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Sylva Denies Hiding John Togo

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14 years ago

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Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has denied any link with the unrepentant militant leader, John Togo.

A press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Dofie Ola and made available to The Tide, described a newspaper publication that he was hiding the wanted militant leader as stemming from the imagination of political enemies who wished to strain his cordial relationship with the Federal Government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The attention of the Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency Chief Timipre Sylva, has been drawn to an irresponsible report in the Wednesday, 18 May 2011 edition of a national newspaper”.

“In the report, Mr. Ekpein Appah, Obubra Camp Administrator, for the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme, accused Governor Sylva of shielding fugitive militant leader, John Togo, in the safe confines of Government House, Yenagoa.

“Mr. Appah, a long-standing personal aide of former Presidential Adviser on Amnesty, Mr. Ndutimi Alaibe, went further to insinuate, without proof, that John Togo is kept in Government House, Yenagoa, so that he can be used to foment trouble, including attacking political opponents of the Governor.

“That report is unfair, irresponsible and disturbing. It is false in every material particular. Everyone who has followed the history of the Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta knows that Bayelsa State represents the foster-child of its success. It was Governor Sylva who sold the idea of the programme to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

“It is, therefore, unthinkable that the Governor would want to do anything to undermine a programme he has invested inestimable institutional and personal resources.

“Sylva has no reason, whatsoever, to shield John Togo or any wanted person from the law. No. The idea that John Togo is in Government House, Yenagoa, when he is not even from Bayelsa State, is simply laughable,” the statement said.

“But then, we understand the desperation of a few of our politicians and their paid and unpaid agents. For us, this report represents one in a series of coming reports by someone who is neurotic about being Governor of Bayelsa State, working covertly and overtly, to create disaffection between President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Governor Timipre Sylva. That way, he thinks he can fool Bayelsa people to vote for him in the April 2012 gubernatorial election. With God and the Bayelsa people solidly behind us, that satanic agenda will fail”.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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4 days 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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4 days 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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4 days 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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