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Apapa Traffic Gridlock: Truckers Hail Navy’s Withdrawal

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6 years ago

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The Federal Government’s withdrawal of the Nigerian Naval and other military formations from controlling traffic at the Apapa Port has been lauded by some truck owners.
The Lagos State Vice-President, National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Dry Cargo Sector, Mr Abdullahi Mohammad-Inunwa, gave the commendation, yesterday.
He said in a telephone interview that the directive was a welcome development to his members.
The Tide source reports that the Federal Government had last Wednesday mandated the Nigerian Navy and all other military formations to withdraw from traffic management duties in and around the Apapa axis.
It also said that all military and paramilitary checkpoints in front of the ports and environs should be dismantled.
The government said that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) should move into Apapa as the lead traffic management agency.
It also said that the NPA should commence the immediate use of the Lilypond Terminal and Trailer Park A as a truck transit park.
He said that the inclusion of the security agencies in the task force had compounded the gridlock in and around the port.
He said: “When President Muhammadu Buhari visited Lagos during his electioneering, the trucks were cleared off the roads within hours.
“The public then asked what magic was performed by us to achieve it.
“But, there was no other magic that we performed than synergising with the Nigeria Ports Authority’s Task Force Chairman, Commodore Eyo , and the Council of Maritime Transport Union Association (COMTUA).
“We had meetings with NPA where we jointly agreed on modalities to apply.
“The NPA team then promised to introduce truck manual call-up scheme, ” he said.
Inua also attributed the gridlock to the failure of some shipping companies to provide truck bays as stipulated in their agreement with the government.
“The shipping companies were not able to provide truck bays outside the port.
“With truck bays, they will be able to move their trucks in batches after receiving approval from the NPA to the terminals for either loading or dropping off, of empty containers,” he said.
The Head of Operations of COMTUA also said that this deficiency on the part of the shipping companies amounted to sabotaging Federal Government’s policy on ease of doing business at the port.
He called for an effective transport call-up system for entry of trucks to port which he said was successful in the first three weeks of its introduction.
He said that both the government and the truck owners were losing billions of naira as a result of the gridlock .
He commended the Federal Government for acting on the petitions by the truck owners and pleaded for the inclusion of COMTUA in a new task force that would be reconstituted for the port access road.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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