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Lawmaker Faults 13% Derivation To Oil Communities

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The lawmaker representing the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Kingsley Chindah has faulted the 13 per cent derivation fund been given to oil producing communities by the Federal Government, stressing that Nigeria is the only country in the world where the oil communities are allegedly given 13 per cent.
Chindah, who was speaking to aviation correspondents at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, on his way to Abuja posited that even the fund released to the oil producing communities is not even up to the 13 per cent, as it is being alleged.
According to the lawmaker, such situation has resulted to provocation which had led to agitation, as the oil producing communities felt being cheated.
The lawmaker also urged the Federal Government not to play with the issue of restructuring in the county, pointing out that if such issue is neglected, it will only amount to postponement of genuine need to put the country on balance of governance.
“The issue of restructuring must be visited. If they neglect it, they are only postponing more agitations for restructuring the Federation, you cannot bottle people up and expect them to continue to keep quiet.
“What we need in this country now is restructuring, both political, economic and governance restructuring. It will affect our constitution and the way we run government and this will in-turn impact on our economy.
“This is the only country where oil producing states are allegedly given 13 per cent. I say allegedly because it is not even up to the 13 per cent that is given to the oil producing states and communities.
“This is provocative and you do not expect people to keep quiet. You cannot continue to force them to keep quiet, else it will result to agitations and demonstrations which may lead to some problems,” he stated.
On the issue of the Indigenous People of Biafia (IPOB), the lawmaker posited that the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which Nigeria is a state party, recognises the right of the people to peaceful protest.
He said the IPOB protest must be in line with the law, pointing out that he condemns any form of killings in any past of the country and urged them to be peaceful in their conduct and demands.
The lawmaker, however, urged the Federal Government to give a listening ear to agitators with a view of finding out their point of anger, adding that the use of the military to address civil matters should  not be encouraged, since Nigeria is not under a military government, insisting that police is there always to handle such civil issues professionally.

Corlins Walter

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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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