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Food Security, Challenge To Democracy – Minister

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13 years ago

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The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, says that the greatest challenge to democracy in Nigeria is the issue of food security.

Adesina said this at the programme for the launch of the UNDP, First Africa Human Development report in Nigeria at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Monday.

He explained that government has embarked on interventionist programme on agriculture to provide enough food for the citizenry.

The minister said to underscore the importance of agriculture to national economy, the Federal Government had set up the Agricultural Transformation Implementation Council (ATIC), chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The council shall coordinate the transformational agenda of the government in the agricultural sector and ensure that at least five million rural farmers are lifted from poverty level before 2015. “

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former President and the chief launcher of the report, noted that UNDP 2012 report on food security indicted the leadership of the African continent.

According to him, “Africa with all the natural resources it is endowed with has no business being tagged a poor and hungry people.’’

He, however, noted that the report on the other hand was a clarion call to leaders to wake up to their responsibility of salvaging the continent from sliding into backwardness in food security.

In his welcome address, the UN Resident Representative, Daouda Toure, said that the UNDP report was published annually since 1990, to initiate and help drive the evolution of the concept of human development.

Toure said this year’s report was on comprehensive approach to food security, stressing that it was timely and important.

“It reminds us that food security is basic to human development and that food insecurity can trap generations of people in underdevelopment.’’

NAN reports that highlights of the report revolved around the critical issues of resolving the problem of hunger and starvation; it recommended government and private partnership in solving the problem.

It decried what it termed: “Food insecurity and chronic hunger’’ amidst abundant resources, persistent challenges and emerging threats to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On a positive note, the UNDP report proffers solution to the issue of hunger through an agenda of empowerment for social justice, gender equality and food for everyone.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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