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Markets Stalls’Allocation: Traders Call For Justice Express Trust In Wike

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Traders at Rumuwoji Market, Mile One, Diobu, Port Harcourt, and their counterparts at Fruits and Vegetable Market, D/ Line, Port Harcourt, have called for justice in the allocation of stalls in the two new markets built by the Rivers State Government.
The Tide reports that the two markets were rebuilt by the Governor Nyesom Wike administration following the inferno that gutted the Mile One Market in 2014 and another one that razed down the Fruit Garden Market in 2019.
Speaking in an interview with The Tide, the former Caretaker Committee Secretary of Fruits and Vegetable Market, who is also the Constitution Review chairman of the market association, Elder Igochukwu Weji, said the move by the governor to “fulfil his promise of building a standard market for the traders is commendable.”
Elder Weji noted that traders encountered untold hardship and loses during the fire incident that gutted the market, adding that the temporary structures used by the traders over a year and three months now have started affecting their perishable goods.
He pleaded with the committee responsible for the allocation of the Rumuwoji Market to expedite action on the allocation and work in line with Governor Wike’s promise to assuage the pains of the traders.
According to him, “we thought that we would make the Christmas sales in the new market but up till now we are yet to be allocated which is against our governor’s promise.”
He also called on the committee to work with the union that has all the documents of the shop owners, saying “it will be very painful if the original shop owners lose their shops after the big lost during the fire incident in the market.
“There is no way the committee will work or do the allocation probably without the union except they want to rob the traders who have already suffered serious loss.”
Meanwhile, another trader at the Fruit and Vegetable Market, D/Line, who pleaded anonymity, said that the governor meant well for the traders, but however, expressed fear that the goodwill of the governor may not actualise if the allocation of the market stalls is politicised.
He also supported the allocation of the market stalls to traders who have documents to prove their ownership rather than giving them out to politicians who would want to sell them to the traders.
But the chairman, Rumuwoji Market Traders Association (MOMTA), Mr. Ndubueze Enyiuche Eze, told The Tide that the allocation committee had visited the market and also sat with him on how to allocate the market stalls.
He said that the committee was willing to work with the union to ensure that the right thing is done.
“ Working without the marketers association would result to giving out the shops to outsiders, leaving out the traders whom the governor promised and built the shops for”, he said.
A trader at the market, Mrs Kate Ibe, expressed dissatisfaction over the delay of the allocation, adding that “the happiness of the traders over the completed and commissioned market should not be cut short”.
She also noted the rumours going round that outsiders are indicating interest in the allocation to displace the right owners who have already lost much to the fire incident.
However, chairman, Fruit and Vegetable Marketers Association, Mr Chigozie Nnodim, when contacted through telephone, declined comments, saying “I am not interested in all those things”.

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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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