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Shippers’ Council Set To Audit Terminal Operators

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10 years ago

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Petrol queues on Herbert Macaulay Way, as stakeholders meet to address the current petrol scarcity tagged petrol queues must go, in Abuja recently.

Petrol queues on Herbert Macaulay Way, as stakeholders meet to address the current petrol scarcity tagged petrol queues must go, in Abuja recently.

The Nigerian Shippers’
Council (NSC) has  unveiled its plan to audit the operations of private terminal operators to attain operational efficiency.
The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, disclosed this in Lagos during a courtesy visit to Ports and Cargo Handling Services Ltd, the port operations arm of the Sifax Group.
Ports and Cargo Handling Services, operating in terminal ‘C’ of the Tin-Can Island port, Lagos, is among the few terminal operators granted the concession to run ports in Nigeria.
Bello said the idea of auditing the terminal operators was meant to ascertain their equipment and find out the challenges facing them.
“There is need to cooperate with the Nigerian Shippers Council having been gazetted as the commercial regulator.
“It is important to transform the port and make it the hub of the West Africa sub-region,’’ he said.
The NSC chief said there was the need for modern shipping practice, adding that the council was ready to listen to complaints from shippers and convey their requests to the Federal Government.
Bello said the council preferred continuous dialogue by looking at those factors affecting cargo dwell time at the port.
“Government has the responsibility to create a conducive atmosphere for terminal operators to operate to attain an equilibrium in port operation”,  the executive secretary said.
Bello, however, advised the terminal operators to extend their operations to the hinterlands, adding that the Kaduna Inland Container Depot had been gazetted.
In his response  the Managing Director, Port and Cargo Handling Services Ltd, Mr John Jenkins, commended the council for its good policies.
Jenkins said the council’s policy had given terminal operators the hope to remain in operations in Nigeria in spite of the inability to have constant power supply.
“This year, our dwell time have reduced drastically. We will like the council to partner with the terminal operators.
“We have introduced online billing to reduce human traffic at the port and fast track cargo clearance,’’ Jenkins said.
He urged the NSC to organise workshops to chart a way forward on cargo delivery.
It would be recalled that  reports that Nigerian ports were handed over in a concession exercise to 26 private terminal operators in 2006.

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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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