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Niger Floats N6bn Bond For Road Projects

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16 years ago

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Niger State Governemnt has floated a 6 billion fixed rate redeemable infrastructural development bond for the construction and up-grading of roads.

Deputy Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibet, signed the legal document on behalf of the governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, which Mr Ben Andrew did for Zenith capital, who is the joint issuing house.

The bond, which listing will open and close on the 7th of October have been cleared by the security and exchange commission, is expected to generate a net issue of N5.3 billion afer deduction of total costs of N465 million which include under writing fee of N207 million.

On the redemption of the bond, he noted it shall be redeemed at par, in ten consecutive and equal semi-annual installment of principlal and interest of (N854,265,106.3k) eight hundred and fifty four million two hundred and sixty five thousand and one hundred and six naira each on April 15th and October 15 of each year that the bond is outstanding beginning from April 15, 2010.

The bond is secured by an irrevocable standing payment order issued to the Accountant-General of the Federation as a first change and payable out of the statutory allocation of the state which payment of principal and coupon on the bond shall be made from the sinking fund account to be funded from the pledged revenue and managed by the trustees.

According to the prospectus made available to our correspondent, the bond was created in pursuant to the Niger state bond law of 6th August 2009, through the Niger state legislative assembly given on the 11th of  November, 2008.

Alhaji Muazu Mohammed Bawa, the Niger state commissioner, speaking to journalists shortly after the legal document has already been 100 per cent under written on a firm basis by BGL Plc, Renaissance Security and Zenith capitals.

Project to be financed from proceed of the bond include five roads in Minna metropolis, Badan Mallam roads, Peter Sarki road, Idris Legbo and Maiduguri road.

Other roads are Kutigi-Fazti road, rehabilitation of Minna Industrial layout, Construction of Mokwa Rabba road, Luma-Babanna road, Bunu Gurara road and Batati-Daban road.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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20 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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20 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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20 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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