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Develop Ajaokuta Steel Plant Before Privatisation – Lawmaker

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14 years ago

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The Chairman, House Committee on Steel, Rep. Sadiq Mohammed, has called on the Federal Government to complete the Ajaokuta Steel Company before privatisation.

Mohammed, who said this last Thursday in Abuja at a two-day stakeholders workshop, organised by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, argued that no investor could afford the N83 billion required to complete the complex.

“The steel sector is privately driven globally, like in Russia, India, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy and the US.

In these countries, their steel industries were first developed by their governments before privatisation.”

Mohammed said that the steel sector was critical to the nation’s economic and social development, adding that “it is only the government that can develop the entire infrastructure needed in the industry.”

He called for a metallurgical bill and manual to enable the sector thrive.

He said that Egypt had built a six-lane super highway into the desert in order to mine its iron ore because of the importance it attached to steel development.

“The steel sector is important to any country that needs to develop industrially. There is no nation that is fully developed that does not first develop its iron and steel sector.”

In his speech, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Musa Sada, said the essence of the metallurgic bill was to discourage dumping of all sorts of steel materials in the country.

According to him, the nation cannot move forward in terms of economic development without first developing its mines and steel sector.

Sada decried the situation whereby no attention was paid to health, safety and environmental concerns by many operators in the metal industry, and advised that this should be addressed.

Dr Oleg Svistunov, the Managing Director of Ruskij Aluminij (Nig) Ltd., commended the organisers of the workshop, saying that the workshop would enable investors to brainstorm on the issues in the industry.

He called on the Federal Government to establish an enabling environment to encourage investors, both foreign and local, to invest in the industry.

According to Svistunov, the Federal Government should develop the infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and training of manpower to develop the sector.

He said that problems like employment, shortfall in the revenue and poor standard of living of Nigerians could be addressed with the development of the steel sector.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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24 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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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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24 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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