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Navy Recovers 1,330 Drums Of Petrol From Oil Thieves

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The Nigerian Navy says it has recovered 1,330 jerry cans filled with petrol during a raid on oil thieves in Atlas Cove Island in Lagos.
The Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Beecroft’s Commander, Rear Adm. Maurice Eno told newsmen, Saturday night that the product was evacuated from a storage facility in Ilado/Idimangoro area of the island.
According to the naval chief, the petroleum product was stolen from vandalised NNPC pipelines on Atlas Cove Island.
Eno said that no person was found at the storage facility during the raid.
He said that the navy monitored activities in the area for about three weeks to ascertain the veracity of the information.
“On December 14, at about 8.10 a.m., a detachment of personnel from the NNS Beecroft raided the locations and discovered a storage facility having over one thousand, five hundred jerry cans.
“About 1,330 jerry cans containing product suspected to be premium motor spirit (PMS) believed to have been siphoned from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines lay on the island.
“At the time of the raid, no person was found on the storage facility,” he said.
“The team also discovered the siphoning points where valves were connected by the vandals to steal the product.
“It is pertinent to note that NNPC pipelines laid on Atlas Cove Island are under the supervision and care of Topline Security Limited/Kings Guard Security Company.
“It is obvious that these acts may not have gone unnoticed by these private security outfits,” he said.
Eno said that the Navy was committed to assisting the NNPC in dealing with pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
“The Navy is using this medium to warn pipeline vandals and other criminal elements particularly in our maritime environment to desist from nefarious activities and pursue lawful means of livelihood,” he said.
The Tide source who visited Atlas Cove Island, Saturday, reports that several items used by the vandals in siphoning petrol from NNPC pipelines were found in the area.
Villagers in the community refused to speak to our source on the incident.
The Navy said the jerry cans filled with PMS products would be handed over to NNPC.

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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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