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Telecoms Operators Assure Improved Services In 2013

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The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) on Wednesday assured telecoms subscribers of improved quality of services in 2013, the Chairman of ALTON, . Mr Gbenga Adebayo told newsmen in Lagos that operators were upgrading their networks to ensure better quality services henceforth.

He said that subscribers deserved value for money in terms of the quality of services being rendered to them. According to him, a lot of works are in progress towards providing better services and reduce call drop rate as well as improved interconnectivity among operators. Adebayo said that operators were extremely passionate about building robust and resilient networks that would empower more Nigerians to fulfill their needs.

He said that operators had invested heavily in building additional base stations in the underserved and un-served areas.

The ALTON chairman appealed to the Federal Government to provide security for all telecoms facilities across the country.

“The bombing of telecoms outfits and the devastating floods affected a number of our base transceiver stations across the country in 2012 which had significant impact on the quality of services.

“We are hoping that in 2013, government will assist us to secure critical telecoms infrastructure that can affect the quality of service,” Adebayo said.

He said that operators had done a lot of work to overcome the infrastructural and environmental challenges impeding the delivery of quality services. “Telecoms operators are still upgrading their facilities to meet the growing number of subscribers that are increasing exponentially every day.

“We will improve on our network capacity so as to nip in the bud the issues of call drop, poor quality of voice signal, poor reception and poor inter-connectivity with other networks,” he said. Adebayo said that telecoms equipment should be seen as public infrastructure that should be given adequate protection by the government.

“Those facilities are seen to be owned by service providers, but we are saying that going forward, they should be seen as facilities in care of the public and supervised by the government,” Adebayo said.

He called for government intervention in the area of providing stable power supply, securing the environment, elimination of multiple taxes and regulation of the sector.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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