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N5, 000 Note Suspension: CAN Hails FG

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The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)last week
commended the Federal Government for suspending the introduction of N5,000 note
denomination into the country’s economy, at least for now.

The Karu Area Chairman of the Association in Nasarawa, Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Patrick, gave the commendation in an interview with newsmen in
Abuja.

“We don’t see any reason or the rationale behind the
proposed introduction of a N5, 000 note denomination into the country’s
crippling economy, ‘he said.

The clergy, however, said that there were no problem
associated with the present denominations in circulation.

“We believe that this policy is not going to help the poor
people and should be discarded,” he added.

Patrick, who is also the Parish Priest of St. John of The
Cross Catholic Church, Mararaba, said that the highest denomination the country
had had N1, 000 and wondered why the CBN was introducing a new N5, 000 bank
note.

He, however ,said that the rich and the affluent might not
worry about the N5,000 note denomination, because they carried huge sums of
money, which meant they could now carry up to N5 million in their pockets with
ease.

The clergyman also said that the introduction of such a big
denomination would lead to hyper-inflation, because, according to him, “it will
automatically devalue our currency”.

“If somebody gives you N1, 000, it is manageable, but by the
time the N5, 000 bank note goes into circulation, a tin of groundnut oil could
be sold at N5, 000 because it is just one piece of paper and change will not be
easy to come by.

“Again, if you are hungry and you go to buy food with the
only N5,000 note, the chances are that you may not have change and won’t have
food,” the chairman added.

He said that there were people whose salaries were N10, 000
or N20, 000 a month respectively, adding that at the end of the month, they
could be given two or four pieces of the bank note as salary.

“If by ill-luck, he loses it, what happens to him? that
means that he would have lost substantial amount of money.

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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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