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N13bn Scam, Land Deal: Reps Summon Anyim, Oduah, Others

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House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, yesterday, summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Lands and Housing, as well as members of the former and current technical boards over alleged N13 billion scam in Federal Housing Authority.
The committee also fixed 27-29 of this month for an investigative hearing on the various roles of those alleged to have disbursed the funds.
Chairman, House Committee on Pubic Accounts, Rep Adeola Olamilekan made this known in a meeting when the Federal Housing Authority, FHA management team led by the MD, Mr. Terver Gemade could not explain how N13 billion of tax payers money was spent.
The breakdown of how the money was expended is as follows: N7.21 billion granted as loan from the Federal Government for the construction of housing units to accommodate civil servants at the Gwarinkpa 2 Estate in Abuja, between 2007 and 2009 financial years.
But this money according to the Auditor-General to the Federation was allegedly was diverted into the construction of infrastructural facilities which was not budgeted for and the loan remained unpaid despite reminders to the Managing Director of FHA for payment.
Another N1 billion said to be an interest for a period of 24 months which the FHA claimed was not the practice of the Federal Government to give its agencies loans on commercial basis for interests.
The FHA was also accused of another N3.72 billion as deficit operating surplus which the MD of FHA attributed to a large board that had contributed to the high operating cost over the years.
The AGF also unearthed that several payment vouchers amounting to N338million were missing and the management could not give a concrete account of the vouchers.
However, defending the allegations, the MD of FHA, Arc Terver Gemade said that most of the transactions happened before he assumed office in 2009.
Gemade said that the loan of N1billion obtained from FMBN has been fully paid while that of interest of the N7billion was yet to be paid and arrangement has been for its payment.
When asked, whether the agency was set up by a Decree or an Act of NASS, Gemade said he was not aware of the law setting up the place.
This response angered all members of the committee who said that the agency he heads must have been operating illegally based on the answer of the MD.
Consequently, the committee resolved to embark on a 3-day hearing on the activities of FHA to ascertain its continued relevance or otherwise.
Also, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Pius Anyim and the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah are to face House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee probing alleged land racketeering in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
They are expected to give reasons for the acquisition of the land to be used for the construction of the Centenary city as well as roles of a company specifically floated for that purpose.
The invitation followed the submission of the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, during an investigative hearing held yesterday.

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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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