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Firm Urges Local Production Of Photo Materials

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A Port Harcourt-based photographic company, Redkarpet Multi Links Ltd, over the weekend donated some food items, clothings and cash to two Charity Homes in Port Harcourt.

The benefiting Charity Homes are OLG organisation, Woji, which caters for people with autism and the Port Harcourt Compassion Home.

The Business Development Manager, Princess Victoria Woluchem, said the gesture was part of the company’s activities to mark its one-year anniversary.

Woluchem stated that in expressing gratitude to God for the divine guide and blessing to the company, there was need to remember the less privileged in the society and touch their lives. 

The company, which started operation on 8th June last year, she said has done pretty well inspite challenges.

“We successfully Covered the Commonwealth  Parliamentary Assembly, 40th African Regional Conference, ION International Film Festival, the 2009 CARNIRIV and also covered Port Harcourt International Polo Tournament”, she said.

“Apart from the above, we have been remarkable in the coverage of other numerous private and corporate activities within the state and beyond”, she added.

The Business Development Manager, who revealed that her company is looking forward to the forth coming Rivers State Cultural festival, billed for December this year, stressed the ambition of her company to become the most proficient and purpose-driven digital imaging organisation in sub-Sahara Africa through the assemblage of passion-driven core professionals in the industry.

Woluchem revealed that Redkarpet has trained good number of photographers within the past twelve months and that arrangements have been concluded to train some Niger Delta persons in photography as part of the skills acquisition progamme in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Commenting on the challenges, she stated that the company was sited near the Rivers State University of Science and Technology in the hope of enjoying patronage of the university community but regretted that the university had been on strike for the greater part of the year.

She also noted that the unavailability of local resources for the industry was a major challenge facing photographic companies.

“We import over 90 per cent of our raw materials from out side the country and this is not helping the industry in its bid to grow as in other countries”, she remarked.

Woluchem called on investors to take interest in the manufacturing of photographic materials locally in view of abundant opportunities available in it.

The manager commended the customers of the company for their patronage and reassured them of consistency in quality standard of services.

She gave kudos to the Rivers State Government for complimenting the efforts of the Federal Government in bringing about peace through the amnesty programme. 

 

Chris Oluoh

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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