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Minister Wants PWDs To Utilise Empowerment Programmes

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13 years ago

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The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, has charged Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to utilise economic ventures provided by government for their sustainable livelihood.

Maina made the remark in Port Harcourt at the opening of a five-day Economic Empowerment Programme for PWDs, organised by the ministry in conjunction with the Rivers Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation.

She said the programme was to harness the potential of the PWDs for national development, adding that the ministry was determined and committed to address their needs.

Maina said the ministry embarked on developing programmes of activities and projects for the PWDs’ social and economic empowerment, particularly in the rehabilitation of service delivery.

“You will recall that in our traditional societies, persons with disabilities are seen as curses and are discriminated against even within their immediate families.

“In spite of several cases of government efforts to ameliorate the conditions of persons with disabilities, stigmatisation and relegation still persist in our society.”

Maina expressed the hope that the programme would provide opportunities for the PWDs to participate in gainful economic ventures for sustainable livelihood and integration into the society.

She, however, called on the government at all levels, development partners, non-governmental organisations and corporate bodies to support the initiatives to equip the PWDs with skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.

Maina said that the support would assist to sustain the programme, adding, “sustainability, mainstreaming and partnership are the current global key variables in development process.”

In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mr Joe-Philip Poroma, commended the Federal Government for the initiative.

Poroma called on the PWDs in the state to utilise the opportunity to empower themselves, adding that the opportunity would only be once for the participants.

“We have your names for proper documentation; try, select and concentrate on vocation that will offer you a livelihood because after the programme, you are expected to put into practice what you have learnt.

“In the next one or two years, if you have not done anything with the vocation you have learnt in this workshop and we see you around the ministry, nobody will talk to you.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day 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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1 day 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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1 day 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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