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NEITI, NDDC Partner To Fight Corruption

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9 years ago

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The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) says it will partner the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to enthrone transparency and accountability in the operations of the agency.
A statement by Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Director Communications, on Monday in Abuja, stated that the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio, disclosed this in a presentation at a retreat organised by the commission in Port Harcourt.
The statement quoted Adio as saying that “NDDC and NEITI were set up with similar mandates targeted at addressing the syndrome of resource curse”.
He lamented that over the years, public perception of NDDC was more of an agency with huge revenue resources but with little impact on the lives of the people of the Niger Delta.
The executive secretary, represented by Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, urged NDDC to carry out a corruption risk assessment that would enable the agency to develop a framework to strengthen its operations.
The NEITI Report disclosed that 1.98 billion dollars were remitted to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2007 and 2014.
This is in addition to N594 billion paid to the commission in local currency during the same period.
The breakdown of the remittances showed that NDDC received N594 billion from 2007 to 2011 while 559 million dollars were paid to the commission in 2012.
NEITI’s findings also showed that in 2013, the NDDC received 563 million dollars while in 2014, 865 million dollars were remitted to it.
NEITI stated that from its Fiscal Allocation and Statutory Disbursement Audit Report covering 2007-2011, about N7.4 billion was allocated to member states of the commission for grassroots development projects.
According to NEITI, the amount allocated to the states could not be accounted for while 22 of such projects valued at N1.19 billion were duplicated.
Adio urged the new board and management of the NDDC to carry out an independent project implementation audit, commit to good corporate governance and the principles of the global extractive industries transparency initiative.
The Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Nsima Ekere, okayed the partnership and pledged to use the NEITI Reports as major tools to enthrone accountability and corporate governance.
He assured that the NDDC would embrace the principles of EITI International to reverse the resource “curse syndrome” in the Niger Delta through efficient resource utilisation, corporate governance and project delivery.
The retreat was attended by some members of the National Assembly, ministers, civil society organisations and development partners.

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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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