Connect with us

Business

Committee Spends N21bn On East-West Road

Published

13 years ago

on

Subsidy Reinvestment
and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), says it has so far intervened to the tune
ofN21 billion in the East-West Road projects.

Mazi
Sam Ohuabunwa, a member of the SURE-P committee, announced this on Monday in
Oron during an inspection tour of section 4 of the East West Road.

Our
correspondent reports that the team, led by Ohuabunwa, drove on the 50 km
stretch of the road from Oron in Akwa Thorn to Ogoni in Rivers.

Ohuabunwa
later told newsmen that the programme’s intervention had remarkably fast
tracked the pace of work on the contract, awarded in 2006.

He
said the intervention was funded from the Federal Government’s share of 41 per
cent proceeds from the partial removal of petroleum subsidy in January.

He
explained that SURE-P guaranteed contractors of prompt payment for work done
and therefore an incentive for speedy delivery of projects.

“Our
intervention approach is to assure contractors of availability of funds to pay
for completed jobs and once the certificate of job completion is generated and
verified, we pay the contractors promptly.

“We
were here in August and we are here to access the extent of work done since our
last visit.

From
what we have seen, we shall settle the last bill that the contractors
provided,” he said.

Prof.
Kunle Wahab also said that the team was pleased with the progress of work in
section 4 of the project.

He
said the road was already providing relief to motorists, adding that a section
of the road would be inaugurated in January 2013.

Another
member of the committee, Alli Bukar, said the intervention had addressed the
funding constraints which delayed the project beyond its completion date of
April 2010.

Reacting
to the perceived delays in the project, Mr Ghanem Rasbieh, the Site Agent of
Gitto Nig Ltd, the contractor handling the section of the road, said extended
rainy season in the region was an obstacle.

He
explained that the dry season lasted only three months within the region.

Rasbieh
gave the assurance that the project, which had attained 52 per cent proress,
would be completed within one year.

The contract for the proejct was awarded on September 28,
2006 for N26 billion and reviewed to N37.53 billion.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

3 days ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

3 days ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

3 days ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Trending