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‘APM Terminals Respects Ministerial Directive’

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15 years ago

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APM Terminals (APMT), one of the private port managers at Apapa, on Friday said that half of cargoes discharged at its terminal were now taken to bonded terminals for prompt clearance.

This is contained in a statement issued by the company in Lagos.

The statement quoted the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Martin Dirks, as saying that the decision was taken in compliance with the directive of the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, during his recent visit to the company’s city office at Apapa.

He said that the directive of the minister was informed by the chaotic situation he met at the office on the day clearing agents were protesting at the office.

Dirks said the company had formally complained about the threats from the Ministerial Task Force on Port Charges and Efficiency to close its office on June 15.

Dirks said his company was complying fully with the ministerial directive and that the closure of the office would lead to closure of some of its operations.

“Our city office has always been an example of professionalism and a place where our customers have been able to conclude their transactions with APMT in civilised manner.

“We all have to realise that transferring an office of this size with all the related systems and software will need proper preparation and will take a considerable amount of time.

“From the APMT side, we still maintain that should the minister visit the city office on an ordinary business day, he would find the office a conducive environment in which our customers carry out their business effectively,’’ Dirks said.

He said the APMT management had decided to expand visitors waiting area in the office to enhance its operations before the final relocation.

Dirks said a fully dedicated waiting area would be constructed by the company and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at its main terminal to create a comfortable working environment for agents.

Reports  says that the Ministerial Task Force on Port Charges and Efficiency will conclude its seven-day assignment on Friday.

The task force was set up to resolve problems relating to late cargoes clearance at the ports.

Clearing agents recently threatened to withdraw their services from the ports because of delays in positioning containers for examination at APM Terminals.

APMT is the concessionaire managing the old Apapa Container Terminal and controls 75 per cent of container traffic in the country.

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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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