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Subsidy: Jonathan Constitutes Re-Investment Board

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14 years ago

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday appointed Dr Christopher Kolade, the Chairman of the Board of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE).

The board is to oversee and ensure the effective and timely implementation of projects to be funded with savings of the Federal Government from the subsidy removal.

A statement from Dr Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said Jonathan also constituted a committee to meet with labour on subsidy removal.

The committee, headed by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, is to meet with labour and other stakeholders with a view to resolving issues that may arise from the removal of subsidy on petrol.

The statement said the SURE board would oversee the funds in the petroleum subsidy savings account and implementation of the programmes, aimed at improving the quality of life of Nigerians.

The statement listed the responsibilities of the board to include the following:

“Determine in liaison with the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the subsidy savings estimates for each preceding month and ensure that such monies are transferred to the fund’s Special Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria

“Approve the annual work plans and cash budgets of the various Project Implementation Units (PIUs) within the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and ensure orderly disbursement of funds by the PIUs in order to certify and execute projects;

“Monitor and evaluate execution of the funded projects, including periodic Poverty and Social Impact Analyses (PSIA)

“Update the President regularly on the programme;

“Periodically brief the Executive Council of the Federation on the progress of the programme;

“Appoint consulting firms with international reputation to provide technical assistance to the Board in financial and project management;

“Appoint external auditors for the fund;

“Do such other things as are necessary or incidental to the objective of the fund or as may be assigned by the Federal Government.

According to the statement, retired Maj.-Gen. Mamman Kontagora will serve as Deputy Chairman of SURE board.

Other members of the board are two representatives of the National Assembly, two representatives of organised labour and one representative of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Also to serve on board are one representative of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, one representative of Nigerian Women Groups, one representative of Nigerian youth and one representative of civil society organisations.

The ministers of Finance, Dr  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman; Petroleum Resources, Mrs  Diezani Allison-Madueke and the Minister of State for Health Dr. Ali Pate, will also be members of the board.

The Special Adviser to the President on Technical Matters and six other reputable individuals from the six geo-political zones of the country, three of whom will be women, will also be on the board.

Members of the Belgore Committee are Mr Chibuike Amaechi, Rivers Governor and Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Peter Obi of Anambra, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo and Sule Lamido of Jigawa.

Other members of the committee  Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, the Special Adviser to the President on Inter Party Affairs, Sen. Ben Obi, and  Mrs Ngozi Olajemi.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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