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Nigeria Standard Gets N279m Lifeline

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The Plateau State Government recently approved N279 million for the resuscitation of the state’s ailing Nigeria Standard Newspaper.

Briefing newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Jonah Jang, Information Commissioner, Abraham Yiljap, said the lifeline would be used to purchase printing press equipment.

The approval, according to the commissioner, will also cover the cost of purchase of new vehicles and newspaper consumables, as well as, a generating set.

“The Council approved N228 million for the purchase of modern newspaper printing press machine and N10 million for the purchase of newspaper consumables for one year.

“The Council has also approved the procurement of three Hilux vehicles and one Toyota Corolla vehicle all totaling N21 million and there will be more vehicles that will be bought.

“In addition, Council has approved the purchase of one 500KVA Mikano generator at the cost of N20 million. Council’s total approvals is N279,272,667 million and of course this is the first time it is happening since the company was established.”

The commissioner said the newspaper would serve as a reliable platform for the propagation of the interest of the people of the state in particular, and the middle belt region in general.

According to him, this platform was necessary in view of the peculiar realities of the socio-political developments in the country.

“The governor is very anxious that Standard should be on its feet and running and the people of Plateau State are also looking forward to a new Nigeria Standard newspaper on the street.

“Indeed, the Standard that is being repositioned right now is not only to serve Plateau, but the whole of the middle belt, even outside of the middle belt. “Nigeria Standard is expected to come out as a professional newspaper, as a paper that carries the aspirations, desires and challenges of the people of Plateau State and the middle belt as a whole.”

 

 

 

Yiljap explained that the paper would be equipped to provide online services in order to better serve its audience as well as tell the Plateau and middle belt stories to the world in an objective and truthful manner.

“Council has directed that PPC and PRTV be intensively looked at in their ICT needs so as to ensure that whatever is done in the newsrooms, in the programmes department and in other areas could be streamed or put on the Internet right away.”

He also underscored the need for them to work hard to face up to the challenges, as it would no longer be business as usual.

“With this investment, the government is showing its commitment to the information sector in Plateau State. You recall that it was not long ago that a brand new radio OB van was acquired and received by the Plateau Radio Television Corporation.”

Nigeria Standard newspaper was first published in 1972 and was widely circulated all over Northern Nigeria till the late 1980s when it collapsed.

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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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