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Nigeria Expects 42 Foreign Investors, Feb – Minister

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9 years ago

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The Minister of Agricul
ture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said on Monday that 42 foreign investors from different European countries are being expected to invest in Nigeria by February, 2017.
Ogbeh, who disclosed this at a news briefing in Abuja, said that the development was the outcome of the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari and his team to Germany and Rome, recently.
He said the investments were expected in agriculture, food processing, solar-power supply, ceramic tiles and building materials.
According to him, there will be a delegation of the European Union by February, 42 investors are coming for different areas of investment.
“A good number of them in agriculture, food processing, some in power supply with emphasis on solar energy for rural areas, ceramic tiles, building materials.
“We do not have the figure of how much they will invest yet,’’ he said.
The minister said that the Federal Government would, henceforth, provide official security in farms, industries of those investors to encourage foreign investments and economy diversification.
According to him, during the visit, the Federal Government delegation decided to extend cooperation amongnations to learn from their experiences so that we can increase local production.
Ogbeh said that the issue of malnutrition in Nigeria was extensively discussed at a food and agriculture meeting in Rome during the visit.
He expressed regrets that rural-urban migration was a major contributor to low milk production in cattle, hence the increase in malnutrition in children.
The minister explained that the Federal Government was working toward setting up grazing reserves to boost milk production in cattle.
“We want to learn from Brazil. Brazil has over 205 million cows which make production and processing of milk easier for them.
“In Nigeria, we have only about 15 million cows and these cows are mostly males. The females in them do not drink enough water to produce adequate quantity of milk.
“It means that we have a lot of work to do to increase the production of milk,’’ he said.
Ogbeh appealed to Nigerians to imbibe the habit of eating healthy foods to reduce malnutrition especially in children.
“We eat a lot of carbohydrate in this country. We must make changes, learn how to eat well to reduce our medical bills,’’ he advised.

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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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