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Meter Manufacturers Urge DISCOs To Source Prepaid Meters Locally

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11 years ago

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Two indigenous pre-paid
meter manufactures have appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to promote locally manufactured pre-paid meters.
They made the appeal while speaking with reporters in Lagos yesterday against the backdrop of approval of funds for the procurement of one million electricity meters by the Federal Government.
The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had announced the approval of the procurement of the meters on January 15.
Chairman, MEMCOL Meter Manufacturing Company, Lagos,Mr Kola Balogun, said the meters should be purchased locally in the spirit of the local content initiative.
Balogun said that there was no need for government or the distribution companies to engage in importation of meters into the country.
He added that locally produced meters were of standard for the power sector.
“Government needs to encourage local meter manufacturers and stop the importation of meters.
“There is no reason why government or the companies will go outside the shores of the country to get a product that is readily available locally,” Balogun said.
Chairman, MOJEC International Ltd, Lagos, Mrs Mojisola Abdul, decried the poor patronage of locally-made electricity meters by government agencies.
According to Abdul, the revolution in telecommunications can be sustained in Nigeria through the promotion of this sector.
“The story of poor patronage is still the same in meter manufacturing where foreign firms are better patronised and recognised by electricity companies.
“I can confidently say that we (the local manufacturers) of meters can meet the country’s supply needs if patronised,’’ she said.
Abdul said that employment opportunities would triple if local manufacturers get more support from governments at all levels.
She said the local content policy of the government would not succeed if home-made innovations were not adequately utilised.
She added that Nigeria’s power sector reforms would be meaningless if more considerations were not given to local manufacturers of electricity equipment.
“Nigeria has reached a stage where it is not supposed to be importing meters.
“In our company alone, we have a production capacity of 500,000 to one million meters a month,” she added.
Nebo had on December15 last year, said the owners of the electricity distribution companies inherited a lot of consumers who had no meters.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day 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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1 day 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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