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Firm Moves To Cultivate 5,000 Hectares Oil Palm In Edo

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6 years ago

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Okomu Oil Palm Plc, says the company is collaborating with the Edo State Government and Terra Agric Nigeria to cultivate oil palm on 5000 hectares of land over a period of six years.
The Agriculture coordinator of the company,Mr Billy Ghanasah disclosed this at the Okomu Smallholder Farm Development Project organised in collaboration with the Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO) and Terra Agriculture, in Benin City, Edo State, recently
The coordinator said the project would promote complete value chain development of oil palm business in the state for existing and prospective oil palm farmers, adding that the project would be spread across four local government areas reputed for oil palm production in the state.
According to him, Okomu Plc will provide the inputs, technical support and offtake the produce from the farmers, noting, “We are looking at Ovia South West, Ovia North East, Uhunmwode and Esan West local government areas for locations of the hectares and we are expanding our oil mill by 50 per cent in view of this project.”
A former Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Agriculture, Kadiri Bashiru, commended partners on the project, urging the organisers to have regular training for the youths, who will partake in the initiative.
He said the state government is empowering Edo people to drive the economy through its agri-preneur programme, which links farmers to off-takers and ensures that farmers make good returns from their business.
The Chairman, Terra Agric Nigeria, Jasper Izzi, said the Ambrose Alli University (AAU) would be providing 1000 hectares of land for the oil palm project in Ekpoma under a graduate management scheme.
Mr Izzi said AAU was also collaborating in the training of farmers and development of arable crops and animal husbandry in the proposed land, adding, “We want to have one graduate to four hectares of land. This means 250 graduates will manage 1000 hectares of land with the support of over 9,000 unskilled labourers.
“Once Okomu starts preparing the oil palm seedlings which will take about a year, we will use the land for arable crop production and animal husbandry,” he added.
The Head, Edo State Investment Promotion Office, ESIPO, Kelvin Uwaibi, said the state government was partnering with the stakeholders to boost job creation and educate farmers on modern agricultural techniques to adopt.
Mr Uwaibi added that the state government would be providing the enabling environment for the investment, noting, “We are supporting this to ensure investments that come into the state have the needed environment to thrive and to ensure that we are the final destination for investors.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 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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22 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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22 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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