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32m Nigerians To Face Acute Hunger Hunger, June – August – IRC

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32 million Nigerians will face acute hunger in the lean season between June and August 2024, according to the latest report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
The report noted that 16 per cent of Nigeria’s population will suffer from acute food hunger between June and August, surpassing the value recorded in the same period of 2023.
Nearly 52 million people in the 17 countries analysed in Western and Central Africa, including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo, are projected to face severe food hunger in the period under review.
“Looking ahead, the projected outlook for the period June-August 2024 appears even more severe: nearly 52 million people across the 17 analysed countries are anticipated to face phases three to five during the lean season of June-August”, the report said.
The lean season is usually characterised by declined food production. However, Nigerians will face an unusual decline this year, according to the IRC report.
“Delving deeper, six out of the 17 countries, including Nigeria, are expected to have over 16 per cent of their analysed population in a crisis or worse situation during June-August 2024”, it added.
Northern Nigeria, especially Sokoto, reveal unacceptable high levels of wasting in children under five years and acute malnutrition among women between 15-49-year-old.
“In Northern Nigeria, and Senegal, admissions for severe wasting increased by 16 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022”, it stated.
The report said inadequate access to food production areas affected by Nigeria’s insecurity prevalent in the country’s agricultural sector, further escalates this food scarcity dilemma.
“Persistent conflicts and economic challenges amplify food and nutrition security crisis  in West and Central Africa”, the international report stated.
It noted that “prices of essential cereal staples continue to increase, with increments ranging from 10 to over 100 per cent”, implying that Nigeria’s rising food inflation is also a driver of the projected 32 million people who will grapple with acute hunger between June and August.

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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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