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Price Fall: Lawyer Tasks FG On Corruption, Productivity

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A constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), on Monday advised the Federal Government to tackle corruption and increase productivity in the non-oil sectors of the nation’s economy.
Sagay gave the advice in a telephone interview with newsmen in Lagos on Monday.
The government had on Sunday announced the introduction of austerity measures to address the global fall in the price of crude oil.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, said the measures would see Nigerians paying taxes on luxury goods.
Sagay, however, said that the oil glut could be a blessing in disguise for Nigeria.
He said that the country must stop its dependence on oil as the major source of its revenue and diversify into other sectors.
“Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources and not just the oil from the Niger-Delta region. But we have become very lazy and have been depending on oil revenue for many years now.
“In the first Republic, the regions were very productive. They developed their own resources and even paid money into the coffers of the Federal Government.
“But today, all the states queue up to collect allocations from Abuja, which is not good for our economy,” Sagay said.
He said that the government should demonstrate the political will to end corruption and wasteful expenditure in the public sector.
According to him, these issues must be addressed due to the impending harsh economic realities being faced by the country.
Mr Yinka Farounbi, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, also called for the diversification of the economy.
“We have been saying this all along that our dependence on crude oil as the mainstay of our economy should be minimal.
“There are other natural resources that can enhance the country’s internally generated revenue.
“Agriculture is also there but we have not been able to tap into these sectors because everybody is concentrating on crude oil,” he said.
The NBA chairman expressed fear that the impending structural adjustment would increase the rate of poverty in the country.
“The impending structural adjustment will further plunge the citizens of the country into poverty. It will make them to become poorer,” he said.

L-R: Rivers State Commissioner for Budget and Economy Planning, Hon. Gogo Charles Levi, World Bank task team leader SEEFOR, Jens Kristensen, and coordinator SEEFOR Tunde Lawal, during a meeting recently. Photo: Prince Obinna Dele

L-R: Rivers State Commissioner for Budget and Economy Planning, Hon. Gogo Charles Levi, World Bank task team leader SEEFOR, Jens Kristensen, and coordinator SEEFOR Tunde Lawal, during a meeting recently. Photo: Prince Obinna Dele

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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4 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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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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4 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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