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Reps Berate Finance Minister For Poor Budget Release

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13 years ago

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The House of Representatives’ Committee on Science and
Technology says it is displeased with what it considered the poor
implementation of the 2012 budget.

Chairman of the committee, Mr Abiodun Akinlade, expressed
the displeasure when he led other members on an oversight function visit to the
National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) offices.

He said contrary to claims by the Ministry of Finance, only
35 per cent of the 2012 budget funds had so far been released.

The legislator said this had therefore made it difficult for
MDAs to execute their projects in the fiscal year.

He said the figure was contrary to the 50 per cent claimed
to have been released by the Ministry of Finance.

“The ministries are being shortchanged, and their funds have
not been released to them and this is October, less than two months to the end
of the year, and the releases have been less than 35 per cent.

He said Nigeria has money, based on the findings of the
House Committees on Finance and Appropriation.

The committee chairman said the danger in not releasing the
funds was that all sectors of the economy are affected when government as the
highest spender in Nigeria refuses to spend money.

He said the Ministry of Finance should be bold enough to
tell Nigerians what the problem was.

The House committee chairman said there was no need
therefore in considering a new budget when the current one had not been
implemented.

“The National Assembly believes that the Appropriation Act
is a law of the land which must be adhered to and be implemented.

“Before we can consider 2013 budget, we have to know the
performance of that of 2012 and that is why the House of Representatives
suspended plenary for us to go to the field and confirm the performance of the
budget.

“What we have been saying on the floor of the House is not
far from what we have seen on the field. The performance of the budget of
Science and Technology is less than 35 per cent,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that members of the committee
later on also expressed displeasure at the NASENI budget implementation.

They said over 70 per cent of the budget implementation was
not in line with 2012 budget.

But, after listening to the agency’s defence, the committee
allowed more time for it to tidy up its books for presentation before the
committee at a later date.

In his remarks, the agency’s acting Director-General said
the agency was devoted to attaining its set goals, saying all projects were in
line with the budget.

He said that there was no way funds would be released for a
project if it was not tied to the provisions of the budget.

Our correspondent reports that some of the agencies visited
by the committee were the Raw Materials Research and Development Council
(RMRDC) and the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN).

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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