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Nigeria Spends N1.7trn On Food Importation Annually – Minister

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12 years ago

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The Minister of Agricul
ture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina has said that Nigeria spends $11 billion (about N1.7 trillion) on food importation annually.
Adesina said this in Lagos at AGRIKEXPO 2013, organised by 151 Products Ltd., an international events management company, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Reports say that NAFDAC and the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce also collaborated in the organisation of the event.
He said that food items which were commonly imported were rice, fish, wheat, tomatoes and sugar.
The Minister, who was represented by  Coordinator, Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria (CASON), Dr Sotonye Anga, said that the food import bill was 39 per cent of the total budget in 2012.
“Our budget for 2012 was N4.9 trillion. If we are spending N1.7 trillion on importing food, that is 39 per cent of the budget.
“We are spending 11 billion dollars on strengthening the economies of other countries,“ Adesina said.
He stressed that what Nigeria needed to do was direct import substitution whereby we grow rice and other commodities which were previously imported.
Adesina assured that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was putting in place incentives and strategies to ensure that Nigerians substituted their imports.
The minister said that by this, the nation would be able to provide jobs for the 70 per cent of the total 80 million youths in the country.
Adesina said that there had to be a shift in government policy which had warranted the government to start the agricultural transformation agenda.
“With the strong interest of Mr President, we can achieve a right framework for the country.
“We can achieve a sweeping policy to keep farmers in business, create a robust agricultural sector, put food on our tables and reduce unemployment,” he said.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii, said that in 2012, the agency approved 41, 000 products for importation into the country.
Orhii, who was represented by the Director of Foods, Mrs Ogochukwu Mainasara, said that a lot of the products came under the supermarket scheme.
He said that all the food items required their standards to be assured, to ensure safety.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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9 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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9 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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9 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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