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Three Die On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, As Customs, Smugglers Clash In Ogun 

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4 years ago

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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State has confirmed that three persons lost their lives in a lonely accident around Four Square Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at the weekend. 
The Ogun Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Ahmed Umar, told newsmen in the Ota area of the state that the accident happened at 6.50am.
Umar explained that the crash involved three males and a Mitsubishi Canter with number plate LAR 116XN.
He blamed the accident on excess speeding, which caused the vehicle to lose control and skidded into bush, leading to the death of all the males in the vehicle.
“The corpses of the victims have been deposited at FOS morgue, Ipara,” he said.
The sector commander described the crash as avoidable, advising motorists to avoid excessive speed and dangerous driving, and also to obey traffic rules and regulations.
Umar commiserated with the family of the victims and prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss. 
He also enjoined them to contact the FRSC Command in Ogunmakin KM27, for details of the crash and reclaim the property of the victims recovered from the scene of the accident. 
Meanwhile, scores of travellers were stranded for hours last Saturday in a traffic gridlock on the Abeokuta-Siun-Sagamu Expressway, Ogun State during a clash between officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and some suspected smugglers.
The travellers were stranded at Kobape junction via Abeokuta, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state. 
The Tide learnt that the customs officials attached to the NCS Federal Operating Unit  Zone ‘A’ Lagos,  were on the trail of the suspected smugglers trafficking foreign parboiled rice.
The operatives reportedly seized some of the smugglers’ cars loaded with bags of rice.
This action reportedly prompted the smugglers to mobilise themselves leading to a gun duel between them and the customs men.
It was gathered that the gun duel forced motorists on both sides of the expressway to park their vehicles and waited for over two hours until a contingent of security agencies comprising the army, police and Amotekun came around to disperse the smugglers. 

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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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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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