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NSIA Records N26.3bn Income In 2015

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The Managing Director
(MD) Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Mr. Uche Orji has said that the organisation recorded a comprehensive income of N26.3 billion in 2015 as against N15.7 billion recorded in 2014.
This was made known in a press briefing by the organisation’s MD on the audited financial results of NSIA for 2015 financial year.
According to him, investment income of the authority stands at N 5. 8 billion, while its total assets which grew by 20 per cent also stands at N213. 6 billion at the end of 2015.
Orji said that though the Federal Government approved additional capital of 25million dollars to the authority, it received the amount in February 2016.
He explained that the money would be invested within the new fiscal year, using the existing deployment ratio of 40 per cent in infrastructure fund.
The managing director said that 40 per cent of the sum would be deployed in Future Generation Fund and 20 per cent in Stabilisation Fund.
Orji said that in 2015, the NSIA deepened investment in Nigeria-based private equity and fund managers.
‘’Private equities are people who seek opportunities in private markets and invest over time and get returns.
‘’This has been one of the most successful asset classes of investment in the world, the difference, however, is that they invest over three to four years and start giving returns.
‘’We believe it is one of those things that will help the Nigerian capital market develop significantly and will earn us significant amount of return.
‘’So, we unbounded four Nigeria-based portfolio managers in private equity, bringing our total commitments of private equity to 24,” he said.
The managing director said that one of the key things NSIA embarked upon in 2015 was the framework of co-investments to bring other investors to partner the authority to invest in projects.
‘’The first we arrived at is on real estate and we expect that it will be operational in the second half of this year.’’
He said that if successful, it would be used as strategy for other segments like power, agriculture and health care to help channel investments from outside into the country.
He identified the key sectors for infrastructure investment of the NSIA as agriculture, health care, power and real estate.
Orji explained that the 2015 fiscal year was characterised by high volatility and global market uncertainty, adding that the agency still recorded an overall positive results.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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