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FG Tasks Govs On Campaign Promises

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Vice President Namadi Sambo, has called on newly elected and returning governors to remain faithful to their campaign promises by serving the people diligently.
He made the call in Abuja at the weekend at a forum, organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to mark the end of a three-day symposium/induction programme.
“As we all know, Nigeria is greater than any individual or group. As we are saddled with a new mandate, our stake is to serve faithfully and diligently as provided for in the law.
“As elected representatives, we are for all and as such, we must work for all. We must appreciate the enormity of the tasks ahead of us, which is to provide the necessary critical infrastructure.
“We must provide adequate security and enabling environment for small and medium enterprises,’’ Sambo said.
He urged the governors to eschew primordial sentiments and to see themselves as representative of the people while striving to promote rule of law and natural justice.
He charged the governors to address illiteracy, maternal mortality and poverty.
The vice president noted that the mandate bestowed on them by the people required that they provided the services for their benefit.
According to Sambo, the just-concluded elections, adjudged free and fair by both local and international observers, are the first steps of government’s commitment to delivering on its promises.
He assured the governors of the Federal Government’s commitment to collaborating with them for the progress of the country.
He said that it was time that the country took its strategic place in the comity of nations, assuring that the Federal Government was ready to provide the needed leadership and direction to achieve the goal.
He called on Nigerians to give all tiers of government the needed support and cooperation for the transformation of the country.
Sambo explained that it was to transform the socio-economic position of Nigerians and eradicate poverty among the people, that the Federal Government decided to tackle the power supply challenge.
He said that plans were on to build 10 new power plants that would add about 5, 000mw of electricity to the country‘s present power generation.
“We are constructing over 4, 000km of transmission lines and hundreds of injection substation in our various cities in this country. We are also investing in the development of hydro power plants,’’ Sambo said.
He said that arrangement had also being concluded to award the contract for the Zungeru Hydro Power Plant which he said would add 700MW to the country‘s power generation level and provide over 30, 000 hectares of land for irrigation.
The vice president told the governors that the Federal Government would in the fourth quarter of this year conclude the design and documentation for the construction of the Manbila Hydro Power Plant.
He said that government was considering the establishment of a coal power plant while efforts were being made to rehabilitate the country‘s abandoned rail system and construct new ones.
He stated that the Federal Government was collaborating with governors to ensure that every child in the country had the opportunity and access to education.
Sambo noted that education was critical to ensuring that the country became one of the most developed economies by the year 2020.
He expressed gratitude to developmental partners in the country for their support and for ensuring that Nigeria’s development needs were achieved.

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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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