News
…As GM Urges Domestication
The General Manager, of Plateau-owned Radio Television Corporation (PRTVC), Mr. Bulus Dabit has suggested the domestication of the Freedom of Information (FoI) law in states to broaden awareness and maximise its benefits nationwide.
“Not much is known about the law outside Abuja and Lagos; steps must be taken to popularise it and make it effective outside such media hubs so that the nation can gain from its provisions,’’ Dabit said in Jos on Sunday.
He said that it was only when the public was fully aware of the provisions of the law and their rights therein, that they could insist on its application.
“Again, when we operate the law locally, we shall be able to remove all encumbrances when we seek information outside those major cities where the law is already taking full effect.
“From experience, the law appears only applicable if we are approaching federal officers. This should not be the case.’’
He likened the FoI law to the Child Rights Act, stressing that the latter was gradually getting wider national acceptance because most state governments had domesticated its provisions.
Dabit, however, said that the FoI law would only serve national interest if journalists respected the ethics of the profession.
“Every profession has its bad eggs, but the media must be very conscious of its image by respecting basic ethics so that they are taken seriously.
“Conscious efforts must be made to rid the profession of the bad elements to enable journalists to carry out their role of educating and informing the public to bring enlightened opinion to bear on national issues.’’
Dabit also reacted to the recent boycott of Plateau State government’s activities by the state’s Correspondent Chapel on the allegation that Gov. Jonah Jang was not media-friendly.
“The governor is media-friendly. Like every other leader, he knows that he needs the media to reach out to the general public and boost participation in government activities.
“I think the problem is that journalists insist that the governor must handle everything himself. There are several officers expected to handle publicity – the Director of Press Affairs, the Commissioner of Information and the Special Adviser on Media Affairs.
“It is not every day that the governor will be available to address every information need of the newsmen.’’
He also rejected suggestions that the state government depended totally on the state-owned PRTVC and the Nigeria Standard newspapers as its only news outlets.
“I agree that the average Plateau person is obsessed with PRTVC, but it is not possible for us to depend solely on the state-owned media outfits for our entire publicity requirement because we must reach out to the entire nation and even beyond.
“If we depend solely on our local media outfits, we shall be clapping with one hand and that is why the state government is investing so much on NTA and others.’’
He said that it was to also involve other media houses in publicity of the state government’s activities that the governor directed all commissioners to address journalists on their activities.
“We expect the ministerial briefings to create a solid avenue for interaction between journalists and government officials. These commissioners are spokespersons for the governor and should be seen and treated as such by the press.’’
Dabit urged journalists to build bridges toward a united and prosperous Nigeria, and advised them against allowing themselves to be used as pawns by groups or individuals pursuing self-serving interests.
News
FG Ends Passport Production At Multiple Centres After 62 Years

The Nigeria Immigration Service 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, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
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.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
News
FAAC Disburses N2.225trn For August, Highest In Nigeria

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
News
KenPoly Governing Council Decries Inadequate Power Supply, Poor Infrastructure On Campus
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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