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ITF Amendment Bill Scales Second Reading

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13 years ago

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A Bill to amend the Industrial Training Fund

( ITF) Act of 1971, last Thursday in Abuja passed the second reading at the House of Representatives.

The bill also seeks to empower the fund to design, set up and operate guidelines for training and certification.

According to the bill, the training and certification will be done at the states, local governments and the ward levels.

It seeks to establish area registries for maintaining up-to-date registration of certified artisans and technicians in all fields and in all parts of the federation.

Leading debate on the general principles of the bill, Rep. Chudi Uwazurike said the proposed legislation was to expand the scope of manpower by paying attention to entrepreneurship.

He said the bill would also set standards for artisans and technicians.

The lawmaker urged members to support the bill to empower artisans and technicians to develop the economy.

Supporting the debate, Rep. Chris Azubogu said that the bill’s importance could not be over emphasised.

He said it was imperative to standardise the way artisans carried out their activities, to help create manpower and reduce unemployment in the country.

Contributing, Rep. Chris Etta said it would assist “in creating calculated economic improvement”.

Also contributing, Rep.Aminu Shagari  said the law was a good one, adding that it would give the teeming youths the opportunity to grow and be self reliant.

However, the bill received strong opposition from some members who felt it would be a duplication of the functions of what some government agencies were empowered to do.

Rep. Aisha Ahmed cited the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) as an agency that organised training programmes like carpentry and others for youths.

Also opposing it, Rep. Shehu Garba said the amendment sought should be an intervention and not to set standards for artisans and technicians.

He suggested that the bill should be an intervention “and not to encroach on roles already carried by existing agencies’’.

Notwithstanding the opposition, the bill scaled through to second reading when put to vote by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Emeka Ihedioha.

Ihedioha, therefore, referred it to the Committee on Industry for more in puts.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 hours 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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4 hours 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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4 hours 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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