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FG To Electrify 39,000 Shops In Ariaria Market

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8 years ago

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The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola says the Federal Government will provide electricity for over 39,000 shops in Ariaria International Markets, Aba in Abia State before the end of the year.
Fashola, who made the disclosure in Abuja, said the project was a presidential mandate to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) working with the ministry to energise the market.
He said electrification of the market became necessary given the huge cost incurred by traders who use generators to power their businesses and the important role small businesses play in driving the economy.
“In Ariaria market, where there are thirty one thousand nine hundred and something shops, they spend about N10 million daily to get electricity from generators, how can we see those kinds of markets and not intervene.
“The Governor of Abia is working with us, he has provided the land.
“We are doing the reticulation of the distribution for the market, the governor is helping to do some of the infrastructure to clean up the whole place, that is our Made in Nigeria platform.
“So we are doing it, so we will electrify Ariaria this year, all of the shops in that market.”
He also said government had commenced electrification of Sabon-Gari market in Kano, adding that 3,000 shops out of the 12,000 shops in the market have signed to be electrified.
The minister said the shops were being wired by 120 technicians, adding that 486 shops have been connected with meters as at March 10.
According to him, all the shops that signed on to be electrified will be connected with their own meters before the end of the year.
He said the provision of a model of electricity for the markets by government would change the many years’ narrative of no power to improve the economy.
“For a long time, for almost 30 years, we have repeated the same story that the reasons why our economy is not doing well is because there is no energy, but what have we done about it?
“We have all repeated that those small businesses are the drivers of the economy, so why can’t small businesses have electricity?
“So we said let us use a model, the ministry working with REA, who has a presidential mandate to be champion for renewable, went inside Sabon-Gari markets and closed a deal to electrify 12,000 shops.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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16 hours 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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16 hours 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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16 hours 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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