in Nigeria to support the scholarship programme of the PTDF by giving due consideration to beneficiaries on completion of their studies in the over all interest of the Nigeria economy and its people.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 days 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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3 days 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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3 days 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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