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Travel Agents Want Foreign Airlines To Stop Airfares Restrictions

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The umbrella body of travel agents in Nigeria, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), has urged foreign airlines operating in Nigeria to unblock cheaper airfares on their Global Distribution System in Nigeria, so as to reduce the burden of high ticket prices on the travelling public.
NANTA stated that it was worrisome that after the release of $265 million blocked funds to the foreign carriers by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the foreign airlines were yet to remove the restrictions placed on the ticket inventories, a development they said had made many Nigerian travellers to buy tickets at exorbitant prices.
NANTA in a release through its  President, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, which was made available to Aviation correspondents, said the situation was becoming more unbearable for the Nigerian travelling public.
“It is sad that Nigerians have to buy tickets to the tune of N3 million to N4 million and be charged as high as N1 million to change travel dates even on tickets bought before this problem started.
“This is unacceptable, exploitative, and hostile to the survival of Nigerian aviation downstream sector and for which we call for sanity and return to the best inventory practices and deployment”, the president said.
The NANTA’s position is coming barely two weeks after the CBN released $265 million out of the $464 million trapped funds of foreign airlines in Nigeria.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had advised the Federal Government of Nigeria to allow airlines to repatriate their ticket sales proceeds in order to enhance air connectivity and boost economic growth. The development made the Nigerian government to release over 50 per cent of the trapped funds in Nigeria.
Following the development, stakeholders in the travelling public expected foreign carriers operating in the country to remove the restrictions they had placed on cheaper fares on the Nigerian routes.
Unfortunately the airfares on the Nigerian routes have remained on the high side, and this has forced many Nigerians to go to neighbouring countries to fly to Europe, North America, Middle East, Asia and other destinations.
The NANTA President in a statement said “Indeed, the delay in the repatriation of funds belonging to foreign airlines in the country assumed an embarrassing scenario when IATA bared its fangs and labelled our country a debt-bearing nation, which brought us knocks to no end.
“As you are aware, NANTA embarked on empathy visits to all the foreign airlines to share in their pains and rob minds on engaging the government through the Ministry of Aviation and the Central Bank of Nigeria, to readily find solutions to payment and release of the trapped funds.
”In between these strangulating circumstances, the airlines withdrew lower inventories across board, selling at the highest possible openings as a way to cushion their funds being trapped.

By: Corlins Walter

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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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