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Senate Urges Periodic Review Of Revenue Allocation Formula

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13 years ago

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The Senate last Thursday advocated a periodic review of the current revenue allocation formula at present in operation to favour states and local governments.

The Senate noted that the exercise was in accordance with sections 313 and 315 of the constitution.

The upper chamber made the call following the adoption of the report of the Sen. Barnabas Gemade (PDP-Benue) led joint Committee on National Planning, Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; Appropriation; Finance and States and Local Governments.

The Senate had at its plenary on Oct. 27, 2011 mandated the committee to investigate the looming danger of bankruptcy in some states and the need for a fiscal evaluation.

The committee was charged to study the situation and suggest remedial measures to avoid a total collapse of the economies of the affected states.

Presenting the report, Gemade said the committee saw the need for the revenue formula to be reviewed in favour of states and local governments with the increased responsibilities from further devolution of powers.

The committee also advocated that the application of the 13 per cent derivation principle be properly implemented considering the Supreme Court judgment of April 5, 2002.

Some of the recommendation also included that the cost of governance should be reduced by cutting down on recurrent expenditure particularly the reduction of the number of political aides.

It also noted the need for the harmonisation of the functions of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the elimination of ghost workers at the three tiers of government.

Government was also advised to imbibe a budget discipline in producing balanced budgets and ensure strict budget implementation.

The National Assembly was advised to come out with a clear direction on state creation to guide against the creation of unviable entities in future.

Some of the findings of the committee included that there were indications of looming danger of bankruptcy in states because most of the states depended fully on statutory allocations from the federation account.

The committee had also found out that the over dependency on oil revenue at the expense of internally generated revenue by states was responsible for their continued call on the Federal Government to share the proceeds of the excess crude.

It also discovered that records available from the Debt Management Office (DMO) showed that as at December 2011, the total external debt stock of all the states stood at $2.165 billion.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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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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2 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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