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RIFAN Harvests 400 Bags Of Rice In Bayelsa

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10 years ago

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The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Bayelsa State yesterday said it harvested over 400 bags of rice in its first phase of rice harvesting in the state.
The state Chairman, RIFAN, Mr Ezekiel Ogbianko, told newsmen in Yenagoa that the first harvesting phase was carried out in May.
“We have finished the first harvesting phase; we harvested 400 bags of rice in the first phase for the year; we did this in the month of May.
“The second phase harvest will come up by September while the final, which is the third stage, will come by December, 2015 and that is when we can sell to the world.
“Bayelsa has a good environment for farming because of its swampy nature, we can plant and harvest rice at any season; I believe the second and the third phase harvest will be more bountiful,’’ he said.
Ogbianko said that state RIFAN would go into a full mechanised rice farming business, as it aimed at feeding nations.
He called on government to make farming business more attractive for the youth while urging the youth to know that agriculture is no longer a job for the old people.
“So, if farming can be made attractive for the youth, unemployment will reduce and there will be more food on our table in spite of the dwindling resource.
“We have acquired 40, 000 hectares of land in total; this land cut across the eight Local Government Areas of Bayelsa.
‘’Right now, we are working only on a 100 hectare of land we acquired from the River Basin Authority,” Ogbianko said.
The state government has established a 400 hectare of cassava farm at Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local Government Area in addition to a cassava processing plant constructed by a Danish company.
Gov. Seriake Dickson had said that the state was working with European companies to ensure a viable agricultural development of the state.
According to him, we are investing seriously in agriculture and very soon, the biggest cassava processing plant in this country will happen in Bayelsa.
“We are also working on a major aqua culture project with some Israeli firms as well as poultry projects, some of which have been completed and some youth will be trained,” Dickson said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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