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Fuel Scarcity: Civil Societies Threaten Protest Against NNPCL, Price Hike

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3 years ago

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Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Rivers State have threatened to stage a protest against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over its failure to supply Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol to government depots in the state.
Chairman of Civil Society Organisations in Rivers State, Mr Enefaa Georgewill, accused NNPCL of involvement in sharp practices by supplying PMS only to private depots in the state, instead of government depots, thus forcing marketers to buy the products at exorbitant prices.
Georgewill said NNPCL was causing untold hardship on the citizens, as marketers who bought the products at N280 from private depots end up retailing it at N350 per litre and above, to consumers.
He further alleged that his investigations revealed that NNPCL has been supplying to private depots at a higher price compared to what was expected.
“The question now is why is the NNPCL hellbent in distributing to the private depots rather than the NNPC depot in Okrika and Eleme axis of Rivers State?
“We call on the NNPCL to immediately make available fuel in Federal Government depots in Rivers State or face mass action,” he said.
He continued: “We use this medium to call on all our CSO affiliates, trade unions, traders, professionals, students and everybody to prepare for a protest next Wednesday 25th January 2023 by 9am at Isaac Boro park.
“The NNPC, which is the sole importer of fuel in Nigeria, has failed to provide fuel for the Federal Government depots in Rivers State, but rather supply fuel to private depots that is selling to Rivers people at a throat-cutting price of between N280 and N350 per litre.
“What is most annoying is that NNPCL is supplying fuel bought by the Federal Government with tax payers money to these private depots instead of government depots.
“To be clear, NNPC is supposed to, through its depots, sell to marketers at N148, while the marketers will in turn retail to Rivers people at N165 per litre.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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