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Nigeria Will Lose $1.3Trn To EPA – MAN

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9 years ago

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Nigeria may  lose up to
1.3 trillion dollars in revenues if it signs the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said.
The association’s view is contained in a statement, issued by its President, Mr Frank Jacobs, in Lagos on Monday.
The Tide source reports that EPA is a free trade deal between Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and European Union.
The Committee of  Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS endorsed EPA in July 2014 and opened it for signature by member states.
But in spite of being beneficiary to the letters of EPA, including a  6.5 billion pledge by the EU to support infrastructure development in the ECOWAS region in a  2015 to 2020 programme, Nigeria is one of three states yet to sign the document.
Other ECOWAS states yet to sign the deal are Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Nigeria fears that the deal may undermine its economic interest considering that it involves two regions with unequal economic strengths.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo in June during the 49th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS in Dakar, said that the government would consult key players, such as MAN, before deciding on the agreement.
Jacobs said “Nigeria should at this time look at ways we can come out of the economic recession by generating more foreign exchange from exports instead of signing such agreement.
“We totally oppose signing if the agreement because it will stifle the Nigerian market and hinder the government’s effort at industrialisation with finished items from European countries.
“As an estimate, Nigeria can lose up to 1.3 trillion dollars if the partnership is signed.
“The nation currently lacks the technology to produce finished goods with its commodities where it has comparative advantage, signing the EPA will stifle all these efforts.
“The markets will be further choked with products that will cause undue competition to the existing locally manufactured products, and we currently lack the capacity to flood the European market with our own products.”
He further said that the EPA would stifle the informal trading sector which included the major population.
Jacobs said that all manufacturers were opposed to Nigeria signing  EPA because the country generally lacked capacity to compete with Europe.

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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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