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FAAN Commences Operations At Abuja Airport Terminal, Today

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The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), says it is putting logistics in place to commence operations at the Terminal D of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from today.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
He also said that the authority took advantage of the six week closure of the airport to expand operation at the terminal.
Dunoma, however, assured that all the ongoing works at the terminal building would be completed before Wednesday, adding that Abuja airport would reopen as a brand new airport.
When The Tide source visited the airport on Monday, contractors were seen busy putting finishing touches to the terminal in preparation for the reopening of the airport on Wednesday.
Terminal D, which hitherto used as ticketing area by Arik Air, Air Peace and Dana Air, will henceforth be used as departure hall for domestic passengers in addition to the existing Terminal B.
FAAN’s spokesperson for the Airport, Mrs Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, said the terminal would continue to serve the three airlines, adding that their passengers would henceforth board flights from there.
Hope-Ivbaze also said passengers of Arik, Air Peace, and Dana Air would no longer have to go to Terminal B to wait for their flights.
She further said plan was to decongest the local wing and ease the suffering of passengers who always passed through stress to go to departure after booking.
“The terminal B is being arranged to also serve as departure for domestic passengers of three airlines that operate here.
“Everything here is of standard, we have installed 10 air conditioners here and we are installing lift and escalator,’’ she said.
Also at the Terminal B, lift has been installed to help physically challenged persons who travel through the airport.
All the seats at the terminal, including the protocol lounge, have been changed to new ones ahead of the reopening.
At the arrival section, all the seats have also being replaced with new ones, while the all the toilets have been fixed and cleaned up.
The entire terminal building has been renovated; the international wing rehabilitated and cleaned up for operation.
Abuja airport was shut on March 8 for the repairs of its runway for six weeks while flights were diverted to Kaduna International Airport.
The rehabilitation work on the runway has been completed while the airport is billed to reopen on Wednesday.

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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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