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FG To Promote Agribusiness Clubs In School – Minister

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11 years ago

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Nigeria's Ambassador to Morocco, Senator Abdallah Wali (right), presenting N60m worth of rice to Sokoto State in Sokoto, recently. Photo NAN

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Morocco, Senator Abdallah Wali (right), presenting N60m worth of rice to Sokoto State in Sokoto, recently. Photo NAN

The Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has that  the Federal Government would encourage the setting up of students’ agribusiness clubs in schools.
Shekarau made the disclosure when Dr Baraka Sani, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Schools Agriculture Programme paid him a courtesy visit.
He said such clubs would boost entrepreneurship among students and promote self reliance.
“We will ensure that all schools have such a club; it is going to be a part of government’s efforts to provide other means of employment.
“It will help to reduce unemployment.
“The situation today is that most school leavers do not have the skills to engage in something else if they are unable to secure admission into higher institutions, hence, they constitute nuisance to the society.
“I appreciate the various aspects of the agribusiness as it will build a sense of enterprise, nation building and patriotism in children,” the minister added.
Earlier, Sani had told the minister that the programme was aimed at introducing young students to the various opportunities contained in agriculture as a business.
She said it would promote skills and change the negative perception about agriculture by the youth.
“The programme is aimed at setting up the structure along with a very strong foundation to ensure success throughout the period of implementation.
“In the pilot phase, Students Agribusiness Clubs (SAC) will be established in selected secondary schools from 12 states of the federation, two from each geo-political zone.
“The areas of interest are livestock, poultry, food and nut processing and packaging, aquaculture, among others,” she said.
She advocated the integration of the programme into the National Secondary Education Curriculum by the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and be adopted by the National Council on Education.
The presidential aide said that the integration would offer students who were not studying agriculture the opportunity to benefit from the programme and acquire skills.
The office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Schools Agriculture Programme was created on by President Goodluck Jonathan on June 4.

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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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