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Tanker Drivers Seek RSG, NDDC’s Collaboration

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8 years ago

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The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Petroleum Tankers Drivers, (NUPENG, (PTD) sective has called for collaboration efforts between the Rivers State Government and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on the rehabilitation of the East West Road, Refinery Junction to Eleme Junction section.
In an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt on Monday, the immediate past chairman of the union, Comrade Timothy Ogbu, said such collaborative efforts would facilitate the early completion of the road rehabilitation.
Ogbu said members of the union have suffered on the road for long hours due to the poor state of the road particularly from the refinery junction Alesa-Eleme to Eleme junction.
He explained that the NDDC cannot do it alone without the direct supervision of the Rivers State Government engineers to ascertain the quality of materials being used by the contractors on the road rehabilitation.
The former labour leader urged the contractor to expedite action on the road rehabilitation, having  mobilized to the site over two months ago and yet the level of work is still at the surface level.
He challenged the contractor to exhibit the professional expertise in handling the road reconstruction and rehabilitation for durability and worthiness.
He said NDDC supervisors need to engage the services of the engineers from the state ministry of works for effective service delivery by the stipulated period as agreed in the award of the contract between the parties.
Meanwhile, The Tide investigation has revealed that the section of the road rehabilitation was awarded by the NDDC to Wester Group of Companies despite the efforts of the state government to fast track the rehabilitation of the road.
However, many motorists who spoke to The Tide have lamented the slow pace of the road rehabilitation by the contractor, Western Group of Companies.
Mr Chukwuma Ozike urged the contractor to complete the road on time as motorists and passengers are suffering on the road.
Mr Godfred Barisana called on the contractors to do a good quality job on the road, stressing that no concrete good work has been done on the road so far by the contractor. It urged the contractor to consider the long suffering of the people on the road and expedite action for early completion.

Philip Okparaji

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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