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Application Portal: Agents, Importers Accuse SON Of False Claims

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6 years ago

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Importers and freight forwarders have insisted that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) portal application collapsed for over a month, even as they accused the agency of misleading the trading public with false information.
This is coming barely three days after the SON debunked claims by some freight forwarders over a purported collapse of its online application portal for the operations of Conformity Assessment progr-amme, SONCAP, for processing of SON regulated imports into Nigeria.
A statement from the office of the Director General, Osita Aboloma, alleged that it was importers who failed to comply with the pre-shipment process that were crying wolf on accumulation of demurrage on their consignment.
In a statement signed by the Head, Public Relations, SON, Mr Bola Fashina, and made available to our correspondent in Lagos, SON said its portal was recently upgraded.
But maritime operators debunked the claim, saying it is a ploy by SON to cover up its shortcomings and incompetence.
According to some maritime operators who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos, the SON portal had collapsed since November 2019, and it was just in February 2020 that it was fixed.
Though SON agreed that it experienced breakdown, no detail was given as to how long it lasted.
It was gathered that the agency upgraded its portal without consulting the Nigeria Customs Service which in turn created technical hitches for freight agents to access its portal.
Speaking on the development, the President General Association of Air Freight  Forwarders and Consolidation (NAFFAC), Prince Bakare Adeyinka, in a chat with some journalists in Lagos, lamented that the system collapse had already led to demurrage at the ports.
Adeyinka maintained that the ugly development has affected the businesses of both importers and exporters in the international trade chain.
According to him, billions of naira has been lost to the system collapse since it began, stating that no agency of government has risen to the occasion.
He expressed fear that the demurrage accrued from the breakdown would lead to increase in the price of goods in the markets as importers would likely pass the extra charges to the final consumers.
“The SON network downturn has been an issue for more than three weeks now and has affected a whole lot of importers and exporters in the ports”, he said.

 

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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2 days 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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2 days 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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