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Power Minister Assures On Fixing National Grid, Metering

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Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has promised to fix the challenges affecting the national grid, and also meter all households in Nigeria.
Adelabu, who stated this during his inaugural address after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swore him in on Monday, said his vision for the Ministry of Power is rooted in leveraging the Nigerian Electricity Act of 2023, “which has opened new avenues for power provision and encourages collaboration between public and private sectors”.
Adelabu vowed to fix the numerous challenges associated with the national grid and pay attention to the option of renewable energy

“A significant goal is the universal metering of households and addressing the challenges our national power grid faces. We will equally pay critical attention to the options of renewable and alternative energies”, he said.
The Minister said the Ministry of Power under his leadership will foster robust partnerships between the private and public sectors and build upon the foundation laid by his predecessors.
“We will build upon the foundation laid by our predecessors and diligently work to fulfill the aspirations of our fellow citizens.
“Our aim is to empower Nigerians through reliable and accessible power, ensuring that every home, industry, school and business benefits from our efforts” he stated.
Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), further stated that technology and talented youths will be leveraged to achieve the desired objectives.
“As much as possible, we would leverage the power of technology and the bursting energies of our talented youths to achieve our desired objectives”, he said.
He continued that “Key to our success will be an unwavering dedication to efficiency and collaboration. We will foster robust partnerships between the private and public sectors, working collectively to enhance the nation’s economic and social well-being.
“Our focus will extend to aspects of life that truly matter: from households to small businesses, educational institutions to massive industrial productions, and beyond.
“As much as possible, we would leverage the power of technology and the bursting energies of our talented youths to achieve our desired objectives.
“This would be pursued by ensuring robust handshake between the Ministry’s ICT apparatus and the emerging technological ideas of young Nigerians to accelerate the envisaged transformation.
“Through this, we are convinced we will deliver services that would match the speed and values that the 21st century economy demands”.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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