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Panyam-Bokkos-Wamba Road Contractor Knows Fate Soon

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13 years ago

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The Federal Ministry of Works will decide the fate of the contractor handling the Panyam-Bokkos-Wamba Road in the next two weeks.

The Minister of State for Works, Amb. Bashir Yuguda disclosed this last Tuesday at Bokkos in Plateau, when he led the National Good Governance Tour team to inspect the project.

The Minister, who was visibly disappointed at the work done by the contractor, said the ministry was already discussing with the contractor’s bankers to recover the mobilisation fee the contractor had collected to execute the job.

According to him, N86 million had so far been recovered from the contractor while over N1 billion was still outstanding.

Yuguda said that the Goodluck Jonathan administration was prepared to work with only contractors who were ready to work.

“ This kind of contractor will not have a place in the new Ministry of Works,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Titus Alams, the member representing Bokkos Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly , said the people of Bokkos would continue to believe in the Federal Government, and agree that its transformation agenda was real.

He, however, expressed disappointment over the failure of the contractor to deliver on the project five years after he was mobilised by the government.

Commenting on the issue, the NUJ National Secretary, Mr Liman Shuaibu, urged the Federal Government to set up a tribunal to try contractors who failed to execute jobs according to the terms of the agreement.

He said that mere revocation of contracts for poor job done would not be enough to deter such contractors.

“Government should take decisive steps to punish failed contractors, revocation is not enough,” he said.

In the same vein, the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, expressed disappointment over the poor work done by the contractor.

He queried the absence of the contractor after he had been informed of the visit by the National Good Governance Tour team.

He said such contractors would no longer be patronised by the Federal Government of Nigerian for disrespecting constituted authority.

He urged people of the community to remain law-abiding and assured them that the government was taking steps to address the issue.

Our correspondent gathered that the project was awarded to Stateco Nigeria Ltd, in 2007.

 

 

The new road, when completed, would connect the western part of Bauchi State, Plateau South and Wamba in Nasarawa State.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 days 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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3 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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