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RSG Recommits To Early Completion Of Elele Alimini Road

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The Rivers State Ministry of Works says the phase (1) internal road of 14.7 kilometres being handled by an indigenous company, Cedar Construction Company Ltd at Elele Alimini in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State would be completed in March, 2018.
The Ministry’s Site Engineer, Engr. Ikechi Nwafor disclosed this Monday in an exclusive interview with The Tide at the project site in Elele Alimini.
According to him, the project is now 70 per cent done and expressed optimism that the project would be completed in March, if the company continues with the spate of work on the project.
It would be recalled that some time in May 2017, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, was at Elele Alimini to flag-off the construction of internal roads in fulfillment of his electioneering campaign promises to the people.
The construction of the internal roads was directly under the supervision of the State Ministry of Works with Cedar Construction company, an indigenous company handling the construction of the project.
The Ministry’s Engineer, who lauded the company for the quality and timely delivery of the project, said the indigenous company was one among other construction companies to meet up the terms of agreement with the ministry.
Also speaking, the Community Liaison Officer for Cedar Construction Company, Austine Enyika restated the company’s commitment to deliver quality job on the roads.
Though the liaison officer identified insecurity, including robbery of the company’s materials as some challenges facing the speedy completion of the jobs, but expressed optimism that the road would be completed in March, 2018.
Also interviewed by The Tide, the immediate past chairman of Elele Alimini Council of Chiefs, Chief Chibuike Gaius Dike commended Governor Wike for delivering on his electioneering campaign promises to the people of the area.
He said he was satisfied with the quality of job done so far by the company handling the job, and stressed that the company was very transparent and fair in the handling of project in the area.
He appealed to the State Government to commence the second phase of the project as soon as the phase (I) is completed.
The traditional ruler also appealed to the construction firm to engage youths in the area for the job to reduce youth restiveness in the area.

 

Enoch Epelle

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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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