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Experts Brainstorm On Pension To Boost Private Sector

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7 years ago

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Financial experts have deliberated on how pension funds could be utilised to add more values to contributors and boost private sector
The discourse was at a roundtable conference organised by Sigma Pensions in Lagos.
The Tide’s source reports that Sigma Pensions Business RoundTable is the first series of leadership initiative to bring to fore key issues in investment places for pension funds .
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Augusto and Company, Mr Olabode Augusto said there was need to increase the penetration of pension funds in private equity.
He posited that there were micro risks the economy is facing as the country prepare for the 2019 general elections despite the increase in oil prices.
“One of the micro risks included non-availability of private fund the private sector could utilise to contribute its own quota to economic development,” he said.
He noted that the private sector was starved of funds, because the banks were not lending any more.
“The option available to private sector is pension and insurance funds,” he said.
He also posited that the penetration of pension funds into private sector through private equity would boost performances of private sector and automatically boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He, however, said there were challenges that limited the penetration of pension funds into private sector.
“First, it is due to the regulations of National Pension Commission (PenCom), the only way  pension funds could be penetrated is through ‘private equity funds.
“This means the players in the private sector needed to get listed on the Stock Exchange.
“Secondly, there is need for the private sector players to open their financial report for assessment, which they avoid always.
“This is needed to engage financial analysts, pension practitioners,  pensioners and private sector players  to stem up deliberations on challenges of private equity funding to enable pension penetration,” Augusto said.
An associate Professor at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Doyin Salami, urged the Federal Government to mordenise basic infrastructures for prosperity to take place.
He said: “There is a demand for PenCom to come out with policies that will create jobs, mordernise infrastructures, lower interest rate to enable prosperity to take place.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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23 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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23 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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23 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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