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Shippers Council To Become Transport Commission

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The House of Representatives has passed a bill for an Act establishing the National Transport Commission (NTC) as an independent multimodal transport sector regulator.
The bill, which is now up for concurrence in the senate, would transmit the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) into N T C and transfer the staff, properties, rights,debts,liabilities,obligations, function and powers Currently vested in the NSC to NTC
Essentially, the main objectives of the bill is to provide efficient economic  regulatory framework for the transport sector, mechanism for monitoring compliances of government agencies,  transport service providers and users in the regulated transport industry with relevant legislation and to advise government on matters relating to economic regulation of the  regulated  Transport industry.
The bill, prepared by chairman, House Committee on land transportation ,
Hon. Aminu  Sani Isa, and sponsored  by Hon. Osai Nicholas had identified critical areas requiring urgent reforms to reposition the sector and add value to the economy.
It argued that though one of the cardinal objectives of  the transport sector reforms introduced by the federal government was to bring about efficiency in the area of service delivery and reduce cost of doing business
in the industry, charges have however, continued to increase, thereby forcing many transport users to take their business to rival port in the West African  Sub Region , with  consequent massive revenue  losses to our nation.
Speaking on the transformation of NSC to NTC, Isa said, “It was highly observed that the thrust of the NTC Bill is economic regulation. To a great extent this is also the main thrust  of  the NSC Act. For example, section 6(1) (b) (c), and (h) of the draft NTC bill 2015, and section 3 of the NSC Act, Cap N133, LFN 2004 have similarities  of functions.
He  said “The NSC has since its creation in 1978, established  national spread  and accompanying assets  including a 12 storey  twins towers  that serves as its head office complex  in Lagos, a four-storey  two wings Liaison Office  Complex  in Abuja,  well  equipped library  and  an expansive training rooms as well a fleet of operational vehicles.
“The  Council also has six zonal  offices in the  six geo-political zones  as well as area and port offices  spread across the states  of the federation, by  virtue  of its experience and the fact  it has been  performing.
Similar economic regulatory functions in the port sub-sector of the transport industry, the council is most suitable and easily adaptable to perform the role of an economic regulator”
The transformation is also aimed at saving cost, reduce duplication of agencies and easy adaptability among others.

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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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