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RSG Tasks FG On Housing Dev

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16 years ago

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The Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, Mashall Stanley Uwom, has expressed his displeasure over the inability of the Federal Government to invest on housing development in the state.
He said that Rivers State has not benefited adequately from the National Housing Scheme, pointing out that what the State Housing Development Authority had received is the first phase of N1.9 billion that was supposed to be disbursed.
Uwon made the declaration while inaugurating the committee on activities of Rivers State Housing and Property Development Authority in his office in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the inauguration is in line with the administration’s policy of transparency, accountability and due process as well as expanding the scope of the ministry’s mandate towards monitoring the activities of the Housing and Property Development Authority.
He charged members of the committee headed by Barr. Ovunda O. Orji to see the appointment as a call to selfless service to the state and with the mandate to bring up a report on the operation, success and failure of the National Housing Progamme in Rivers State as well as to verify and provide details of contributions/statistics relating to the above in the state and to provide report on the role of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and agreement reached if beneficial or detrimental or, if properly executed by the RSHPDA.
To also make a recommendation on how best to improve the Management and Board of RSHPDA, to bring up a report on illegal alienation/sale of Houses/Estates, project executed and success or failure made by the RSHPDA.
The terms of reference further empowers them to confirm receipts and disbursement of rents collected by the authority from houses, estates and properties and to invite chairmen of CDC of Government Estates to advice on how best to improve and manage these estates, properties etc.
The committee was given tentatively, one month to submit its report. Meanwhile, the commissioner announced that Eviction Committee of the Ministry of Housing will soon be inaugurated to evict all illegal occupants and structures in Government Housing Estates at Igbo-Etche, Orijie/Oromineke, Iriebe Satellite Town, Eleme Gardens and all the 23 local government areas.
In response, the committee chairman Barr. Ovunda Orji thanked the commissioner for finding them worthy to serve and assured that the state will not be disappointed. He requested for availability of resources and logistics to enable the committee meet the challenges of the task. The chairman promised to round up their responsibility within the shortest period.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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