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C’River Votes N1.7bn For Food Bank Commission

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9 years ago

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President, National Agricultural Foundation/Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (left) with Sarkin Keffi III, Alhaji Shehu Yamusa, at the 2016 National Agricultural show in Keffi, Nasarawa orecently.

President, National Agricultural Foundation/Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (left) with Sarkin Keffi III, Alhaji Shehu Yamusa, at the 2016 National Agricultural show in Keffi, Nasarawa orecently.

The Cross River Gov
ernment has budgeted the sum of N1.7 billion for the establishment of a food bank commission in the state.
This was disclosed by the State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, while receiving a delegation from HB Heritage Bank led by its Coordinator of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Mr. Godwin Ukwat on a courtesy visit in his office in Calabar, Monday.
Ayade said that the Food Bank Commission is structured in a manner that each local government will have a director.
He expressed the willingness of the state government to key into the Home Grown School Feeding Programme on the condition that it is given the free hand to run it.
The governor decried the fact that the practice of agriculture in the country was still at the subsistence level; stating that it was time the country embraced the use of technology in farming.
“We are at a time where agriculture is driven by technology in developed countries; where farming is in the hands of big farmers and infrastructure such as roads, water and power are provided,” he stated.
He argued that it would be counterproductive to encourage farmers to continue with “stone-age” agricultural practices which do not even provide insurance cover for the farmers.
In his presentation, the HB Heritage Bank, Head of Agric-Finance, Mr. Gbenga Awe, said that the home grown school feeding programme is one of the social safety nets of the Federal Government, which seeks to employ 300,000 youths in the country.
He disclosed that the programme is meant to feed school pupils from primary one to six with the aim to encourage learning, asserting that it is usually difficult for a child to concentrate and learn with an empty stomach.
Awe further explained that the scheme would be funded on the basis of 60 per cent for the federal government and 40 per cent for the state governments.
He outlined the benefits to states to include a boost to Internally Generated Revenue as it brings a large population of persons from the informal sector to the formal sector thereby expanding the state access to the tax base.
He listed states that are already signed on to the programme to include, Kaduna, Zamfara, Osun, Oyo, Jigawa, Benue and Enugu states.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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4 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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4 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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4 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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