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Work Begins At Bayelsa Airport Site

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13 years ago

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Clearing works will soon commence at the proposed site for
the Bayelsa State Airport Projects along Amassoma/Tobia Road in Southern Ijaw
Local Government Area.

This follows the approval of the State Executive
Council during its 10th session held  at
the Banquet Hall, Yenagoa last Wednesday.

Also approved are contracts for an access road to Boro Town
in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, sand filling and reclamation of the
beach annex at the proposed Golf course area of Government House Extension as
well as the construction of a bridge and access road to Tourist Island in the
State capital.

Briefing the Press after the meeting, Commissioner for
Information and Orientation, Deacon Markson Fefegha, announced the arrival of
buses for the state transport scheme, adding that to ensure the effective
management and operation of the scheme, Government has concluded plans to map
out routes for the restoration cabs and the new buses to alleviate the
sufferings of commuters across the state.

He said, Government noted with dismay the indiscriminate
parking of vehicles on both sides of roads in the state capital, which has been
largely responsible for several hold-ups being experienced within Yenagoa and
its environs.

According to the Information and Orientation Commissioner,
Executive Council also urged Bayelsans to take advantage of the Information
Communication Technology, ICT, Law and other Diploma programmes of the Bayelsa
State College of Arts and Science, BYCAS to acquire middle level manpower
skills as part of government’s drive to industrialise the state for rapid
economic development.

He explained that, as a deliberate policy to encourage
Bayelsans, the application forms for the various Diploma programmes in BYCAS
have been pegged at N500.00 (Five Hundred Naira) only, with lectures expected
to commence in two weeks time.

The Executive Council also expressed serious concern over
rising cases of insecurity in waterways across the state, stressing that,
Government will soon take appropriate steps to deal decisively with the
situation to ensure safety of lives and property in all nooks and crannies of
the state.

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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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23 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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23 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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