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Traders, Drivers Bemoan Poor State Of Etche Road

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11 years ago

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President, Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Okey Wali, Speaking at the Valedictory Court Session in Honour of Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa in Abuja on Thursday (19/6/14). Photo: NAN

President, Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Okey Wali, Speaking at the Valedictory Court Session in Honour of Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa in Abuja on Thursday (19/6/14). Photo: NAN

Commercial drivers and traders plying Etche-Port Harcourt Road have decried the poor state of the Chokocho segment of the road.
Some of the drivers who spoke to The Tide yesterday appealed to the Rivers State Government and Etche Local Government Council to come to the aid of the people by rehabilitating the road.
Mr. Emeka Nwuju, a Commercial Bus driver said, “the road has become a nightmare for the past two years”, and stressed that the road situation is now worse with the rains.
He appealed to the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and the newly appointed Etche Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairman, Hon. Charles Anyanwu to consider the trauma being suffered by people of the area and the general public and rehabilitate the road without further delay.
Another driver Chimamkpa Amaechi also expressed disappointment with the current state of the road.
He particularly appealed to the Etche Council boss, to give priority attention to the road by ensuring that the road was put in order for the people.
Others who suffer more on the road are the traders who daily travel to Etche to buy products from the local markets.
Mrs Clara Nwochi bemoaned the state of the road. According to her, “this is what we suffer every day we come to Etche market. You know things are cheaper there”, but regretted that due to the poor state of the road, commercial drivers do resort to charging high transport fares.
“By the time the drivers increase the fares, the cost of the goods also go higher so that we meet the lost incurred”, she stated.
She appealed to the oil companies operating in Etche and the government to come to their aid.
Nwochi regretted that even the Igbo Etche-Port Harcourt road that could have provided an alternative route has also become impassable and motorists have for over three years abandoned the route.

 

Chris Oluoh

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 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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22 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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22 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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