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Ambode Wants Private Sector Collaboration To Improve Electricity Supply

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Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode of Lagos State called for private sector collaboration to make electricity more available for domestic and business purposes in the state, to achieve economic growth and development.
Ambode made the call at the inauguration of the Advisory Committee for the ‘Light Up Lagos Initiative’ at the Lagos House, Alausa Ikeja.
He said that the energy requirement for Lagos State was estimated at 5,000 megawatts, of which only about 1,000 megawatts was supplied.
“It is common knowledge that power supply is a major challenge we must address to achieve sustainable economic growth and development in the country and Lagos in particular.
“A mere 10 per cent improvement in power supply will directly increase the GDP of Lagos State by 20 per cent.
“Lagos State is more affected by the poor state of power supply because it accounts for over 60 per cent of the industrial and commercial activities in Nigeria.
“Our greatest impediments today are the low or non-investment in transmission capacity and high loss rate between generation and distribution.
“This administration has considered it expedient to constitute an advisory Committee on Power to guide in the development of a roadmap for reliable power supply in Lagos and foster collaboration between government and the private sector,” he said.
Ambode said that the ‘Light Up Lagos Initiative’, also encouraged individuals, private homes and corporate organisations to take up streets and roads of their choices and light them up.
He said that they could light the streets up with connections to their meters or generators.
The governor said that in return, government would make concessions to such individuals and corporate organisations in the payment of their annual Land Use Charges.
“In addition, they shall receive special commendation letters from the Governor,’’ he said.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Wale Oluwo,  said that the reform and upgrade of the power sector to ensure adequate power supply in the state prompted the inauguration of the committee.
“The state government must move to the next level of powering itself and this cannot be achieved without the collaboration of the private sector,” Oluwo said.
In his remarks, Mr Tope Shonubi, a representative of Ikeja Distribution Company, who also spoke on behalf of the committee, appreciated Gov. Ambode for involving the private sector in the initiative.
“We can blame the state of power supply on the fact that the generation, distribution and transmission companies have failed.
“We appreciate the governor for bringing the private sector and the government together to address the problem of power supply in the state.
“And one of the fruits of this collaboration is that the Egbin Power Plant will, from Jan. 12, 2016, generate 1,220 mega watts, of which 220 will be directed to Lagos State,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Light Up Lagos advisory committee is headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule.

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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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