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Firm Remediates Koro Koro Tai Soil

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One of the companies handling the remediation of soil at HYPREP’s demonstration site in Koro Koro Tai Community in Rivers State, Vitruvian Global Resources Nigeria Limited has successfully completed its assignment, with a promise to do more to fully remediate and restore the Ogoni environment and the Niger Delta.
The company’s Director of Operations, Mr. Felix Barikor, who dropped the hint in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt said the company which started work at the demonstration site on August 11, 2017 was able to successfully remediate the soil after deploying its methodology and technology effectively.
He disclosed that when the company first arrived at the site, the technical pollution level was very high but expressed delight that the company has been able to reduce it to a very significant level.
As a proof, Barikor said some seedlings have already sprouted on the remediated soil, a fact, he explained, attests to the competence and capability of the company to effectively clean up impacted sites not only in Ogoniland but also the rest of the Niger Delta.
He said the company which is working in partnership with a United States company, Shear Force LLC is fully prepared to undertake the comprehensive clean-up of Ogoniland and the Niger Delta.
“By successfully remediating the soil at the demonstration site, I am assuring you that our company has the requisite methodology and technology to carry out the clean-up exercise”, Barikor said.
To buttress this point, the company’s Technical Director, Mr. Shekhar (Kofi) Ajmani said, “We have remediated the soil using our methodology. We are all very elated and happy to show this, with the cooperation of the HYPREP coordinating body. We are now waiting for HYPREP to take its samples. We also wanted to leave the soil like this, to allow the natural seedlings that are in the soil to see how they will grow.
And you can see on the remediated soil, we have some growth already. On the unremediated soil, you will not see any sort of vegetation or green leaf”.
Ajmani, who said he was involved with the methodology and mixing the application of the solution to remediate the soil, commended the Paramount Ruler of the area, HRM King Godwin Giniwa, the youths and the entire community for their support and cooperation.
Also, the company’s Technical Adviser, Mr. Curt Figols described the site as the most polluted, saying, remediating the soil in less than three weeks by the company was absolutely outstanding.
“This is the most polluted site because it was a spill container pit. To see this grass growing here is absolutely outstanding. It is an unbelievable thing that the natural seeds here have sprouted. I have never seen it happen before this very quick. And it shows that the proof of the pudding is in the eating”, he said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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