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Alleged Extortion: Rivers FRSC Probes Staff

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7 years ago

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In line with the Federal Government’s zero tolerance to corruption, the Rivers State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says, it has placed members of its patrol team on the state’s stretch of the East-West Road under severe interrogation with a view to unravel the authenticity of an alleged report of the extortion and sharp practices in the area.
The sector command also says it has further placed Bori unit command under intensive monitoring based on The Tide’s report on alleged extortion and bribery of motorists in the area.
These were contained in a statement signed by the Rivers State Sector Commander of the Corps, Imoh Etuk and made available to the Tide in Port Harcourt last Friday.
The FRSC, whose attention has been drawn to this newspaper report over alleged extortion by staff of the corps from motorists said the sector command always remained resolute to adhere strictly to the provisions of the operational manual with a view to sanction staff who neglected or relegated their statutory duties to undermine quality service delivery to the nation.
“In line with the zero tolerance to corruption, the sector command has always ensured that internal mechanism of sustained surveillance activities were put in place to checkmate corrupt tendencies amongst non-conforming staff. As a matter of fact, one of such routine surveillance exercises was conducted on stretch of the East-West Road on Thursday 17th May 2018, a full patrol team from the Eleme Unit command has been recalled to the sector command where the members of the team are responding to questions regarding some noticed actions that were not in line with the operational manual.
“Based on intelligence reports, the command in its supervisory capacity has for some time now placed the Bori Unit Command under intensive monitoring with a view to establishing the authenticity of reports received bordering on alleged extortion. The sector commander remains resolute in that regard to ensure that the highest level of integrity is brought to bear on their duties by staff, especially during patrol operations,” the statement stated.”
The Command in the statement warned that any member of the corps caught in the act of bribery and extortion would be prosecuted in line with corruption law.
The sector command said that it always reminded staff of what was expected of them in the discharge of their statutory functions, reminding the staff on the negative implication, if it indulged in operational misconduct including extortion of money from motorists.

 

Enoch Epelle

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day 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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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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1 day 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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