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Surveyor Urges NASS To Pass Housing Bills

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13 years ago

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The President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and
Valuers (NIESV) Mr Emeka Eleh,  on
Thursday urged the National Assembly to pass the eight bills on housing
currently before it.

Eleh told our correspondent in Lagos that the bills were
submitted to the National Assembly when the late President Umar Yar’Adua was
president of the country.

According to him, the bills are still in the National
Assembly and not even one of them has been passed.

“Let me also talk about the issue of housing laws in the
National Assembly. There are about eight of them right now from the Land Use
Bill, which was submitted by the Umar Yar’Adua’s adminisstration for review.

“We urge the National Assembly to look into these laws. you
see, developing a sector has to do more with the structural issues that impede
development in the sector.

“There are laws that need to be re-tuned. I have mentioned
the Mortgage Act. I have mentioned the Land Use Act. If people have access to
land in a way that was intended by the Act, it becomes easier.

“If people have title to the land in a way that was intended
by the Act it becomes easier; if the interest rate comes down to a level that
is manageable, it becomes easier.

“If the building materials are not expensive, it becomes
easier; we are happy with the cement production.

“We are attaining almost sufficiency in that area. But at
what cost for a bag of cement at N1,700. So these are areas government must
look at,” he said.

He said that once housing infrastructure was provided,
people would be able to live in distant places outside the city centre and
still go to work in the city.

Eleh said houses in major cities across the country were
expensive because of the high demand for accommodation at the same time and in
the same places.

“In America, people live in New Jersey and still go to work
in New York. You drive one and half hours to work and go back.

“After all, you finish work at 5 by 6.30 you are home, but
you can do that if the infrastructure is good.

“A major component of housing is infrastructural spread to
ensure that people can move from point A to point B,” he said.

Eleh said that the provision of housing infrastructure would
reduce the cost of accommodation in major cities across the country.

According to him, the cost of construction will reduce if
the government provides infrastructure on the outskirts of major cities.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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23 hours 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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24 hours 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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24 hours 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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