Connect with us

Business

NRC Hauls 280,549tonnes Of Cargoes In 2yrs

Published

on

The Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, says it moved a total of 280,549 tonnes of cargo between 2012 and 2013.
According to a report from the Federal Ministry of Transport which was made available to our correspondent, the report focused on the Ministry’s activities between 2012 and 2013.
The report which was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Emodi Nebolisa stated that in 2012, 182,465 tonnes of cargo were conveyed by rail while in 2013 98,084 tonnes of cargo were transported.
According to the report, 4,155,988 passengers were moved by rail in 2012 and 4,328 passengers in 2013.
The Ministry further said if rehabilited 1,494 kms of narrow gauge in 2012 while 1,931 kms were rehabilitated in 2013.
Furthermore, 518.7kms of standard gauge were constructed in 2012 while 406 km of standard gauge were constructed in 2013.
“The volume of Cargoes through put stood at 77 million tones in 2012 and 77 million tones in 2013 while 80 million tones were being targeted in 2014.
“Thirty-four recks and drelicts were removed in 2012, six were removed in 2013 while 30 are targeted in 2014”
On the volume of Cargo moved through the inland waterways, if said that 3.4 million tones were conveyed in 2012, six million tones were targeted in 2014.
It also said that 1,308,864 passengers used the service in 2012, 3,350,000 passengers in 2013 while 3,600,00 passengers were targeted in 2014.
It said the number of boats, ferries, barges and vessels that navigated the waterways increased from 35,136 in 2012 to 39,000 in 2013.
The report explained that the amount of cargo conveyed by rail was as a result of a drop in haulage due to the non-completion of rehabilitation works on haulage carriages.
According to the report, track rehabilitation work was carried out on Akere Bridge in Niger State in the Western line during the period under review.
It stressed that the ministry’s focus was on providing safe, secure and adequate inter-modal transport system to facilitate Nigeria’s socio-economic development and ensure the welfare of members of the public.

Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

on

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

on

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

on

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.
Continue Reading

Trending