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FG Saves N95bn Through Contract Reduction In 2014

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11 years ago

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The Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr Emeka Ezeh, yesterday said that the bureau had saved N95 billion for the Federal Government through cost reduction of contract sums.
Ezeh, who made the disclosure in an interview with The Tide source in Abuja, said that amount was in 2014.
He said that the amount was from the difference of what contractors and service providers had submitted through various Federal Government institutions to execute projects and what the bureau approved.
“Last year, BPP saved Federal Government about N95 billion through cost reduction of contract sums. This is a part of the stories that a lot of Nigerians are not hearing about.
“But I can tell you that the government is doing a lot to prevent corruption.
“Better to prevent the milk from being spilled rather than struggling over milk that is already on ground and waste more resources on picking something that is on ground.
“So, the President is deploying institutions that will stop as much as possible the platform through which corruption occurs and that is through procurement,” he said.
Ezeh said it was not enough for the BBP Act to regulate the Federal Government, it was important for states and local governments to also adopt the Act to curb corruption at all levels.
“The president inaugurated a National Council on Public Procurement in 2010 and had since urged all the states to incorporate the Federal Procurement Act.
“Bauchi was among the first states to adhere to this. Also, Kogi and others signed it into law. All in all, we have a total of 24 states that have signed the Act into law.
“However, a lot of the states remaining are under review like Kaduna state, which is close to signing the bill into law,” he said.
Ezeh expressed optimism that once all this was done, there will be less cases of corruption and money laundering through project execution.

L-R: Supervising Minister, Ministry of Information, Chief Edem Duke, Chairman Emeritus, Daar Communications, Dr Raymond Dokpesi, new chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Governing Council, Mr Udem Ufot and APCON Registrar, Alhaji Garba Kankarofi, at the inauguration of the 6th Governing Council of the agency in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Supervising Minister, Ministry of Information, Chief Edem Duke, Chairman Emeritus, Daar Communications, Dr Raymond Dokpesi, new chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Governing Council, Mr Udem Ufot and APCON Registrar, Alhaji Garba Kankarofi, at the inauguration of the 6th Governing Council of the agency in Lagos, yesterday.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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