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Fuel Shortage:Passengers Stranded At Lagos BRT Depots

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Hundreds of passengers were stranded a t various bus terminus in Lagos yesterday due to fuel shortage at Lagos BRT depots.
The Tide source reports that many passengers were seen at early hours waiting for the popular Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which were not immediately available.
Some of the commutters had to look for alternative means to transport themselves to their various destinations.
A BRT driver, who spoke to newsmen under anonymity, said that their operations were affected due to shortage of fuel at their depots.
“We are still expecting fuel supply to start operations; passengers have been stranded, waiting for us to start our operations.
“But we are hoping for the best, before the day runs out we will start our normal services,” the driver told reports.
A civil servant residing in Fadeyi area of Lagos, Mr Jimi Faleye, said that he was affected by the absence of the BRT operations, as commercial buses have used the opportunity to increase fares.
A trader on Lagos Island also explained that the delay in the BRT operation had increased her expenses for the day.
Bolarinwa said that commercial buses had capitalised on the crowd at bus terminals to double fares.
Public Relations Officer of Primero, the operator of BRT,Mrs Mosunmola Agbaje, explained that there was “little internal crisis” which the management was meeting to resolve.
Agbaje said: “Very soon the buses would roll out for operations.
“There is a little internal crisis which will soon be resolved because the management is working hard to resolve, but very soon the buses will roll out for operations.”
On the death of a school pupil on Monday, the spokesperson said that a committee had been set up to look into the issue, assuring that the outcome of the investigation would be made public.
The Tide source reports that most of the buses operated on Wednesday without air conditions functioning, with a lot of passengers stranded after the close of work.
Already, commercial buses have increased their fares from N200 to N400 from Ikorodu to CMS; N250 to Ketu, and N300 to Mile 12 from Ikorodu as against N100.

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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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