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Aba Road Tragedy: Transporter Tasks RSG On Federal Roads

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15 years ago

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Sequel to the recent accident that occurred near Oyigbo on the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway which claimed several lives, and had four tankers burnt, a chartered transporter in Port Harcorut, Mr. B. N. Opara has called on the Rivers State government to take urgent steps to tackle broken-down federal roads within its territory.

This, according to him, will serve as a palliative measure that can enhance free use of the road, even though it is a federal government road.

Opara, while speaking to The Tide in Port Harcourt, said that the incident that occurred along Port Harcourt-Aba Express road was not acceptable by any standard, pointing out that such incident would have been avoided, if the bad spot had been earlier attended to.

He attributed the incident to lack of commitment on the part of federal government agencies saddled with the responsibility of road building and maintenance.

Opara who is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Nigeria (CILTN) quantified the loss in the Aba road accident in monetary terms, and said that over N100 million had been lost, outside the loss of human lives.

On why it is imperative for Rivers State government to take steps to repair these broken down areas, Opara said that the bulk of the activities on these roads are undertaken by residents and people of the state.

Apart from that, he said that transport business in these areas will be badly affected, adding that many operators might want to avoid such areas, and hence will create problem in movement.

Others that might want to take the risk might charge exorbitant price, according to the chartered transporter, adding that when there is difficulty in movement,  scarcity of goods and services is imminent.

Opara posited that Nigeria’s highways and roads these days could be described as death trap, stressing that travelling on Nigerian roads, especially in the Southern part of the country could be like signing death warrant.

He said that trauma people face on federal highways, like the East-West road every day because of pot-holes and pits, leaves much to be desired, and for that reason called on Rivers State authority to take steps to not only save lives, but save cost also.

 

Corlins Walter

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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