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FG Earmarks N450bn Power Intervention Fund 

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The Federal Government is set to spend N450billion on power interventions in 2024.
This is according to the budget analysis of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company. Under the firm’s capital expenditure, N450billion was budgeted for “FGN Power Intervention Fund”.
The Government-Owned Enterprise’s expenditure intends to spend a total of N454.81billion in 2024.
N2.44billion will be spent on personnel costs, N2.36billion will be spent on other recurrent costs, N580million on general travel and transport, N15million on utilities, N110million on materials and supplies, N210.75million on general maintenance services, N34million on other services, N60m on fuel and lubricants, N40million on financial charges, N576million on miscellaneous, and N736.51million on supplementary overhead.
Most of the firm’s spending would be on power intervention funds in the New Year. As of May 2022, the Federal Government’s intervention fund to electricity distribution companies rose to N2.9trillion.
According to The Tide’s source’s report, the N2.9trillion is the total funding extended to the sector since privatisation in 2013. The Federal Government has consistently intervened in the power sector.
In 2017, the Federal Executive Council approved N701billion as Power Assurance Guarantee for the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company for two years to pay the generation firms.
In 2019, the government announced that the power sector was going to get another intervention of N600billion. The same year, the Market Operator, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Edmond Eje, stated, “At this stage I’ll tell you that it is for the market.
“If the money is injected into the Gencos, it is for the market; if it is injected into the Discos, it is for the market. It is generally for the shortfall in the payment of monthly invoices”.
Despite these intervention funds, the power sector has been besieged with many grid collapses. As at October 2023, the House of Representatives stated that it was set to probe all financial interventions by the Federal Government in the power sector in the past 10 years.
It said the investigation would cover over $1.25billion injected into the sector by the government since the 2013privitisation till date.
A House of Rep member, Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos), said while moving the motion, “The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission performance as an industry regulator is questioned for its ability to move the industry forward and eliminate illiquidity.
“The Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry faces threat due to the poor performance and transparency of DISCOs and the NERC’s inability to sanction erring stakeholders”.

 

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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