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Stakeholders Fault Passage Of PIB – Say 3% Derivation Disappointing

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4 years ago

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Stakeholders in the Niger Delta have faulted the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) passed by the House of Representatives, last week, saying it does not meet the expectations of the Niger Delta people. 
They alleged that the PIB, as passed by the federal lawmakers, has further given the multinational oil companies more advantages to exploit the system.
According to them, the petroleum law did not give the host communities the desired benefits.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Energy, Dr Peter Medee, while faulting the petroleum law, described the three percent oil revenue derivation approved for host communities by the House of Representatives as very disappointing. 
According to him, the slashing of the derivation from the 10 percent recommended by the state government to three percent approved by the House of Representatives was not encouraging.
Medee, while speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, last week, also noted that the petroleum law did not specify whether the three percent derivation is from the production profit or otherwise.
Sharing the same sentiment, a Niger Delta activist, Victor Amakiri, noted that the PIB so passed by the federal lawmakers favoured the multinational oil companies far above their host communities. 
He described the reduction of the oil revenue derivation from 10 to three percent for the host communities as disappointing.  
“In spite of efforts made in pushing this recommendation forward, it was disappointing to note that the 10 percent recommended, which was not even enough, was slashed down to three percent, which to me, will not impact meaningful development to the host communities”, he said.
Meanwhile, an operator in the oil and gas industry, Mr Tonye Wokoma, has also frowned at the slashing of the proposed 10 percent oil revenue derivation to three percent by the House of Representatives.
He said the action of the federal lawmakers showed that the Nigerian state was not yet ready to tackle the challenges of the Niger Delta region.
According to Wokoma, “what they are interested in is how to use the oil revenue in the Federation Account to explore oil in the North and Lake Chad basin, which was not used during exploration of oil in the Niger Delta”.

By: Corlins Walter

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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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