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Onne OMT Port Acquires 2 Cranes For Container Haulage 

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9 months ago

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Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT), a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI), has commissioned two new mobile harbour cranes at the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), in Onne, Rivers State.
The two cranes are part of the state-of-the-art container freight haulage to offer value-added services for importers and exporters.
The investment totals $25 million, with the harbour cranes being imported from Germany, each with capacity of delivering 25 tons of containers per hour and an outreach of 20 containers across.
These mobile harbour cranes are the biggest ever deployed in a Nigerian port and will set a new standard by allowing larger vessels than ever to call Nigeria.
Speaking during the commissioning at the quay area of OMT Terminal at FOT, the Managing Director of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, represented by the Onne Port Manager,  Abdulrahmon Hussain, commended OMT for their investments.
He noted that in recent years OMT has improved tremendously  and shown its commitment to improve Nigeria’s economy.
“This is a big victory for the company, for NPA, and for the Nigerian economy. You see what OMT has done. The two Harbour Cranes will bring in more businesses to the country, more revenue to FG,  to investors and to others”, Hussain stated.
He said the dogged determination of OMT to continue investing in state-of-the-art equipment, to ensure ease of business, is in line with the policy drive and vision of NPA Managing Director, Dantsoho who, on visiting OMT, had emphasised continuous port investments to enhance smooth operations of the port and boost FG revenue.
The Onne Port Manager also spoke on the need for collaboration between investors, government agencies, importers, agents and other stakeholders or agencies.
 “I want to thank OMT Management again for this bold step in increasing your investment capacity in the Maritime/Blue Economy”, he said.
 According to him, with this kind of investment, if emulated by other operators, Nigeria’s economy will boom, and become a maritime hub in the Sub-African region.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Onne Multi Purpose Terminal, Mr. Jacob Gulmann, thanked NPA for its pro-active and strong leadership in developing the blue economy and the role of Nigeria Customs, NDLEA, Agents, Importers, Communities and other stakeholders for their contributions to the shipping industry.
He particularly thanked OMT shipping line customers, MSC and PIL, Nigeria’s end-customers (the importers and exporters), and agents for their show of support and patronage saying, “Without you, none of us would be in business. So, we wish to say a big thank you to all of you”.
The MD said the introduction of the new cranes for OMT operations is a major milestone: “these cranes are the biggest mobile harbour cranes operating across Nigerian ports and they will allow our customers, MSC and PIL, to bring in the largest vessels to call Nigeria”.
In their separate speeches, Mike Ebeatu of Association of Nigerian Licences Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chairman, Onne Sea Port Chapter, thanked OMT for its continuous investments: “the right equipment will improve vessel dwell time and check-mate demurrage”.
Chief Commercial Officer for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Udi Goldberg, and Chief Commercial Officer for Pacific International Lines (PIL), Olawunmi Akinyemi, both complimented OMT on the large-scale investments in equipment and warehousing which they see as another indicator of ICTSI’s commitment to their customers.
 Customs Deputy Controller of Admin, represented by Customs Area 11 Controller, Onne Seaport, Mohammed Babandede, said Customs are happy with OMT, for procuring 2 additional harbour cranes.
“We are not surprised. What we are seeing here today is an organization – OMT – that decides to be serious and committed to addressing operational challenges. You did it, not only for your benefit, but for the benefit of all Nigerians “, Customs Controller, Babandede stated.
Also, a warehouse built and completed for stacking and storing of materials by OMT was commissioned by Customs Area 11 Controller, Mohammed Babandede, who was represented by Deputy Controller Admin, C. C Nwokorie.
Among dignitaries that attended the event were Ports Authority Police DPO, Onne Port, prominent Bonded Warehouse Chief Executives, including Kingso, Godify.
In an interview, Chief Odigbo Blais Chigozie, CEO of Great Focus, congratulated OMT on the two acquired harbour Cranes.
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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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