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INTELS Reacts To Pilotage Agreement Termination Plan

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8 years ago

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INTELS Nigeria Ltd says the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) did not give the organisation room to address issues raised by the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the execution of its pilotage agency agreement.
INTELS’ spokesman, Mr Bolaji Akinola said this in a statement issued in Lagos last Tuesday in reaction to NPA’s insistence to terminate the pilotage agency agreement with the firm.
The Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Usman had told newsmen in Lagos that the organisation was in support of the advice of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Malam Abubakar Malami that the boats pilotage monitoring and supervision contract with INTELS be terminated.
Usman said that INTELS refused to comply with the directive to pay into the TSA.
Akinola said that the issues arose because the pilotage agency agreement signed in 2010, did not envisage the TSA and as such did not factor it in its implementation.
He explained that INTELS borrowed 1.4 billion dollars (N428.4 billion) from banks to execute the agreement with the understanding that the debt would be offset from monies realised from the pilotage services paid directly to the banks.
The INTELS spokesman said that series of meetings, letters and proposals on how to resolve the TSA imbroglio was rejected by the managing director of NPA.
He recalled that on May 5, INTELS sent a letter to NPA proposing the opening of a jointly-signed account between the company and NPA into which the boat service revenues would be paid.
Akinola said that the proposal, like many others was turned down.
He also faulted claims by NPA that the contract was terminated based on the advice of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
“At what point are revenues eligible to be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund?
“NPA acting on behalf of the Federal Government entered into a profit-sharing agreement with INTELS for 72 per cent of the revenue to go to NPA while 28 per cent is for INTELS.
“The objective interpretation of the Constitution should be that the revenue due to the Federation should be the 72 per cent due to NPA,’’ he said.
Akinola said that NPA could not fault INTELS in the execution of the contract, which was handled most diligently.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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9 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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9 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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