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FG Drives Local, Foreign Investments In Oil Sector

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Peaceful protest by youths from Ehingbo area of Omu-aran in Kwara State against five month- power black-out last Monday. Photo: NAN

Peaceful protest by youths from Ehingbo area of Omu-aran in Kwara State against five month- power black-out last Monday. Photo: NAN

The Federal Government has indicated its willingness to drive indigenous and foreign investments into the country’s oil and gas sector following frameworks set up in 2013.

This, according to government sources, is targeted at ensuring that investment potential of the sector is fully tapped into, owing to the growing global competitiveness of the energy business.

In this light, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andrew Yakubu, recently called on Nigeria’s new Ambassadors-designate to work hard towards attracting more Foreign Direct Investment into the country, especially in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

“As the nation’s number one representatives abroad, you deserve to know the activities of the NNPC so as to disseminate the right information at your various missions especially in the area of attracting Foreign Direct Investment,” the GMD said.

He added that the doors of the NNPC would always be opened so as to enable the Corporation share valuable information that will boost the nation’s revenue in the entire hydrocarbon value-chain of the country.

The Federal Government, in 2013, also opened the second oil marginal fields licensing round aimed at deepening the participation of indigenous oil companies in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who declared the bid round open, stated that it is designed to boost the participation of Nigerian indigenous companies in the upstream and to generally increase exploration and production activities in the oil and gas sector to the benefit of Nigerians and the Nigerian economy.

Giving details of the licensing round, Alison-Madueke stated that a total of 31 fields are on offer with sixteen of them located onshore, while the remaining fifteen were in the continental shelf.

The Minister who said the Federal Government is committed to transparency in the bid process also encouraged companies indicating interest in the assets to form consortia that would enable them leverage upon each other’s strengths.

“Over the next two weeks, the Department of Petroleum Resources will undertake a road show to different parts of the country about the programme. This will be followed by a three and a half-month of competitive bidding process in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to openness and transparency in the conduct of business activities in the country,” Alison-Madueke said.

Giving an update on the last marginal fields bid round which held in 2001, the Minister disclosed that of the 24 fields that were allocated to 31 indigenous oil companies in that exercise, eight were already producing while the others were at various stages of development.

Alison-Madueke noted that the marginal field operators who currently account for about one per cent of the nation’s production have also recorded huge discoveries in excess of 100 million barrels to the nation’s reserve base, adding that of the eight assets that have so far been divested by the International Oil Companies, at least four are held by active marginal field operators, who have continued to demonstrate remarkable technical ability in operating significantly larger assets.

“In their operations, the companies have addressed corporate social responsibility as a critical element, by providing for stakeholder participation as part of their success factors,” she said.

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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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