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Ebonyi Releases N1.5bn For Pension, Gratuity Arrears

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8 years ago

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The Ebonyi State Government last Thursday has released N1.5 billion to settle arrears of workers’ pension and gratuities accruing from October.2, 2016 to June 6, 2017.
Senator Emmanuel Onwe, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, disclosed this in a statement in Abakaliki, recently.
According to him, the decision was sequel to a report submitted by the committee on verification of workers’ pensions and gratuities to the state executive council.
“The council has authorised the release of N750 million for the payment of pension and gratuity arrears of retired state civil servants.
“The council also authorised the release of N750 million for the payment of the pension arrears and gratuities of local government workers,” he said.
The commissioner said that Governor David Umahi, had directed all eligible beneficiaries to proceed to the Deputy Governor’s Office for verification and to ensure that the payments were disbursed with dispatch.
“The council also deliberated on the deepening economic recession in the country and resolved to expand the state government’s empowerment programme.
“This is to meet the growing economic challenges faced by the ordinary citizens, particularly the most vulnerable in the society,” he said.
Onwe said that government would release funds for the ongoing economic empowerment for over 2,000 widows across the state last Monday.
“The widows would be given N200, 000 following the concluded report of the verification exercise conducted by the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Religious and Welfare Matters which has been presented to Council.
“The widows’ empowerment programme has also been expanded to accommodate additional 2,000 widows who will be selected, verified and paid the sum of N200, 000 each by October, 2017,” he said.
Onwe said that, the N1billion budgeted for empowerment of 4,000 eligible persons of the state was still being disbursed by the Ministry of Empowerment and Job Creation.
He said that over 1,000 persons had already applied and collected grants of N250, 000 each.
“Beneficiaries who meet the criteria should expect to be paid with effect from Monday, August 21 as the relevant ministry will announce and publish the names of recipients of the grants at the conclusion of the disbursements.
“The state government in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI), has inaugurated a Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Fund of N4 billion operated by the bank for companies and cooperative societies.
“The beneficiaries with business plans, would access loan facilities ranging from N1million to N100 million to either commence or expand small scale or medium scale enterprises.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 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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23 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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23 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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