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Textile Manufacturers Want Cotton Corporation

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9 years ago

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The Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA) has urged the Federal Government to establish a cotton corporation in the country to boost production of the commodity and revitalise the textile industry.

The President of the association, Mrs Grace Adereti, made the call while addressing newsmen in Lagos on Thursday.

Adereti said the creation of the corporation would ease textile manufacturer’s access to raw materials for production.

”When we contacted the farmers, they said that they are not ready to supply to us at the price negotiated by the ginners.

”We discovered that the farmers base their price on what they will generate from exporting the cotton.

”If we accede to the price, our output will become uncompetitive considering the infrastructural deficit in the country, which affects the cost of production.

”We are in a fix. Some factories have suspended production, because they do not have cotton for production.

”In the past, there was a market board and government had control over the price of cotton.

”We want the government to intervene in this matter and save manufacturers.

”We have the machinery and the workforce and we are ready to produce, but we are hindered by the present situation,” she said.

The Director-General of the association, Mr Hamma Kwajaffa, alleged that rivalry among government agencies contributed to the challenges hindering the growth of the textile industry.

”The former Minister of Agric initiated the creation of cotton corporation, but he had rivalry with Minister of Trade that said establishing the corporation falls within his domain.

”That was how the whole matter was stalled at the Federal Executive Council.

”The absence of regulation makes everyone to fix prices that they want across the value chain.

”If you go to Chad, you cannot just buy cotton. It is regulated by their government.

”We will prefer that local usage of cotton is given preference before export,” Kwajaffa said.

He said the corporation would create shared prosperity while stimulating the growth of the agricultural and industrial sectors of the economy.

A former President of the association, Sen. Walid Jibrin, said the non-regulation of pricing and grading of cotton as was obtainable in the past had created quality and scarcity challenges in the textile sector.

According to him, creating a cotton corporation will improve the quality, quantity, marketing and competitiveness of players across the entire value chain.

He urged the government to make pragmatic policies that would reinstate the industry’s status as the largest creator of jobs.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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