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FG Slows Down Implementation Of IPPIS

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The Federal Government has “slowed down’’ on the implementation of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) because of intermittent internet connectivity problems.

Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during an oversight visit to his office, the Treasury House, by members of the House Committee on Finance.

The IPPIS is the platform upon which most federal civil servants are paid their salaries.

Otunla told the visiting lawmakers that lately, the system had encountered some difficulty resulting in late payment of salaries of workers in the public service.

He also attributed the delay in payment of salaries to late disbursements of allocations to the three tiers of government by the monthly Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting.

The accountant-general said that his office had sought the assistance of Galaxy Backbone, a Federal Government-owned ICT agency, to resolve the connectivity problem.

“We have been talking with the various agencies of government that are involved in this and we are sure that very soon we will overcome the connectivity problem.

“Because of this connectivity problem, we have decided to slow down the implementation, particularly of our IPPIS.

“The press is awash with barrages of complaints of late payment of salaries, particularly this month.

“The main factor accountable for this delay, apart from the awkward shifting of the FAAC meetings, we have some system problems that are not too strange to a system that is just taking off.’’

Reports say that two indigenous ICT firms are handling the project namely the Grand Central Ltd., which is the project manager while the solution vendor is Soft Alliance and Resources Ltd.

We gathered that since its first roll-out in October 2006 more than 100,000 public workers have been covered by IPPIS in 94 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Expressing concern on the implementation of the IPPIS, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin, Chairman, House Committee on Finance, urged the accountant-general’s office to give it priority attention.

“Mr Accountant-General, we will expect that on the issue of IPPIS, you should give more emphasis to ensure that it is well managed and implemented,’’ he said.

He said the office should also ensure timely disbursement of capital expenditure within the confines of the provisions of the law.

The legislator also stressed the need for the AGF’s office to share constant information with the House committee.

“Sometimes you make the job of the parliament much easier for us when agencies give us updates of what they do on monthly or quarterly basis voluntarily.

“At the end of the day we might make an input in it or we might need such information to help us, help you and help the country.’’

Jibrin solicited the support of the accountant-general in training of legislators in the committee on financial matters.

He described financial matters as quite sensitive and highlighted that one of the biggest challenges facing the country was generating enough revenue to fund the deficit in this year’s budget.

“In that regard a lot of knowledge is required; a lot of knowhow is required; a lot of capacity-building is required.

“And so, what we are saying is this: in the spirit of the exchange and cooperation that exists between us and the fantastic relationship you have built in the last 11 months between this office and the Committee on Finance, whenever such capacity building comes up you can extend that also to the House.

“So that we can build our capacity at the same pace, so we can be on the same page on all the issues that we need to legislate on or work on for the betterment of this country.’’

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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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