Connect with us

Business

Cleric Tasks RSG, Firms On Ex-Cultists’ Empowerment

Published

8 years ago

on

As part of measures of attain-ing sustainable peace and development in Rivers State, a renowned cleric, Bishop Eko Joe Nwikonzor has called on the Rivers State Government and other corporate orgainsations to engage repentant cultists in enterprise, development through skills acquisition and application.
Bishop Nwikonzor made the call during the graduation ceremony and thanksgiving service for six repentant cultists in Bori recently.
The cleric who is the founding Bishop of World Harvest Glorious Assembly Inc, said only proper rehabilitation of ex-cultists can make them to shun their old ways and become beneficial to the society.
Speaking in an interview with The Tide shortly after the event, the cleric, said multinational and other corporate organisations in the state should make it a duty to engage ex-cultists so that they do not return to their old ways.
He called for genuine forgiveness to the cultists who have embraced the path of peace and urged the graduants to be ambassadors  of peace. According to the Bishop, 15 persons were sent for training at the university of  Nations Bible College, in Port Harcourt, under the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) scheme, but all absconded from the training. The Bishop who is engaged in humanitarian evangelism, said his church keyed into the government’s Amnesty programme to ensure that souls are won and reintegrated into the society.
He advised that the gain of the Amesty programme can only be sustained when there is a practical step beyond disarmament to engage  the ex-cultists in skills- based training and productive economic activities.
The Bishop who is also the chairman  of the peace committee of the Ogoni Peace Project (OPP) commended the management of the Bori Business school for giving scholarship to the ex-cultists for training in entrepreneurship development.
In his  remarks, an Ogoni stakeholder, Elder Paul Saro Deeyaa, congratulated the ex-cultists for embracing peace, and urged the government to properly reintegrate them into the society.
Also speaking, the coordinator of  Youth With A Mission (YWAM) programme in Rivers State, Djamnone Valeru said, the initiative was a humanitarian endevours aimed at training youths and winning souls for Christ.
Speaking on behalf of the graduands, Comrade Inamkue Promise from Uegwere Boue in Khana LGA, thanked the Bori Business School and the World Harvest Glorious Church for their support and encouragements.

Taneh Beemene

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

21 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

21 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

21 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Trending