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IPMAN Decries Discrimination Against Members At Aba Depot

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Some members of the
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), under the aegis of Concerned Marketers at the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aba Depot have decried the alleged discrimination against some of them in the allocation of petroleum products.
In a statement on Monday in Aba, Abia State, the spokesman of the Concerned Marketers, Mr. Levi Amah said the discrimination against some of the IPMAN members at the depot has made it difficult for majority of the association members to be allocated petroleum products.
Amah said many of the IPMAN members in Aba had to source for products from other neighbouring states with its attendant added costs, stressing that they can no longer sell the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at the government approved pump price of 87 per litre.
He accused the leadership of the IPMAN at the depot of high handedness, exploitation and with some officials of PPMC at the Aba depot to deprive some of the association members of petroleum products.
He said marketers at Aba depot were made to pay between N200,000 and N400,000 for allocation of PMS popularly known as petrol and about N1 million for DPK known as kerosene, adding that any objection to this directive by the IPMAN leadership, such marketers would be harassed and intimidated by thugs stationed at the depot.
The Concerned Marketers spokesperson further explained that the unwholesome practice was perfected with the active connivance of some officials of IPPMC Aba depot and stressed that if the scenario continues, it will be extremely difficult for some of the marketers to sell PMS at the pump price approved rate.
The marketers urged for quick intervention to restore normalcy at the Aba depot. The Eastern Zonal Chairman of IPMAN could not be reached when our correspondent visited  his office in Port Harcourt for their comment since the Aba depot is under the Zonal IPMAN office.

 

Philip Okparaji

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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