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PH, Owerri Route Drivers Condemn Ubima Peace Accord

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6 years ago

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Commercial bus drivers plying Port Harcourt Owerri route have stated that the purported peace accord signed by two opposing cult groups in Ubima Town, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State was a mere deceptive ploy to attract the usage of the road by drivers who had in recent time abandoned the road due to the rising rate of kidnapping, armed robbery and killings on that route.
A driver who plies Port Harcourt Owerri route, Onwudiwe Okechukwu, who commented on Ubima peace accord, told The Tide that drivers had long abandoned Ubima-Omerelu road due to high level of insecurity on that bye-pass route.
According to him, “Ubima-Omerelu road is a shor0t cut to Owerri, but regretted that commercial bus drivers and passengers had always been robbed, kidnapped for a ransom, men and women rapped by the boys allegedly operating from Ubima Town. “There was no other alternative than to revert to the safer longer route through Elele town in Ikwerre Local Government Area to Owerri. Before now, any attempt to via into that route would mean putting the lives of the passengers in to danger.
“I still maintain my doubts on the purported peace accord entered and signed by the warring groups in Ubima, how are we sure they are sincere in their hearts and would stop harassing people at the least of any provocation or financial constraints, these are the fears of road users and motorists”.
In his view a driver who also plies the same route, Egbuwa Nnaemeka, said they have avoided and abandoned the Ubima route completely, saying that they prefer using the longer route than risk the lives of the passengers.
He posited that the peace accord was a scam to lure drivers back to the route, so that they would continue in their hineous act, adding that they would soon be back on the road to rob and kidnap people when they lack money and food.
“No passenger would ever allow any driver plying Port Harcourt-Owerri route to veer to Ubima road, at least for now”, he said.
It would be recalled that recently the warring cult groups in Ubima community came to an accord to shield their swords and drop their arms and embrace peace so as to enhance freedom of movement, association, protection and security of lives and property in the area, as well as development of Ubima community.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day 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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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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1 day 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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