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NYSC To Partner Corporate Organisations On Youth Empowerment – DG

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10 years ago

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The National Youth Ser
vice Corps (NYSC) says it is ready to partner with corporate organisations to empower youths with entrepreneurship skills.
The NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, made the assertion on Friday in Ilorin at the opening of a training programme for its Venture Managers.
Olawumi, represented by the Director, Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneur Services, Mrs Mary Dan Abia, said the NYSC in partnership with IITA had cultivated 20 hectares of hybrid cassava varieties at Leleyi-Kwali, FCT.
The director-general also said that NYSC was collaborating with the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, Idofian, on the development of agricultural equipment.
“We are developing a new one with Fadama III project, all to ginger our youths to appreciate farming as a worthy profession,’’ Olawumi added.
He said that the NYSC farm settlement in Kwali would be expanded to 70 hectares for the cultivation of cassava.
Olawumi added that the NYSC rice mill in Ebonyi would as from the 2015 orientation programme sell the commodity to neighbouring NYSC camps at subsidised prices.
He also said the NYSC Garri factory in Afon, Kwara, would be upgraded and equipped to meet the demand of the people in the area and beyond.
Earlier, in his address of welcome, Acting Director, Venture Management Department, Mr Olayide Adeniran, said the workshop was designed to assist in developing new strategies to meet its mandate.
Adeniran said the workshop was also to prepare the officials of the department for the challenges ahead.
He said that the department was established in 2012 to resuscitate moribund projects such as NYSC farms and establish new projects.
The director also said the department was to serve as training platform where corps members could acquire skills for self-reliance and develop business models for young entrepreneurs.
Adeniran further said that the unit had been providing support services for the scheme through supply of food stuff and kits during orientation courses and that the venture department was mandated to contribute to the national food security programme of the Federal Government and enhance rural economic development.
Adeniran listed NYSC business enterprises under the department to include NYSC Garment Factories in Minna, Niger State and Mgbakwu, Anambra, NYSC Rice Mill, Ezillo, Ebonyi and NYSC Feed Mill, Ipaja, Lagos State.
Others are NYSC Garri factory at Afon in Kwara, NYSC Table Water factory and Bakery at NYSC orientation camp, FCT and NYSC National Band, Abuja.
In his remarks, Kwara Coordinator of NYSC, Mr Abiodun Amusa, commended the director-general for resuscitating the NYSC ventures and appealed to venture managers to put in their best and work extra hours to achieve the objective of the programme.
He also appealed to the director-general to give the managers necessary incentives to enable them to achieve the set objectives.

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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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