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ICRC Reels Out Achievements In 10 Years

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7 years ago

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The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), says the commission is delivering on its mandate of steering the nation away from total dependence on budgetary allocation through Private Public Partnership (PPP) concept.
The Acting Director-General of ICRC, Mr Chidi Izuwah said this in a statement yesterday in Abuja, while reiterating the mileage that ICRC had attained in its 10 years of existence.
According to Izuwah, the commission has more than 110 projects on the national development and procurement phase and national PPP pipeline which it is regulating.
He named some of the projects to include: the Lekki Deep Seaport, a modern facility that could handle 1.5 million, twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year, and provide berthing for larger vessels.
“The Ibom Deep Seaport (IDSP), an integrated multi-purpose deep seaport with a 2, 565 hectares greenfield port area is designed to berth New Panamax Class vessels with channel depth (18.24m), turning basin and berth depth (16.72m); and quay length of about 7.5 km upon completion.
“The Warehouse in a Box (WIB) Project which seeks to provide an adequately-sized and effectively-maintained pharmaceutical grade central storage hub for donated public health commodities in Lagos and Abuja.
“The Ajaokuta- Kaduna- Kano (AKK) Pipeline, a `Trans-Nigeria Gas Transmission Pipeline Project, a segment of the `Trans-Saharan Gas Transmission Infrastructure Project traversing Niger and Algeria enroute to Europe.
“Silos Concession, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMA&RD) has received Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval to concession the Operation & Maintenance of 20 silo facilities across the country for better efficiency.
“The Federal Ministry of Powe, Work, and Housing (FMWPH) Rooftop Solar PPP is another big project.
“A private investor has been employed to develop, install and operate photovoltaic solar power at the Ministry’s office known as Power House,’’ he said.
Izuwah also named some notable milestone achieved by the commission to include, issuance of the National Policy on Public Private Partnership (N4P).
He listed others to include: establishment of PPP units in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), inauguration of the Public Private Partnership Unit Consultative Forum (3PUCF).
According to him, ICRC launched the first ever PPP Contracts Information Disclosure Web Portal and championed the formation and establishment of the Nigerian Public Private Partnership Network (NPPPN).
In a bid to support the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, he said the ICRC initiated steps aimed at mitigating the bottlenecks that impede the successful conclusion of PPP projects.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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14 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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14 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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14 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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