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FG Okays Processing Machines For Rural Farmers

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7 years ago

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the disbursement of produce processing machines to Nigeria farmers in the rural areas to boost food security across the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who disclosed this in Abuja last Wednesday, said the project is another indirect measure meant to discourage rural-urban migration in the country.
He pointed out that the machines would boost the cultivation of crops like rice, cassava, millet, maize and processing of other local produce among farmers.
The minister said the project was being executed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
“We will identify commodities in various locations, identifying what is suitable in each area, according to their ecological situation, organise the people into cooperatives and allocate the machines to them as loans,’’ he added.
He stated that each beneficiary must be registered with the village chiefs, the police and other security agencies for easy identification and prompt repayment of the loan.
Ogbeh added that the country was fast losing its productive young people who should have engaged in agriculture to political thuggery, migration to Europe and motorcycle operations.
“These people can hardly pay interest rates of between 18 and 25 per cent.
“This is a way to assist them make meaningful earnings through agricultural revolution,’’ he said.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, who fielded questions on the payment of Paris Club refund to state governments, explained that the states must meet the conditions attached to the payment of the refund before they benefit from it.
She said: “In respect of the Paris Club, Mr President has given approval for the payment of the last Paris Club refund to the states but the approval came with some conditions which we are trying to work out together with the states to meet.’’
“Those conditions that Mr President gave is that we must show that the states have used the previous refund for payment of salaries and they will use this one also for payment of salaries.’’
The minister also reassured that the Federal Government would pay the remaining balance of N22.4billion entitlements to ex-staff of Nigeria Airways in 2019.
She disclosed that already government had commenced payment of N22.6 billion out of their total entitlements of N45billion.
“The approval given for payment of entitlements to the ex-staff of Nigerian Airways was N45 billion and because of paucity of funds, Mr President gave approval for the payment of 50 per cent of N22.6 billion.
“We hope to pay the balance in 2019,’’ she added.

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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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