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Fadama To Provide 1,140 Jobs In Rivers

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In a move to reduce the rate of unemployment and restiveness among the youths of Rivers State, the Rivers State Fadama lll project is poised to disburse 80 per cent of its funds allocation to the youths and widows groups with a view to providing jobs to about 1,140 youths in the state.

To achieve this, about 40 youth groups have already been formed and registered across the 20 participating local government areas of the state, in readiness for disbursement.

The youth groups which are made up of 10 to 15 members in each, majored in crop production, fish farming, poultry production and crop processing.

The state Project Coordination, Prince Kingsley Amadi, disclosed this  on Friday in his office at Rumuodamaya, Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Headquarters, in a chat with The Tide.

According to him, more than 30 per cent of the N150 million disbursed by the project which represents about N45 million, have already gone to the youth groups.  Noteable among the youth groups which have commenced production and marketing of their produce include the Dynamic  Youths Oil Palm Processing group of Omudioga in Emohua LGA.  The youngest Okomoko Fadama poultry in Etche LGA, unique Deeyor disabled in Gokana LGA, Apani Fadama widows cassava production and like minds Fadama Oil Palm Processors in Ikwerre LGA and Obeama Fadama widows vegetable production in Oyigbo LGA, he said.

The coordinator reiterated that the current focus of Fadama lll project in the state is on youths and widows empowerment, saying that it is expected that by the end of this year, more of the youth groups will have been empowered out of the targeted 95 youth groups before the end of the project in December, 2013.

It would be recalled that during one of the sensitization campaigns of the youths, Mr Charley Igwe, secretary dynamics youths of Omudioga Fadama Oil Palm Processor called on the youths of the state to take advantage of Fadama lll project to develop an agribusiness of their choice and become self employed, while Oha Brown, chairman Alioma Omudioga Fadama cassava farmers used the medium to call on all the LGA chairmen and the state government to continue to pay their counter part funds since it is for the benefit of the rural farmers, especially the empowerment of youths.

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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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