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Reps Make Case For Local Content Capacity

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9 years ago

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The committee on Local
Content in Nigeria’s House of Representatives has urged International Oil Companies (IOCs) to patronise marine support base and shipyard of West African Ventures (WAV) in Warri, Delta State.
The lawmakers made the call during a visit to the firm recently as part of their oversight function to inspect and verify the companies local content capacity.
The chairman of the House committee on Local Content, Hon Emmanuel Okon, expressed displeasure over the under utilization of the company’s facilities by IOCs, citing the number boats awaiting purchase by oil and gas firms, lying in their premises. He advocated patronage by oil firms to encourage sustainable investment  needed to build capacity and enhance indigenous companies by the operating companies  to compete internationally.
According to him, “I am impressed by what I saw and I believe the community is impressed too with your local content deliverables. Even though the facilities are not utilized as they should be, we will try our very best to get people, marketers who can market this company and give the products the level of patronage that they deserve”.
Okon said he was satisfied with the quality of passenger and hug boats, and investment in the dry-dock, assuring that the House would ensure sustainable patronage of the multibillion naira yard of WAV and facilities of other indigenous companies by the companies in the country.
He further said, “as a responsive legislature, we will make sure that we continue to legislate and come out with laws and legislations that will force other companies and other users of light boat like this to consider  getting it from companies like WAV, which have huge investments in the country to create jobs”, adding that they will ensure the crises in the sector does not impact negatively on business.
The committee stated that the local content law, since its enactment in 2010, has encouraged steady investments in various regions of Nigeria, adding that the law has promoted immeasurable investments and achievements in terms of job creation and skill acquisition in the oil and sector, noting that local companies have done well as a result of the law, and added that more investments are expected when the economy takes a stable position.
The Executive Director, WAV, Alhaji Ibrahim Sambo, affirmed that the crises in the sector had the firm laying of some staff in the last quarter to enable them cope with manage costs in view of dwindling revenue.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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7 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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8 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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8 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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