Connect with us

Business

Users Score PH Airport Low On Infrastructure

Published

on

Stakeholders and users of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, have expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of infrastructure at the airport.
They argued that the present management had not done well in terms of maintenance and management of infrastructure at the airport.
A member of the Accredited Car Hire Association of Nigeria, Mr Emmanuel Di-ke, said he was unhappy with the way things were going on at the airport.
He noted that despite high charges collected from members of the association, the management of the airport could not put in place good infrastructural facilities like toilet at the airport.
He said the association had taken up the matter of poor infrastructure with the airport manager on many occasions to no avail.
“Nothing seems to be working at the airport in spite of the huge amount each of us pay to the management”, he said.
Also decrying the state of infrastructure at the airport, a travel agent, Mr Francis Imoh, said the rate of potholes on the airport road and darkness that usually enveloped the airport at night were frightening, alleging that the airport management had failed to address the issue.
“We say this is an international airport, but just drive here in the night, you will ask yourself if this is an airport, not to talk about an international airport.
“Potholes are all over the place causing traffic, but the manager is seeing all these, and the only thing he could do was to pour asphalts on the road, which is quickly getting spoilt again.
“What are they using all the money being generated here to do? The tollgate, and all the charges, yet the manager will say that there is no money, and everything we have here is what previous managers had provided”, he said.
Meanwhile, a protocol officer with one of the multinational companies, Chris Anuba, has alleged that the present management of the airport seems to be after making money without giving infrastructure at the airport a priority.
“Up till now, the open field is where both men and women use as convenience, in an airport like this, and we have a management, collecting money everyday.
“They have just increased the charges for our ‘On-Duty-Card, and I know how much my company has paid for that, yet you still see the airport environment in this form. People have been complaining, but nothing has been done to address these issues”, he said.

 

By: Corlins Walter

Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

on

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

on

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

on

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.
Continue Reading

Trending