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Manufacturers Groan As Price Of Diesel Hits N520 Per Litre

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The organised private sector yesterday raised alarm that the current spike in the pump price of diesel to between N520 and N560 per liter would triple the cost of production and accelerate inflationary pressure on the economy.
The massive rise in the price of diesel is causing discomfort for manufacturers and businesses because they now rely heavily on it to power their generators following epileptic public power supply.
President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Michael Olawale-Cole, who spoke to newsmen yesterday on the prevailing high cost of diesel, said the escalation in the price of diesel would be a double jeopardy for manufacturers and portends a hard time that could even threaten their survival and competitiveness.
Olawale-Cole told newsmen that the prevailing prices of diesel, as well as current petrol scarcity “are totally unacceptable,” warning that “if we are not careful the economy and Nigerians will suffer for it.”
He attributed the trend in the domestic price of diesel to the rising price of crude oil in the international market, which is impacting on its landing price in Nigeria.
“The rising price of crude oil is part of it. The current scarcity of petrol is now influencing the diesel market.
“However, the answer to all these problems is to ensure that we are adding value to our crude oil here and stop depending on imported refined products. That is the solution and can be met by government showing commitment to ensure that our existing refineries are maintained and made to work.
“It is agonising that we are producing crude and exporting them abroad for refining and later import them at prices that we cannot afford. Naturally, this is going to affect inflation and add to the suffering of the people”, he said.
A member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), who spoke anonymously to newsmen yesterday on the prevailing high cost of diesel said: “We will suffer for this as we generate our own power at a very high cost of diesel whose price has climbed from N380 in December 2021 to over N400 in January and is now selling above N500.
“It will triple our cost of production because we use diesel to bring our raw materials to the factories; diesel is also used to power our manufacturing plants. In addition, we use diesel to distribute manufactured goods to all corners of the country.
“So, diesel is very significant to Nigerian manufacturing because there is insufficient supply of electricity to power our plants, which would have made a lot of difference. Moreover, some of us are not getting gas to power their plants due to pipeline vandalism”, he explained.
He also urged the government to fully deregulate the petroleum industry because deregulating the price of diesel while regulating the price of PMS would be counterproductive and would deny the country the investments that would enhance its refining capacity.
According to him, “local refining would not be an option as long as government is still regulating one of the products, which is PMS. Nobody will refine. We either deregulate completely or regulate all.”

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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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