Connect with us

Business

Youth Empowerment’ll Improve Nation’s Economy – Coordinator

Published

9 years ago

on

The Coordinator of the
Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd), says youth empowerment will improve the nation’s economy and create jobs in Niger Delta.
Boroh, who also serves as the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He explained that the amnesty programme was established as an intervention designed to create employment and stop restiveness in the Niger Delta region as well as respond to its persistent challenges.
“The Amnesty office recently initiated a skills acquisition programme as part of its ‘Education for Employment’ Initiative.
“The initiative was conceived in collaboration with some of its key youth partners in the region.
“I am confident that Nigerian youths will proffer practical and durable solutions to emerging socio-political and economic challenges confronting the nation.
“200 trainees of the programme are presently undergoing training in automobile technology and plastic manufacturing, geared towards the re-integration phase of the amnesty programme,’’ he said.
According to him, the Amnesty office in partnership with a private manufacturing firm, Innoson Group, is training 120 youths in automobile technology.
Boroh said that 80 of the delegates were in plastic manufacturing at the Innoson-Kiara Academy, Umudim Nnewi, Anambra, and Emene in Enugu state, respectively.
“The trainees consist of youths from the nine oil producing states. This is in line with the drive towards achieving the initiative conceived by the Presidential Amnesty Office and some of its key partners for youths in the Niger Delta region.
“Innoson Kiara Academy has a mandate to train the 200 beneficiaries for a nine-month period after which they will be employed by the Innoson group.
“Those that are not absolved by the company, could be given business starter packs by the Federal Government,’’ he said.
Boroh described the automobile technology training in Anambra as being particularly critical considering current efforts by the federal government to transfer and develop local expertise in car manufacturing.
He emphasised that the automobile technology training was expected to lead to job creation, income generation, reduction in crime and youth restiveness.
Boroh said the office flagged-off the distribution of starter packs to beneficiaries trained as entrepreneurs under the exit strategy programme.
He noted that a thriving

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

2 days ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

2 days ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

2 days ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Trending