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NITOA Raises Alarm Over Hijack Of Fishing Vessels

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13 years ago

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The Nigeria Fish Trawler Owners
Association (NITOA) last Tuesday raised
alarm over recurring hijack of fish vessels within Nigerian territorial
water.

The President of the NITOA, Mr John Overo told newsmen
in Lagos that attacks on vessels had started rising again.

He said that vessels belonging to his members were being
attacked and their catches stolen by the pirates.

Overo, therefore, called on the Federal Government to
assist in stemming the ugly development.

“We lose colossal investments to the pirates because
they also remove valuable items in the vessels, whenever they attacked.

“They always remove electronic gadgets on board, which
include the SSB Radio, VHF Radio, Radar and Echo Sounder,’’ he said.

Overo described the situation as worrisome and pleaded
with the government to evolve measures that could checkmate activities of sea
pirates before they escalated.

“NITOA has often called for provision of adequate
security in the Nigerian territorial waters.

“This is to ensure safe operations for fishing vessels
and other law abiding maritime users,’’ he said.

Overo urged the Federal Government to provide effective
security in Nigerian Maritime environment in the overall interest of the
nation.

The NITOA president said that the appeal was necessary
to save the sector from collapse due to huge overhead costs, especially the
high cost of diesel.

“These precarious situations will likely make the sector
to go under. “Our productivity has declined due to high cost of diesel used in
operating the trawlers,’’ he complained.

Overo said that 85 per cent of the sector operation was
being run solely on diesel, thus incurring huge overhead costs.

“This is so because it is only in the fishing industry
that diesel alone accounts for 85 per cent of production cost,’’ he said.

According to him, each vessel consumes an average of 60
tonnes of diesel daily which cost N10 million for the 45-day fishing trip.

He urged the Federal Government to create enabling
environment for trawling investments to thrive.

He also urged the government to extend the Export
Expansion Grant (EEG) to NITOA members.

“Government should ensure that the Negotiable Duty
Certificate, which is a product of EEG, is acceptable by the Nigeria Customs
Service from trawler operators,’’ he said.

Overo commended the efforts of the Marine Navy in
patrolling the nation’s water to ensure security of lives and properties.

He called for adequate
funding of the Nigeria Navy to enhance its effectives.

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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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