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Allocate 10% Of Budget To Agric, Director Urges FG

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12 years ago

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The Federal Government has been called upon to begin the allocation of 10 per cent of its annual budget to the agricultural sector in order to boost food production in the country.
The Deputy Country Director, Actionaid Nigeria, an NGO, Mrs Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
She said the call was in line with the objectives of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) created by the African Union (AU) to drive economic integration.
Mrs Charles-Monwuba said Nigeria and other African countries had yet to meet CAADP’s commitment of allocating 10 per cent of their annual budgets to agriculture.
“This is in spite of Nigeria’s ongoing implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).’’
According to her, progress in agricultural development can only be measured through the framework of CAADP.
“Basically, there has to be a structural change in the sector for any meaningful progress to be made.
“That is why we have been pushing that Nigeria sticks to the contract it has signed on the CAADP.
“Whatever agricultural transformation agenda or any other plan it has, should be situated within CAADP.
“That way, we will be able to measure Nigeria’s progress through the framework of CAADP.”
Charles-Monwuba added that more needed to be done in ensuring that small farmers benefitted more under the New Alliance for Food and Nutrition scheme.
She said policies must be made to have maximum impact not just on the economy, but also on the average citizen.
“In the alliance, the Federal Government should not just focus on macro-economic indicators of attracting investment into the country but also on the sub-national level.
“They should look at the impact on the life of Nigerians, starting with the small farmers, especially the women, making sure that they are guaranteed access and where possible, control of land and farm inputs.
“When they produce, the government makes sure that they have access to market, because first of all, the standard of export is quite high,’’ she said.
She said Nigeria was growing at 7.5 per cent amidst increasing poverty which needed to be addressed.
She reiterated the need for the governments at all levels to ensure that the smallholder farmers were assured of access to local markets through the provision of infrastructure such as roads.
This, she contended, would make it possible for them to transport their produce from farms to the markets with ease.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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20 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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20 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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20 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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