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29 States’ Delegates To Vote For Jonathan – Tafida

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If all the political permutations now going on the President Goodluck Jonathan’s camp are anything to go by, the President is sure of sleeping well because delegates from 29 states, that cut across the six geo-political zones of the country, have declared their total support for his presidential aspiration in 2011, particularly his bid to secure the flag of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The breakdown of the Pro-Jonathan states, according to the Director-General of his campaign organisation, Ambassador Dalhatu Tafida, shows that five are from the North-East, six from the North-Central, six from South-West, two from South-East and three from the South-South including Bayelsa State.

Ambassador Dalhatu Tafida, who stated this in Yenagoa while addressing pro-Jonathan groups in Yenagoa said in all the states visited, the resolution was unanimous as the promise of a block vote was based on the agreement with the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan to complete the tenure of his late boss and propel the country into a height of change and development.

Dalhatu Tafida, who was accompanied by members of the campaign organisation including the South-South Coordinator and Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, told the crowd of supporters and the Governor Timipre Sylva led executive council, that the nation was lucky to have Goodluck, as God has ordained him to occupy the Presidency in 2011.

He said, “Nigeria is lucky and I don’t want to equate Goodluck Jonathan to Bayelsa alone because he is not a President of a community, or a state, or geographical area or regional but of all the nation. God put him there as President for him to occupy the seat. The President told them to judge him by what he can do and not by the area he comes from and he has started doing what he promised.”

“This man only asked that he be allowed to complete the tenure which his boss left behind uncompleted. That is normal. He decided not to use his instrument of office to campaign and muscle people but to establish the campaign office and visit each states to beg them for vote and all the 29 states visited have assured us of total vote come primaries of our party.”

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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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