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Osun Organises Economic Summit To Reposition State

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The Osun State Government says its proposed economic and investment summit is aimed at attracting investments in critical growth sectors and diversifying the economy of the state.
The Chief of Staff to Osun State Governor, Dr Charles Akinola made the assertion during a news conference in Osogbo yesterday, while reviewing the plans for the summit slated from November. 19 to November 21.
Akinola, who is the Summit Planning Chairman, said the summit would assist in repositioning the state from being a civil service state to an economic hub in the country.
He said the main focus of the economy would be agriculture, culture, tourism and mining.
Akinola said further that the summit would provide an opportunity to bring the state government, potential local and international investors together to exploit the opportunity of collaboration and partnership.
“This state is blessed in agriculture, textile and mining, and investors are needed to invest in these areas to showcase the opportunities abounding in the state.
“The state is regarded as a centre of excellence for textile, while we have huge deposits of gold as well as good climatic condition for all-round farming.
“All these will be showcased for our investors to see coupled with the peaceful environment and stable electricity supply for economic growth.
Akinola said that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Managing Director/Chief Executive, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Usman Mohammed, among others would participate in the summit.
Also speaking, the Supervisory Director for the State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Olalekan Yinusa, said that the summit would expose the economic investment opportunities in the state.
He said that this was in line with the state government’s ten-year economic plan.
Yinusa, who is the Summit Planning Co-Chairman, said the summit would dwell on infrastructure, human capital and sustainable development.
“This summit will serve as an intellectual economic forum where cross-fertilised ideas, opinions and views will help to chart a new course and a workable economic roadmap for the state,’’ Yinusa said.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode, said the media would be engaged in showcasing investment opportunities in the state during the summit.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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