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Taxi Colour: Drivers Violate Govt’s Order In Rivers

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11 years ago

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Despite warnings by  the
    Rivers State Ministry of Transport’s Commercial  vehicles  Standardization Taskforce and the Rivers State Road Traffic Management Authority (TIMARIV), directing all commercial  vehicle owners to paint their vehicles in the state approved  colours of sky blue and white , some drivers have  continued  to violate the order with impunity.
The Tide gathered  that most commercial vehicle operators  with unpainted  vehicles have remained adamant and refused  to  paint their   vehicles  as they hide  under the guise  of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and co-operative unions and so on.
It was learnt that some  private vehicles  which also engage in commercial operations (Kabu-Kabu) claimed that they use their vehicles for commercial transportation in order to help   stranded  passengers on the road.
But our correspondent further gathered that the  order by the commercial vehicles  standardization project of the   ministry of transport was aimed at properly  regulating the commercial  transport  sector as well as to enhance security in the state.
According to them, their directive  was to  ensure that all commercial vehicles in the  state are captured into the  electronic  database  of the ministry  for easy tracking, monitoring and management of enforcement on  vehicles   in the  state and also be issued  an MOT route  number  and a tracking  number in times of emergency security situations.
The Ministry stated that with the development, quacks and “kabu-kabu’ operators are totally eliminated  as they continued to constitute  nuisance and disregard road transport regulations of the commercial  transport sector, while they pose as threat to security in the  state by their non-registration  with the minister.
It was also gathered that the state government had earlier warned that any driver  operating contrary  to the order  which is contained  in the Rivers  State Road  Traffic  Law No. 6 of 2009 commits a traffic  offence and must be  penalized.
On this premise, the state ministry of transport and the Road Traffic  Management Authority (TIMARIV) had earlier  urged all commercial operators to comply to ensure security of  lives of passengers as well as to promote fast and easy identification of commercial vehicles and their  operators in the state.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get reaction from the  Commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari and the  Controller General of TIMARIV, Eke  Confidence proved abortive.

 

Storoes by Collins Barasimeye

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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