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Nigerian Airline Increases Fleet …To Fly London, China, US Routes

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7 years ago

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Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace in strengthening its position as number one flyers’ choice yesterday took delivery of its second Boeing 777 aircraft in Lagos.
Air Peace second Boeing 777 after taxing to a stop at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos on Saturday made history as the first Nigeria carrier to acquire and take delivery of a Boeing 777-200 on February 23, 2018, assured that it would soon announce dates for the launch of its long-haul operations to London-Houston, Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg.
In a press statement signed by the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Chris Iwarah, and made available to our correspondent in Lagos, said that the new aircraft, a 320-seater Boeing 777-300 named “Ojochide” and marked 5N-BUU, was flown into the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos by Air Peace Chief Pilot, Capt. Victor Egonu and Senior First Officer Emmanuel Iwhiwhu.
The Aircraft touched down to a rousing welcome by staff of the carrier, aviation workers and water salute staged by men of the Fire Service of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at about 1:36 pm.
Speaking moments after the aircraft landed, Air Peace Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Allen Onyema assured that the Airline was now ready to begin its international operations and fix the challenges of Nigerians, African and other travelers on the long-haul routes.
Onyema, who was represented by Air Peace Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide, said the carriers’ international operations would boost Nigeria’s aviation and allied sectors and offer travellers an exceptional choice.
“We are very happy we’ve taken delivery of another of our Boeing 777 aircraft in preparation for our international operations and we’re looking at commencing operations on one of the routes before the last quarter of the year.
“We believe that this will enable us to create more employment opportunities for Nigerians because that is the reason we exist. We want to help curb the unemployment situation in the country”, Onyema said.
The Air Peace boss explained further that the airline received its first Boeing 777-200 aircraft in February, adding that two more of the aircraft type were being expected before the end of the year to boost the airlines international operations.
Onyema confirmed that the Federal Government had designated Air Peace to operate flights to London, Houston Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, and Johannesburg.
He commended the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting Nigerian Airlines with the removal of Value Added Tax and granting of waivers on aircraft spares.

 

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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18 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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19 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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19 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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