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Community Lauds Illegal Markets Demolition In PH

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9 years ago

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The Rumuwoji Community
has commended the vision of the Rivers State Government through the Ministry of Urban Development to restructure the state capital and numerous efforts to stop streets trading in the state capital.
In a press statement signed by the Secretary of the Community, Ikechi Nwankwo Wigodo on Saturday commended the political will of the present administration in stopping street trading in Port Harcourt and other cities of Port Harcourt.
Wigodo in the statement noted that the demolition of Afikpo/Ikwerre Road street trading was a welcomed development, stressing that the traders have no course to blame the government because the Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning has severally warned and cautioned the traders on dangers of street trading.
According to him, “An alternative place was provided for the traders at Njemenze/Silverbird Cinema area, pending the completion of the second phase of the Rumuwoji Market but the traders refused to relocate and decided to trade on the street and obstruct traffic.
The Community leader explained that the call by the women who involve in the illegal trading at Afikpo/Ikwerre Road street trading is  uncalled for because there is a place already made available for them to engage in their business activities.
“Since the traders were chased out, the traffic along Afikpo and Ikwerre have stop.  We commended the ministry for its efforts.  We also called the ministry to deploy its guide to always check  the activities of the traders who usually reappear after closure of work and block the road and caused  traffic.  We also notice that on Saturdays and Sundays, these traders still operate their illegal activities”, he said.
He also debunked the statement by the traders that a day notice was given to the traders, stating that since February, the ministry has been on the streets and Motor parks on advocacy and awareness campaign against streets trading, but regretted that all these did not yield any consequence on the people and traders.
Wigodo regretted that those who involve in the street trading are non Rivers peoples who are interested to distort the city plan, adding that some parts of the Ikwerre road is flooded during rain because these traders block the drain with solid waste during and after their activities.
He urged the displaced traders to relocate to the designated place meant for trading and stop distorting the city of Port Harcourt, adding that the community is solidly behind the government and the ministry of Urban Development and Physcial Planning in its drive to restore and sustain the cleaningness of Port Harcourt.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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