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Enugu Yet To Spend Paris Club Refund

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8 years ago

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Enugu State Government says it has yet to expend its share of the second tranche of Paris Club refund as there is no pressing need for it now.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Ogbuagu Anikwe made this known in a statement in Enugu last Monday.
Anikwe said that the government was already meeting its obligation of paying workers salaries and pensions before the issue of Paris Club refund came up.
He said that the government was not indebted to its workforce and pensioners unlike other states that utilised their share to offset such debts.
The commissioner explained that the fact that the state government had not expended its second tranche share of the refund should not be misconstrued as owing salaries.
“Enugu state public workers’ salaries used to be paid promptly on the 25 day of each month.
“However, beginning from three months ago, the governor ordered that civil servants be paid on the 23rd of the month.
“By this executive stroke, Enugu state has become the first state in Nigeria to pay its workers early, with effect from three months ago,” he said.
Anikwe said that though the state was in a precarious situation and sat fifth from the bottom of the monthly federal allocations, it was prudent in managing its resources.
“The governor has through prudent management of resources and an aggressive internal revenue generation, fully discharged his obligations to workers.
“The state still embarks on massive projects to promote its agenda of employment generation, maintenance of social services, and management of security and peace,” he said.
He added that the state government had shown transparency in the management of the refunds since it started receiving it.
The commissioner said that officials of the labour unions and other stakeholders in the state were usually privy to how the funds were disbursed.
“What the state does each time it receives her share of the refund is to immediately call for a meeting of the stakeholders, including representatives of labour unions and pensioners.
“Such meetings also include leaders of traditional institutions and community-based associations, and development experts to decide how best to utilise the refund,” he said.
He said that sharing formula of the funds was established between the states and local councils at the meetings.
“The portion reserved for salary and pensions payments are set aside and used to pay workers and pensioners as and when due.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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