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Transporter Accuses NRC Of Habouring Touts

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16 years ago

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The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Port Harcourt, has been accused of harbouring touts in its premises, who engage in molesting innocent drivers and transporters on daily basis.
President of the Rivers Transport and Investment Cooperation Union Limited (RTICUL), Mr. Tubonimi Wokoma who alleged that railway has partnered with illegality, also expressed trauma that transporters go through on the operations of these group of people.Wokoma explained that these group of persons have not properly identified whom they are working for, as they demand for both the Ministry of Transport (MOT) registration and colour, the Rivers State Environmental Sanitation sticker, as well as the Local Government Council stickers.
He alleged that it has become so clear that any vehicle impounded by these agents hardly go without parting with reasonable sum of at least N10,000, because as he puts it, “these boys must demand for any of the above stickers”, for which they claim that transporters must have on their vehicles.
The most annoying aspect of their operation according to the cooperative transport boss is that they do not even show sympathy for the suffering of their victims, as they would always say, “have you not heard about us in this Port Harcourt. Even governor knows that we are here, and nothing will happen”.
However, when The Tide called on the Railway station manager in Port Harcourt, Mr. Biodun Daniels for clarifications, he said that he is aware that such activities are going on at the railway premises.
Biodun explained that he met the group when he resumed office in Port Harcourt, when they were operating motorcycle (okada) business, and that they are from the Ministry of Transport and are operating legally, because the police and the Ministry of Transport made the arrangement for them.
When also contacted for comments, one of the officials of the taskforce operators who refused to disclose his identity said that they are representing the Port Harcourt City Council (PHALGA), and that because of space that was why they came to railway premises.
According to him, they do not demand for MOT and Sanitation, but that they impound vehicles that do not have daily council ticket and annual stickers and that they do not molest innocent drivers.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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19 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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19 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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19 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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