Connect with us

Business

Mining: FG, Others Propose Pre-Shipment Of Inspection Certificates

Published

6 years ago

on

The Federal Government, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) have hinted on a proposal to introduce pre-shipmment inspection and issuance of Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI) on all mineral commodities due for export.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, yesterday, made the disclosure during the presentation ceremony of the ministerial committee from the mineral sector on revenue optimization report.
The move, the committee informed, should be done by an appointed agent in line with the provisions of the Pre-shipment Inspection of Exports Act No. 10 of 1996 Cap. P25 L.F.N. 2004.
Submitting its final report to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, the committee also urged the ministry of Mines and Steel Development to strengthen the capacity of Mining Inspector Directorate (MID) by employing more mining engineers for effective monitoring of mineral production operations.
The committee, headed by the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Ogah, advised that the Ministry should engage the services of N-power beneficiaries and NYSC members to assist MID in monitoring of mineral production activities nationwide.
Responding, Adegbite said two major mandate of the committee is to create employment and widen the revenue base of government.
The minister also implored the committee to make improvements in revenue generation compared to the past with a target of N20 billion at the end of 2020.
“So if we are able to fulfill this, we would have scored 50 per cent and that is the pass mark.
“Everybody can see the quantum leap from what we made this year. We made  N5 billion, which is an improvement over the past.
“From 2.8 to 5 point something. Let’s look at the end of this year if we can achieve N20 billion. That would be four times higher than what we realised last year. It’s possible. Revenue generated by  some Federal Mines Officers (FMO) is not encouraging. Imagine a State like Lagos generating about N30 million a year that is an average of N2.5 million a month and we don’t have an FMO there. A lot of construction work is going on in Lagos. Sand is being used.
So from sand dredging alone, you can’t tell me you are making N2.5 million every month. So it’s either somebody is not doing his work very well or something is wrong somewhere. I’m sure all these have been dealt with in the recommendation of this report,” he said.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

18 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

18 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

18 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Trending