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Cleric Backs Pension Scheme For Former Governors, Others

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A cleric with the Foundation Faith Church in Rivers State, Rev. Lazarus Musa, has lent support for a pension scheme for past president and governors in the country.

Rev. Musa, who made public his support for the scheme during the 10th wedding anniversary of President Creative Foundation, a non-governmental organization, Pastor Edward Bonkat and his wife at Foundation Faith Church, Abuloma said such policy  would check public looting by public officials.

“It will provide a kind of security for past presidents and governors after service. It will make some of them who have the urge not to think of taking anything further from the treasury. It will made them to be more transparent,” Rev. Musa emphasised.

The Christian cleric, who from at the state of affairs in the country believed that governance would be improved if Christians vie for public offices, otherwise he argued that things would deteriorate.

Rev. Musa explained that prayers would not bring results unless faith was marched with action, observing that when once honest and God fearing leaders assume public positions, the country would be turned around positively.

Commenting more on the issue of transparency and accountability in governance, the cleric remarked, “I wish some of our politicians who have travelled out will come back and replicate what they see out there.”

Rev. Musa however, congratulated Pastor Bonkat and his wife for celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary and child dedication, saying marriage is an institution in which men and women should tolerate each other.

His words, “though for men and women staying in marriage is very hard, but the injunction from God is to be together. And there are some men who have the phony way of treating their wives; yes we know that women have phony behavior most of the time some of them talk too much and insult their husband, but the Bible said we should treat them with understanding”.

He harped on the need for couples to have teachable spirit which according to him is necessary for tolerance, and also called on young intending couples to think twice and pray before entering into marriage.

Also commending Pastor Bonkat and his wife representative of the wife, to the Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Mrs Tammy Weli , counseled the couple to continue in love and sustain those ingredients that have kept them together in the last 10 years.

Pastor Bonkat in his remarks thanked God for His infinite mercies on him and family over the years despite several challenges.

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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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