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BPE To Concession Lagos Int’l Trade Fair Complex, Others

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The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), has disclosed plans to concession four of the Federal Government enterprises, soon.
The Head of Public Communications in the bureau, Amina Othman made the disclosure in a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday.
According to her, the enterprises are Tafawa Balewa Trade Fair Complex, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex (LITFC), Calabar Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Kano Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
She also said that an International Investors’ webinar to showcase investment opportunities in the four enterprises was slated for Tuesday, February 23 by 10am.
“The webinar is in line with the new mandate of BPE as contained in a new Federal Government circular.
“It gives the bureau the responsibility for the concession of public enterprises and infrastructure already listed in the first and second schedules of the Public Enterprises Act.
“Acting on behalf of the Federal Government as the counterparty on all infrastructure projects being developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis.”
Othman said that the one- day event would provide a platform for prospective investors to leverage on the vast opportunities in the aforementioned enterprises in line with international best practices.
She added that the virtual event would attract embassies, high commissions, trade missions, multilateral and bi-lateral commissions, identified investors, ministries, state governors, sister agencies and the presidency.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo is expected to give the keynote address, she added.
The Tide recalls that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo had in December 2020, clarified the roles of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) engagements.
He said that the circular issued stipulated that the BPE would act on behalf of the Federal Government as a counter-party of all the infrastructure projects being developed on PPP basis.
For the ICRC, he said it would serve as the regulatory agency for PPP transactions with powers to inspect, supervise and monitor the projects and processes in order to ensure compliance with relevant laws, policies and regulations.
“So it is expected that this new policy direction will provide clarity to stakeholders and foster the improvement of PPP programmes in the country, he had said.

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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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