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NASS Insists On Appropriation Of COVID-19 Donations 

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5 years ago

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The leadership of the National Assembly has insisted that all donations from corporate Nigeria to mitigate the effects of the CORVID-19 pandemic should be in a single account.
The National Assembly also reminded the Presidential Task Force on COVID -19 that according to the Constitution, all funds from the public purse is to be expended in a manner prescribed by the National Assembly.
The leadership of the National Assembly took this position yesterday when it met with the Chairman of the CORVID-19 Presidential Task Force, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha and members of his team.
Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, commended the Presidential Task Force and said further: “We hear of donations made by various corporate organisations. But there is no coordination”.
He said he has information that corporate bodies have gathered up to N22 billion, adding “National Assembly, we have also made donations. I believe we must have a central body to receive and manage the funds.
“Whatever money has been raised by NNPC, the IOCs, everybody, should be in one account. Where the PTF should have a request, it should pass through us.”
The Senate President said a situation “where everybody is just collecting, will put us in a bad shape”.
He noted that in a situation whereby there is paucity of funds and the Federal Government is looking for N500 billion for intervention, the COVID-19 fund should be pooled together and spent in a transparent manner.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, apparently responding to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Hajiya Maryam, said people should not be emotional or personal when NASS demands questions on appropriations.
Uwais had said the inability of certain members of the National Assembly to include their personally selected candidates to be beneficiaries for the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs) was largely why the programme came under attack by Lawan and Gbajabiamila.
But Gbajabiamila said: , “It is to the National Assembly that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria assigns the authority to oversee appropriations from the public purse.
“The appropriation role does not terminate upon passage of the budget. It continues through oversight of disbursements from the federation accounts and implementation of funding priorities.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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