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Reps Slam NIMASA Over Poor Execution Of Projects

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8 years ago

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The House of Representative Committee on Maritime has berated the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Administration (NIMASA) for poor performance in the execution of capital projects.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mohammed Umar-Bago, who led his committee members on an oversight of NIMASA on Wednesday in Lagos, said that the agency might not be allocated funds in subsequent years due to its poor performance.
The chairman said that there was no need for the House to budget money for the agency for capital projects aimed at improving the lot of Nigerians when such projects would not be executed.
“NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Transport have failed to provide the needed security on the nation’s waters, thereby, fueling the incidents of sea robbery.
“We know the exigencies of the agencies and we as a House are poised to better the condition of things with a view to creating a robust conducive maritime environment to bolster our revenue apart from the oil.
“It is rather disheartening that after making effort to ensure that these necessities are put in place, due to bureaucracies these policies and projects are still on,’’ Umar-bago said.
According to him, if there are no improvements in the way capital projects are being attended to, there will not be any need to approve such money in the budget.
Umar-Bago, who observed that NIMASA was owing its contractors, urged it to ensure they were paid as and when due.
He also urged the agency to pay the cadets undergoing oversea training before the passage of the budget.
Responding, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside said that the agency had in 2017, executed 80 per cent of its capital projects.
“We as an agency is even looking forward to increasing the capital project execution, probably to 100 per cent we are not resting on our oars.
“Two billion naira has so far been expended for the Maritime University by the agency, the Modular Floating Duck is coming on stream in few months’ time and the agency has also engaged 400 NSDC seafarers on-board vessel for sea time experience,’’ Perterside said.
According to him, 634 members of staff have been promoted in the recent time with a view to encouraging them to put in their best.
He also said that the management had changed the public perception of the agency from corruption to an organisation the public could rely on.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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2 days 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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2 days 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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