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Traders Task Northern Govs On Power Plants

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5 years ago

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The Market Traders Association of Nigeria (MATAN) has called on Northern Governors to establish power plants in their states, to boost commercial activities.
The association’s National President, Jamilu Abbas, made the call in Kano, yesterday at the swearing in of the new executives of the Kano branch of the association.
Abbas said if the governors could establish such power plants, they would contribute a lot towards improving business and commercial activities in their respective states, and the country in general.
Abbas said,: “Since Kano is the commercial centre of the West African countries, we saw it necessary to inaugurate our chapter here, so that we can see how challenges of traders will be handled.
“Therefore, I am calling on the new leaders to do everything possible to bring out the traders from their current challenges, especially the small business operators or women conducting their businesses from home.
“We are also appealing to the state government to also slash the tax collected from traders across the state, considering the hardship they found themselves occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The state’s Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Barr. Ibrahim Mukhtar, said business operators from across the world were always welcome to Kano.
According to him, there are business people from various states and countries in the state, a situation that had contributed to boosting the state’s commercial activities.
“There are great achievements in the area of commercial activities in the state, therefore, the new leadership of the traders should use the opportunity given to them to bring more development to the sector.
“I also call on you to respect your differences with the government and the public to ensure the development of the sector and so as to get government’s support.” He said.
In his remarks, the newly elected MATAN Chairman, Kano state chapter, Abba Aminu-Imam, said the association was the first to have members drawn from the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja.
He said the state’s chapter would be decentralised to the 44 Local Government areas of Kano state, assuring that it would work closely with the state government, to boost commercial activities in the state.
Aminu-Imam also called on the Federal Government to provide intervention funds to revive moribund and ailing industries in the state, assuring of his commitment to bring lasting solutions to the problems confronting commercial activities in the state.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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20 hours 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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20 hours 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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20 hours 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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