Business
22 Communities Ask Ikeja DisCo For Disconnection

Angered by “monthly crazy bills”, 22 communities in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, have written to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, asking to be disconnected.
In a letter dated February 18, entitled: “Request for de-loading of transformers in our communities” and signed by chairmen of 22 Community Development Associations, CDAs, in Ward E4, Ikorodu North, the communities stressed that they were tired of paying outrageous bills monthly.
The letter reads: “We wish to humbly request the immediate de-loading of the 13 transformers in the 21 communities in our areas by your organisation.
“This is as a result of the blatant refusal of IKEDC to look into several representations on issues connected with your services at various offices of your organisation – Adamo, Imota, Ikorodu and IKEDC headquarters without success.
“For the records, our organisation is the body representing all Community Development Associations, CDAs, in Ward E4, Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area, Ikorodu.
“And it is an indisputable fact that we have written several times to your organisation on these matters, which include estimated billing, poor services and pre-paid meters without any headway.
“Even when we had a meeting brokered by the Divisional Police Officer of Imota, with your officials on these issues, following a protest last year, nothing concrete came out of the exercise, especially on estimated billing, as the problem remains the same.
“As you read this, our people are being billed unjustifiably. Even those who are allotted just two weeks of unstable power cannot believe what they are been billed.
“Meanwhile, all efforts to ensure that pre-paid meters are made available to our people have not yielded a positive result, due to the nonchalant attitude of your organisation.
“This is both wicked and callous, to say the least.
“Against the backdrop of these developments and your brazen insistence on a master-servant relationship, we wish to request that your organisation de-loads the 13 transformers in our commu-nities and subsequent stoppage of electricity bills.
“We cannot afford to be slaves to any group or organisation of any kind any longer, hence the need to severe, as a matter of urgency, any relationship existing between IKEDC and our communities forthwith.”
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Business
Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons
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.
Business
NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years
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.
Business
FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year
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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