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Yuletide: Poultry Farmers In FCT Applaud High Patronage

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7 years ago

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Some poultry farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yesterday expressed delight as they recorded high patronage ahead of the Christmas celebration.
The farmers, who spoke in separate interviews with press in Abuja, said in spite of the economic hardship, the level of patronage was encouraging.
Samuel Magaji, an old layer bird farmer in Gwagwalada, said that he had about 3, 000 birds and sales had been encouraging in the last few days compared to 2017.
Magaji added that due to paucity of funds, he was not able to rear so many birds as he would have wanted.
“I am very impressed with the level of patronage despite the economic hardship in the country, people are still buying.
“If the level of patronage continues the way it is going, all my birds would have been sold before Christmas.
“Some customers said they were advised by their doctors to avoid beef and red meats for health reasons, and should eat fish or chicken,’’ he said.
Magaji said that some old layer birds were going for N3, 000 and 4, 000, depending on the size, adding that they have rich taste than the broiler birds.
However, Mrs Sarah Kaka, a broiler bird farmer in Kuje Area Council, appealed to the government to support farmers with soft loans to boost their businesses.
Kaka said that poultry farming could promote the federal government’s diversification of Nigeria’s economy if supported with soft loans.
According to her, poultry farming was capital intensive, saying that it was expensive to purchase farmlands in FCT as well as other farming inputs.
She said average size of broiler went for N3, 500, while a bigger size was between N4,000 and N5,000, depending on the size.
“I am very happy with the level of patronage so far, but due to lack of funds, I was not able to rear many birds as expected.
“Poultry farming in Nigeria is probably one of the most lucrative farming businesses you can do but requires adequate funding for it to thrive.
“The farmers we presently have are not producing enough poultry products because of inadequate funding.
“The government, especially ministry of agriculture should assist farmers with soft loans to enable us boost our business,’’ she said.
Another poultry farmer in Abaji Area Council, Mr Audu Musa, lamented the increase in the price of feeds, saying that it affected the prices of chicken sales during Christmas season.
He said that he had to increase the price of his chicken during the yuletide to enable him recover his capital and also make a little profit.

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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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