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NUPTE Urges Quick Passage Of Postal Reform Bill

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10 years ago

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The Nigeria Union of
Postal and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE), has urged the National Assembly to ensure speedy passage of the Postal Reform Bill into law.
The President of the union, Mr Sunday Alhassan, made the call in an interview with newsmen recently in Abuja.
Alhassan said that the passage of the bill was overdue.
“The implication of the passage of that bill is that NIPOST would now have the status of a commercial enterprise.
“Also a postal commission will be put in place so that NIPOST will not be an operator and a regulator at the same time.
“The union is very strongly behind this particular bill and we are doing all we can through our relationship.
“Whatever way we can get the national assembly to see that the bill is passed into law, we shall do it.
“The commercialisation of NIPOST is actually embedded in the postal reform bill because it is already going to give Nigerian Postal |Service the commercial status once that bill is passed into law.’’
The NUPTE president said that the passage of the bill would also ensure that NIPOST stopped receiving subvention from the government.
According to him, once NIPOST stops receiving government subvention it will reposition itself and become a self-sustaining organisation capable of delivering on its mandate.
Alhassan stated that the union had continued to oppose plans by the Federal Government to privatise the Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited.
He said that the union had presented its position paper to the former Minister of Communication Technology, stating the reasons NIGCOMSAT should not be considered for privatisation.
“What should happen is that the place should be upgraded to have also a commercial status so that it can now fend for itself.
“Right now a country recently is subscribing to the bandwidth of NIGCOMSAT in Nigeria.
“That is what we expect that organisation to do to make sure that they actually sell their product to nations and to organisations.
“We have also written to the government that organisations that need bandwidth services in Nigeria should be mandated to first seek the services of NIGCOMSAT because we have an organisation that can provide this service but they prefer to go to foreign organisations, which we look at as wasteful.’’
He urged the present administration to compel NIGCOMSAT to provide bandwidth and other relevant IT services to government agencies, if it was serious about curbing waste and blocking leakages in the system.
“If NIGCOMSAT tows this path, we do believe that within a short time, we are going to be able to break even in our IT services in Nigeria.’’

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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18 hours 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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19 hours 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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19 hours 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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