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Agency To Coordinate National Public Key Infrastructure Programme

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8 years ago

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The Management of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says it would be in charge of coordinating the harmonisation of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) related services in the country.
The Director-General, NITDA,  Dr Isa Pantami, in a statement said that this was in line with resolutions reached at a recent meeting held at the Office of the Acting President.
The high level meeting was chaired by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on ICT, Mr Olanrewaju Osibona.
It was attended by the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, the Director-General, National Identity Management Commission and the Director-General of NITDA.
Pantami said that the meeting was convened to resolve the challenges of lack of control and central regulation of the PKI services currently delivered by government establishments.
He said part of the resolutions was that NITDA would take ownership, administration and regulation of the National PKI by ensuring full use and benefits of the associated PKI-as-a-Service (PaaS).
This includes the issuance of Document Signer Certificates, the management of the Public Key Directory (PKD) via the Nigerian Country Signing Certificate Authority (CSCA) Master-list.
“NITDA’s inauguration of a National Stakeholders’ Harmonisation Committee bringing together all stakeholders in the industry to recommend the best model for PKI infrastructure in the country.
“To this end, all sector based regulators would be contacted by the agency to provide information on current efforts related to PKI in their various sectors.
“This would include MDAs that require some form of PKI services to carry out their statutory functions in a digital environment.
“Our desire is to collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the use of information technology to enhance and simplify their daily activities, especially service delivery by government and other institutions,’’ Pantami said.
He said that in line with the Federal Government’s initiative on Digital Economy, it would enhance use of digital certificates to authenticate documents for Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Certificates, Tax Clearance Certificates and other legal documents.
According to him, all IT procurements by MDAs as directed by FEC should seek IT project approval from NITDA in order to avoid past experiences of huge losses incurred through multiple or conflicting projects.
Other resolutions are that the Office of the Vice President is responsible for coordinating the harmonisation initiative as part of its effort to move the nation on a path toward a Digital Economy.
NITDA is an Agency under the Federal Ministry of Communications created in April 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy and coordinate general IT development and regulation in the country.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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