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Abia Disburses N1bn Agric Loan To Farmers

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13 years ago

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Governor Theodore Orji of Abia last Wednesday said the state government disbursed N1 billion agriculture loan recently accessed for the farmers.

Orji told newsmen in Umuahia that the loan was only given to farmers that qualified for its purpose.

The governor said the beneficiaries were selected after a rigorous screening.

“The loan is properly managed because we brought in a consultant that handled the situation. “We are now at the stage of monitoring to see how the loan is applied by the beneficiaries.’’

Orji said Abia had recorded milestones in the agriculture sector since the inception of his second term. He said the recently privatised Abia Rubber Company had taken off in full swing.

“No fewer than 1,200 youths have been employed by the company and as it expands, they will employ more,” he said.

Orji said the state government had entered into partnership with a Malaysian conglomerate to revitalise some palm oil estates.

The estates are located at Ohambele and Ulonna, Ukwa East and Umuahia North local government areas.

Meanwhile  a total of 175.98 million shares worth N1.9 billion were traded in 2,802 deals on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Wednesday. This was against the 215.58 million shares valued at N1.7 billion traded in 2,714 deals on Monday. The market capitalisation appreciated by N135 billion to close at N9.109 trillion. The All-Share Index also rose by 422.41 points or 1.5 per cent to close at 28,501.21 in contrast to the 28,078.80 posted on Monday. NewGold led the price gainers’ chart with a gain of N2 to close at N2, 534 per unit. GTBank appreciated by N1.60 to close at N24.60 per share, while Presco gained N1.50 to close at N18.50 per share FBN Holdings appreciated by N1.38 to close at N17.10 per share, while Nigerian Breweries rose by N1 to close at N148 per share. Conversely, Lafarge Wapco led the price losers’ pack with a loss of N1.03 to close at N57.50 per share. Portpaint lost 21k to close at N4.15 per share, while Morison and JOHNHOLT dropped 17k each to close at N3.30 and N3.23 per share respectively. Zenith Bank dipped by 9k to close at N19.40 per share.

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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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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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