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Oil Agitations: Minister Urges N’Delta To Change Strategy

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6 years ago

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The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has called for a change of strategy from agitators in the Niger Delta to maximise the interventions in the region.
Sylva made the call recently during a visit to OML 25 Flow Station at Belema Community, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers.
He said that the people of Niger Delta had fought enough and now need to allow peace in the region for development to take place.
“I know that as a people we have fought; and today we will all agree that the Federal Government has heard our cries.
“A lot of interventions have come to the Niger Delta because of the agitations, yet we have not seen the benefits percolating down totally.
“But at least, there is a start, and that is why we must take cognisance of it and change strategy to benefit maximally from the interventions,” he said.
According to Sylva, it is time for the Niger Delta people to look inwards and see what strategy to adopt in other to get the benefits of the fight that we have not harnessed.
“Because of the agitations, the Federal Government approved 13% derivation for oil producing states, and Rivers is benefiting from that.
“The Federal Government also, because of the agitations, established the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Federal Amnesty Programme and Ministry of Niger Delta.
“But the problem is, have we benefited from any of these? The answer is no, because we are still fighting instead of talking,” he said.
The minister said that non-Niger Delta people were coming to the region to take advantage of the interventions of the Federal Government.
“That’s why we must transit from the mode of fighting to take advantage of the interventions and also create peace to allow investors come into the region.
“It is only when we have peace that investors can come in and create job that will engage our youths,” he added.
Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, said that the federal delegation was at the platform because the host communities had lost peace.
Kyari said that the Federal Government, in search of peace in Belema, Offoin-ama and Ngeje communities, decided to bring Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and BelemaOil to a round table to end agitation.
“Yes, we have all lost money since the facility was shut down, but our main target is to achieve peace in this community”, he said.
Kyari disclosed that NNPC and SPDC had all agreed to involve BelemaOil in the operation of the facility and benefits to community would be managed by them.

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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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