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‘Road Reconstruction, Solution To Apapa Gridlock’

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11 years ago

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The total reconstruction of
the entire stretch of the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway is the permanent solution to the enduring gridlock on the road.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa, made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Ikeja last weekend.
He said the root cause of the chaos on the road, especially around the Coconut bus-stop and the Apapa ports, was that several portions of the road had failed.
The commissioner said the situation led to frequent accidents involving tankers and this had resulted in the total blockage of the road in the past.
“The problem affecting the Apapa end is that most portions of the road are bad, and that explains why tankers and trucks fall on that road, resulting in the traffic  mess we always experienced there.
“Until the road is reconstructed, the problem on the Apapa axis will be very difficult to solve permanently,’’ he said.
Opeifa said the Federal and Lagos State Governments had a meeting in 2012 where the former promised to reconstruct the entire road to end the sufferings of motorists plying the route.
He, however, said that the Lagos state government was still expecting the Federal Government to fulfill the promise it made in 2012 to reconstruct the road.
“What they are doing now is palliative work and that will not solve the problem.
“You see, the blight spots are Coconut, Wharf and Creek sections of the road, but the ongoing palliative work is not extended to those areas.
“We have been consistently implementing our own part of the agreement we had with them, some of which was to manage the traffic and build inner city roads,’’ he said.
Opeifa said the state government was constructing no fewer than eight inner city roads and deploying traffic administrators there, to ensure sanity.
The commissioner, however, urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)  to improve their operations, with a view to checking the menace of tanker drivers in the area.
He said that the state government would continue to do its best to alleviate the sufferings of motorists plying the road, but urged road users to obey traffic rules.
Governor Babatunde Fashola and officials of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) have paid several visits to the area in recent times.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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2 days 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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2 days 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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