Business
NIM Tasks Entrepreneurs On Professionalism
President, Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, yesterday advised entrepreneurs to engage professionals in managing their businesses, to ensure sustainability.
Iyanda told newsmen in Lagos that if professionals were appointed to manage a business, it would outlive the capacity of the founders and become a legacy.
The professor noted that many organisations failed to professionalise their management by appointing people that are not qualified into key positions.
“Many think that key managerial positions in business must be under the control of family members, without considering the interest and qualifications of persons handling such positions.
“Should anything happen to the family, or should key members of the family not be interested in such business venture, a collapse is imminent; and that should not be so.
“There are several collapsed businesses in Nigeria today, which ought to still be running but because they ran purely under the control of family members, were unable to stand the test of time.
“If a family member is good, a business owner must ensure that he goes through the basics, to learn the rudiments of the business to show that he is properly schooled and ready to manage the business organisation,” he said.
Iyanda urged business proprietors to begin to view businesses as organisations larger than those created to cater for the needs of the immediate family.
“By so doing, capable personnel are employed to run the business, which in turn results in the growth, expansion and duplication of the business,” he said.
The NIM chief encouraged entrepreneurs to incorporate their businesses to ensure longevity when the businesses exceed the capacity of the owners.
“The mindset of every business proprietor should be one of growth and expansion beyond his own scope, but within the objectives and vision of the business.
“Business incorporation provides certain guidelines, limitations, and structure, which direct you in the running of the business as you become responsible, not just to yourself but to the dictates of your shareholders,” he said.
To maintain relevance, Iyanda advised business owners to be abreast of the ever-evolving business environment and the dynamic needs of the consumers, by interacting with them.
“It is important to constantly be abreast of the customers’ life cycle change, by creating new ways of satisfying their wants, and keeping up with technological trends in the rendering services,” he said.
The NIM president encouraged business owners to run their organisations on ethical values and integrity.
“Being ethical may in the short run appear disadvantageous; but in the long run, is likely to sustain a business, due to the acquired reputation which people with similar values of integrity find attractive,” he said.
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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.
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.
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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