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NPA Expects 87 Ships In Lagos

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The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on Friday, said it is expecting 87 ships laden with various cargoes to arrive the Lagos ports from February 8 to February 27.

NPA said this in its daily publication, The Shipping Position, made available to newsmen in Lagos.

It said 40 of the ships were laden with containers while four were general cargo. Fifteen contained new and used vehicles.

According to the document, other ships will sail in with bulk salt, bulk wheat, bulk malt, petroleum products, truck heads, rice and steel products.

The document shows that two ships, MV African Joy and MV Khadiza Jahan would berth and discharge bulk wheat and rice at ENL Consortium Terminal and Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited respectively.

It said that 15 other ships laden with diesel, petrol, kerosene, aviation fuel and bulk gas would berth at the various oil terminals in the port.

NPA listed the oil terminals the ships will berth as New Oil Jetty, Single Buoy Mooring, Bulk Oil Plant and Ibafon Terminal, Apapa.

Meanwhile, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), last week, said some of the reforms being implemented at the country’s ports have impacted negatively on their production capabilities.

Chairman of MAN for Kwara and Kogi, Mr Omolola Olabayo, made this known in Ilorin after the customer’s forum organised by Doyin Investments.

“The reforms at the port are giving us problems. Our raw materials are not cleared on time and we pay more money on import duties,” Olobayo said.

She said further the reforms were being implemented unannounced, adding that the association had lodged complaints at appropriate quarters.

“I don’t think from the government policies that are being implemented they really understand what manufacturing companies stand for,’’ she added.

Olobayo urged Nigeria to borrow a leaf from China where manufacturers were granted tax waiver for five years.

“We can’t remain giants as long as we depend on other countries for our needs, especially on manufactured goods.’’

She assured her customers of improved productivity to meet their yearnings.

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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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