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NIMASA Tasks Border Communities On Human Capacity Dev

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12 years ago

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Border communities in the riverine areas have been urged to key into the human capacity development programmes of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as a way of partnering with the federal government.

The co-ordinator of the Eastern Zone, of NIMASA, Mr. Anthony Ogadi, made the call in a paper, “Promoting Maritime Security and Economic Activities in the Nigerian Waters: The Role of Border Communities in the Riverine Areas,” presented at a one-day sensitisation workshop organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Conference Hall, Ijaw House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State last Thursday.

Mr. Ogadi said border communities in the riverine areas should set up maritime marshals that would assist in intelligence gathering on security issues, act as link to government agencies within their dormain, propagate grassroots programmes and projects on security awareness and human capacity development as well as form virtual seafarers pool for NIMASA.

According to him, “with these bridging initiatives by NIMASA and the participation of local communities over time, to key into government programmes, the anticipated synergy and trust would have been developed which  would in turn diffuse the current state of insecurity and positively impact the socio-economic development of the communities”.

He disclosed that Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), founded in 2008 in collaboration with some states was in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The NIMASA Zonal co-ordinator further stated that the projection of NSDP had been to create 250,000 jobs in the seafarers profession by 2025, with a target of training 5,000 Nigerians in the next 10 years as seafarers to graduate as maritime engineers, nautical scientists and naval architects.

Ogadi hinted that 800 cadets are being trained under the federal and state governments in partnership with maritime institutions in Singapore, Malasia, United Kingdom, Turkey, Philippines and India.

He said 1,500 seafarers, which included 1,300 cadets and 200 ratings are being trained under the full NIMASA sponsorship scheme, adding that the role of NIMASA includes promotion of the development of indigenous commercial shipping in international and coastal shipping trade, regulate and promote maritime safety, security, marine pollution and maritime labour.

He however noted some consequent socio-economic problems which according to him include emergence of sophisticated crime such as kidnapping, piracy, sea robbery, pipeline vandalism, militant agitation, youth restiveness among others.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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19 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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19 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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19 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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