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Stakeholder Urges Govt To Hands Off Business 

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3 years ago

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A player in the oil and gas sector of Nigeria’s economy, Dr Godswill Ihetu, has said that government should keep its hands off business, saying its interference is detrimental to the growth and sustainability of business.
Ihetu, an octogenarian who had been in the oil and gas sector since 1959, said this while speaking to newsmen at the 5th Nigeria Entrepreneurial Summit and Honours Foundation (NESH) Oil and Gas Roundtable Series in Port Harcourt.
Giving reasons for the huge unemployment indices in the country, in spite of having huge oil and gas reserves, Ihetu stated that the oil and gas sector does not actually employ a lot of people due to the way it is structured, noting that there were inputs from the industry, capable of creating employment if well managed.
According to him, “the industry itself does not employ many people, but there are inputs that are capable of creating employment in the economy, like the Ajaokuta steel plant, petrochemicals”.
He continued that the oil and gas businesses, in which the government had majority share and played managerial role, did not strive due to incessant hire and fire of top officers, adding that such constant removal of captains of such establishments would not allow for continuity of laudable projects.
“30 to 40 years ago, there was a pipeline sending gas to Ajaokuta plant. Can you imagine if that plant had succeeded, the number of people that would be employed? But that huge complex is lying waste and there are many such complexes scattered across the country that are not producing much”, he explained.
He observed that the private sector-driven companies such as Eleme Petrochemical, were doing well, “ but you come to government-owned establishment, you find that the ability to sustain those plants like the refinery is lacking, why?
“Government’s interference, government’s lack of support in making sure that these establishments were created. If the Port Harcourt refinery  was working it would create more jobs for the youths.
“So the oil industry itself is not one that creates a lot of jobs but the pinups from the industry, gas into petrochemicals, gas into power, gas into manufacturing create a lot of jobs.
“Unfortunately, some of those establishments that are government-run have not done very well”, he said.
He urged government to sell majority stake to private sector and let NNPC be a minority shareholder.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa

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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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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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