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Solid Minerals: FG’s Initiative Yielding Positive Results -Fayemi

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The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said the that the Federal Government’s initiatives on solid mineral development is already yielding positive results.
Fayemi made this known at the opening of the First Northern Nigeria Solid Mineral Fair and workshop in Kaduna yesterday.
According to him, the mining sector is one of the few sectors that experienced positive growth index even at the peak of the recession.
He pointed out that the sector holds the key to the economic diversification for sustainable development of the current administration.
To achieve this, he said, the Federal Government had put in place adequate regulatory frameworks and investment-friendly policies.
Fayemi said that the policies hoped to attract genuine investment and fast track effectiveness in the sector.
He identified some of the policies to include security of tenure of minerals titles, transparent procedures for granting access to mineral titles and internationally competitive mining incentives.
Others were comprehensive geoscience data of mineral deposits and their locations in Nigeria as well as deferred royalty payments.
The others were exemption from customs and import duties for plant, machinery, equipment for mining operations, three to five years tax holiday and tax concessions.
“These initiative is already yielding positive results based on the data from the National Bureau of Statistics.”
He said that the theme of the fair, “Building a Solid Ground for a Resilient Economy”, was apt because Nigeria is endowed with vast solid minerals.
The minister, who expressed the need to adequately harness and develop the sector, hoped that the fair would usher greater collaboration between Federal and state governments.
Earlier, President Kaduna Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Dr. Farida Dankaka said that the fair was aimed at showcasing the products and services in Nigeria’s solid mineral sector.
Dankaka added that the forum hope to create awareness on best practices and application of technology to tackle environmental hazards in the mining sector.
According to her, the three-day forum is the first of its kind in northern Nigeria and is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders in the region in harnessing solid mineral deposits that have remained untapped.
“We hope that through this gathering, states and local governments would be encouraged to organise and register artisanal miners operating in their domain.
“This would ensure safer mining environment and improve revenue generation.
“It would equally curb environmental degradation and unhealthy practices that characterised illegal mining in local communities, “ Dankaka said.
On his part, Alhaji Musa Jibril of Kaduna State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, called on investors to partner with the state government to tap from the huge mineral deposits in the state.

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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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