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RUFIN: Imo, Edo yet To Pay Counterpart Funds

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14 years ago

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Imo and Edo States are yet to pay their counterpart funds toward the implementation of the seven-year Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) which started last year, The Tide gathered.

RUFIN is receiving funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to strengthen rural microfinance institutions to enable them to secure financial services for the rural poor.

The programme, targeted at women, youths and the physically challenged, is also aimed at enhancing the income, agricultural productivity of the beneficiaries as well as boost rural micro-enterprises.

In an interview with NAN on Monday in Abuja, Alhaji Musibau Azzez, the RUFIN National Coordinator, disclosed that the two states were in arrears of N24 million each of the 2010 and 2011 counterpart funds.

He noted that the inability of some state governments to promptly pay the counterpart fund constituted a challenge to the implementation of donor-assisted programmes.

According to him, the development has slowed down work in the affected states while the other 10 participating states are doing very well in their various ongoing agricultural and rural development projects.

He said that states offices have been fully established with local government offices in the 36 selected local government areas in the 12 participating states.

Azzez commended the Federal Government for the prompt provision of its counterpart contribution.

“The Federal Government has, to date, lived up to its financial covenant under the programme; all the key partners have equally paid, except Edo and Imo, while the programme had surpassed all indicators within the first year of  operation,” he said.

In a separate interview with newsmen, Dr Benjamin Odoemena, the IFAD Country Programme Officer in Nigeria, noted that the lack of political will was hampering programme implementation.

Odoemena said that one of the conditions of implementation was the payment of counterpart fund.

According to him, all efforts to get the Imo and Edo governments to pay their counterpart fund arrears had not yielded positive results.

However, he said that RUFIN would continue to dialogue with them to ensure that they settled outstanding counterpart funds.

The Tide source said that RUFIN, in collaboration with the CBN, had facilitated the formation of Micro Finance Institutions in all the six geo-political zones.

Implementation of RUFIN is expected to cost 27.2 million dollars.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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23 hours 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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23 hours 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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23 hours 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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