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Borno Farmers Appeal For Fertiliser

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Farmers in Maiduguri and neighbouring communities have appealed to the Borno Government to assist them with fertilisers for this year’s farming season.

A cross-section of the farmers interviewed by our correspondent yesterday expressed frustration over their inability to obtain the commodity at government-subsidised rates.

Malam Isyaku Mamman, a farmer in Jere, told our correspodent that he had made several efforts to secure the nutrients without success.

“My crops are shrinking because they need fertiliser, but the commodity is not forthcoming.

“We went to enquire about the fertilisers at the state Ministry of Agriculture only to the directed to the secretariat of the local government council,” Mamman said.

He added that when he and other farmers got to the secretariat, they were asked to go to their various wards for the commodity.

“We were asked to go to our wards but when we got there, we were shocked to discover that government had provided only 10 bags for distribution at each ward.

“This is grossly inadequate because it cannot go round the farmers.”

Mamman expressed dismay that most farmers had been forced to buy the commodity in the black market at exorbitant rates.

“The government rate is between N1,800 and N2,000 per bag of NPK and Urea brands of fertiliser, but at the black market the price is almost double.

“Government is not serious about making the commodity available to farmers at the grassroots.”

Another farmer, Zakari Ahmed, echoed Mamman, saying the government had always made promises of providing fertilisers to farmers without fulfilling such.

“Year in year out they come to us and make empty promises of providing fertiliser at a cheap rate but they always fail to fulfil the promises.

“Even when they supply the commodity, it always arrives very late when it is no longer useful to farmers.”

In his reaction, Alhaji Zanna Konduga, the Secretary of the agriculture ministry, denied allegations of inadequate supply of fertiliser made by the farmers.

Konduga said the government distributed no fewer than 10 truck-loads of the commodity to each local government for onward distribution to farmers.

“The fertilisers were highly subsidised by the government in its bid to ensure bumper harvest this year.

“In addition, a committee was set up by the government to ensure that the commodity gets to real farmers in the villages.”

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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