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RSG, FRSC To Partner On Speed Limiters

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The Rivers State Government has stated its readiness to partner with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to install speed limit devices along Eliozu-Airforce Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The state government also announced its readiness to set-up special taskforce to assist FRSC to ensure total compliance with all road safety rules to reduce road crashes in the state.
The state Commissioner for Transport, Mr Ibinabo Michael-West, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently said the gesture followed the recent tanker accident that razed property worth millions of naira on Eliozu-Airforce Road in the area.
He said the state government was concerned about the ugly incidents that led to fire destroying many houses and goods in the area.
According to him, the state government will take a study of the incident as to find out ways to assist victims of the incident.
West said drivers in the state were taking the advantage of good roads embarked upon by Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration to over speed on the road, including the road corners which caused road crashes in the state.
“The state government has taken what happened along Eliozu-Airforce Road into cognisance, the ministry is partnering with the Federal Road Safety Corps to install speed limit devices on every bend corner of the road in Port Harcourt, including Eliozu-Airforce Road to avoid the re-occurrence of the road accident in the area.
“We shall also set up special taskforce that would support the FRSC to ensure that compliance of all road safety rules in the state.
“Drivers in the state are using the advantage of the good roads embarked upon by Governor Wike’s administration to over speed on the road, this we observed is one of the causes of some roads accidents in the state,” the commissioner said.
He called on the officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Rivers State to caution its members against reckless driving on the road.
It would be recalled that about two weeks ago, property worth millions of naira lost in a fire incident as a tanker loaded with an inflammable product fell while navigating a bend on Eliozu-Airforce Road in Port Harcourt.

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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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