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Association Plans Domestic Renewable Energy Initiative

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9 years ago

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National President, Sus
tainable Energy Practitioners Association of Nigeria (SEPAN), Dr Chidi Onuoha, says it will soon launch renewable energy initiative that will enable Nigerians to use the energy in their houses.
Onuoha said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He said that the association had secured green energy finance from a company when it attended African Carbon Conference in Kigali.
“The idea is for us to come to your houses and give you clean energy; you can pay back the money minimum from four to five years.
“The initiative will be mainly for workers who can pay back from their salaries.
“ We will start the process of implementation in six months time, ’’ he said.
In addition, he said the association would also support the Federal Government to generate 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy through its advocacy.
“There are so many opportunities from using renewable energy.
“Although there are issues of customs and tariffs, the technology is evolving, all those challenges make it look like the cost is that high.
“The cost is coming down right now because as technology improves, there is competition and the cost begins to come down.
“ Therefore it is a win-win situation for government and a big opportunity for Nigeria.’’
He, however, commended the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing for investment in renewable energy.
“The market for renewable energy is growing; it is coming up with the leadership position taken by President Muhammadu Buhari last year.
“Last three weeks, the Minister of Power signed a Private Partnership agreement with 14 developers in the renewable energy and power purchase.
“The idea is so that some of them will generate up to two Megawatts in the next two years.’’
He said that the government should formulate more policies that would make it utilise renewable energy potential in the country.
Citing the example of South Africa, he said that the country had a policy and it had been able to generate 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy.
“By 2020, they are looking at generating 10,000 to 20,000 megawatts.
“South Africa has data bank and what we are lacking here in the country is data bank.
“Thank God we are getting it right now; one thing is policy and another thing is the implementation.
“Another thing is the law backing it, investors cannot come and invest here, unless there is a law; we have a policy now.’’
Onuoha, a consultant to the National Assembly on Climate Change, said that National Assembly would soon come up with a law to back up renewable energy in the country.
“The critical thing is that we have a president who believes in Climate Change, who doesn’t see that Climate change is fallacious.
“ We want to make sure we will support the government; beyond framework, there should be a law backing it,’’ he said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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18 hours 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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18 hours 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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18 hours 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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