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Easter: Customers Besiege Banks

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13 years ago

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Banks in the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday in Abuja, witnessed a large turnout of customers ahead of the break for Easter celebration.

The Federal Government declared Friday April 6 and Monday April 9 as public holidays to mark the 2012 Easter Celebration.

Our correspondent who went round the territory observed that most of the banking halls were occupied by customers who came to make withdrawals.

At the different branches of Access Bank, the crowd was overwhelming due to the failure of the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) to dispense cash to customers.

At First Bank, Oceanic Bank and Zenith Bank in Wuse Market, the case was the same as customers queued to make withdrawals.

Mr Felix Ajayi, a trader who spoke to The Tide source while waiting for his turn to make a withdrawal at First Bank in Wuse, Zone 5, said: “I have spent two hours here but I will continue to wait until it’s my turn.

“You know tomorrow and Monday are public holidays and it is Easter, I need to get money to ensure that I take care of my family needs.”

Mrs Josephine Nkolu, a worker with Julius Beger, said that it was better for her to withdraw money from the banking hall as the ATMs in her area of residence does not dispense cash most times.

“I had a bitter experience during the nationwide strike on fuel subsidy removal. I trusted the ATM and it never worked and I had to resort to borrowing.”

At Access Bank, Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim, a civil servant, who expressed anger over the failure of the ATM to dispense cash, urged bank managements to ensure effective service.

“The Central Bank is talking about cashless economy and everybody is trying to adapt to the system but the banks are failing.

“I have spent more time than I intended just to withdraw money.”

Also, Mr  Abdul  Sani, a trader, said there was the need for bank managers to ensure that they gave prompt service to their customers.

“This is not encouraging, its being a long time I queued to cash less than N100,000.”

One of the bank managers, who would not want to be identified, attributed the ATM problem to an

on-going system upgrading in some banks.

“We will attend to every customer and as you can see we have deployed many hands to ensure that the banking hall is decongested.

“We believe that in no time, everybody will be paid.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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