Business
NCC Defends N6.1bn SIM Cards Registration Budget
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says the N6.1 billion budgeted for the registration of SIM cards is to ensure comprehensive registration of telecoms users.
Mr Bashir Gwandu, Acting Executive Vice Chairman of the commission said this in an interview with newsmen over the weekend in Lagos.
He said the commission would require N120 to register one subscriber in view of the complexity of the exercise.
Our source recalls that the budget presented by the commission on July 15 to the House of Representatives for approval was rejected by the House on Thursday.
The amount, proposed in the 2010 budget of the commission, drew the ire of most members of the House when it was raised for consideration on the floor.
The lawmakers said it was unjustified for the NCC as a regulator to appropriate such amount for the exercise which they said was the sole responsibility of the network service providers.
Gwandu said the project entails comprehensive processes that would involve the crossing of rivers and going down to the remote villages to register the telecoms users.
The NCC chief said the process of registration would require capturing different features of faces of the existing over 78 million subscribers and their finger prints.
According to him, capturing of different features of the subscribers was more important than just capturing only the faces.
“Capturing these features will make it easier to catch anyone who uses the phone to perpetrate evil,” he said.
Gwandu said that the registration to be carried out by the regulatory body was more complex than what the telecoms operators were currently doing.
Business
Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons
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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