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BOI, UNIDO Partner On Rural Electrification

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10 years ago

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The Bank of Industry (BOI) has reiterated its commitment to partner with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on the rural electrification project for communities across the country.
In a statement by the bank recently, its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Rasheed Oladuwa, said the initiative of the rural electrification was aimed at complementing the efforts of government in its bid to explore other sources of power generation within the energy mix in the country Olaoluwa said the bank has concluded necessary arrangements to secure licence for solar power generation in rural communities across the country, stressing that the move by BOI to provide light, to rural communities was aimed at helping small businesses grow in the rural areas.
He said as part of the plan to achieve the BOI noble objective, the bank has already opened talks with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) through the Ministry of Power to secure approval for the project.
The BOI boss added that the Ministry of Power has already taken the lead through its effort of commissioning of three projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Light Up Nigeria Initiative, stressing that the initiative would further encourage private sector operators to look up to having lucrative businesses.
He said BOI as a development bank plays the role of a catalyst to ensure the diversification of the nation’s economy, stressing that the bank is taking a lead in encouraging the private sector to look at a particular area of the energy mix and key into it.
The BOI boss explained that the bank’s renewable energy programme is in partnership with UNIDO to encourage off grid rural energy projects, stressing that the pilot scheme would kick off with six communities across the country very soon.
He said the concept was for huge power generation capacity but the ability to demonstrate to financial institutions that off grid solar energy is a viable venture of commercial value to the private and public sectors.

 

Philip Okparaji

Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi; Executive Vice Chairman, North-south Power Company Limited (SHIRORO), Mr Olubunmi Peters and Head of NERC Media, Mr Michael Faloseyi, at a News Conference after the monthly meeting of NERC Chief Executive Officers in Abuja, yesterday.

Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi; Executive Vice Chairman, North-south Power Company Limited (SHIRORO), Mr Olubunmi Peters and Head of NERC Media, Mr Michael Faloseyi, at a News Conference after the monthly meeting of NERC Chief Executive Officers in Abuja, yesterday.

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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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