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FG’s Agric Policy Has Enriched More Farmers – Tomato Growers

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The National Organising Secretary, National Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr Adamu Musa says the Federal Government’s agricultural policy has enriched more farmers in the last two years.
Musa said this in an interview with newsmen in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, last Monday.
He said that the policy of the Federal Government on agriculture had awoken the consciousness of many Nigerians that the country could only be sustained through agriculture.
Musa said that the acceptance and participation of Nigerians in the Federal Government’s agricultural policy had made many farmers richer in the last two years than they were.
According to him, farmers are smiling to the banks because the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has given a lot of support and has made farming lucrative through subsidies.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has a strong agenda for agriculture to improve the lives of indigenous farmers.
“In many villages today in Nigeria, there are farmers who could not boast of N1 million before the coming of this administration, now having N7 million naira or more.
“Farmers, especially those into rice production, now have money of their own due to the renewed efforts of the Federal Government to see that Nigeria produces for both local and foreign consumption.
“The president has a plan for agriculture and it is working out for farmers.
“Part of that plan is the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Scheme which has supported a lot of farmers across the country,’’ the association’s secretary said.
Musa also commended the Dangote Tomato Processing Company in Kano for the company’s efforts in creating markets for tomato farmers to take their produce to.
He also appreciated the efforts of Alhaji Aliko Dangote in the area of tomato offtake.
Musa noted that this has helped tomato farmers a lot as they no longer need to worry about their produce.
He’s said that wastages have been reduced to the barest minimum and this has enhanced the efforts of the Federal Government to boost agriculture.
He advised young graduates to go to farming and stop looking for white collar jobs.
“I have seen graduates who have gone into farming and within two years their efforts had paid off.
“Farming is a large industry, from production to agribusiness that young graduates can harness for livelihood, ’’ he said.

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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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