Connect with us

Business

AGF Approves Police Pensions Account

Published

14 years ago

on

The Accountant – General of the Federation, (AGF), J.O Otunla, has approved the opening of the Police Pensions Office account.

In a letter dated August 9, 2011 to the Chairman, Police Pensions Office titled “Confirmation and Clearance to Open Accounts”, Otunla gave the Pension Office the go ahead to do business with some of the banks selected by the Police Office.

“With reference to your letter Ref.  No. PPO/OAGF/VOL.I/7 of 11th July 2011 on the retail banking relationship of your Agency”, the AGF said that he was pleased to convey “my confirmation and clearance of the underlisted banks- United Bank for Africa Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc”.

He stressed that the banks should be used for pension payment Accounts as indicated in the Police Office’s letter.

The AGF’s declaration may have faulted some reports that the Police Pension Account was placed in a private account.

According to reports from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Police Pension Office Account had been opened and signatories to the account appointed long before the Finance Minister and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy assumed office at the ministry.

The Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonji -Iweala, had on assumption of office in September 2011, stopped any transactions on the account.

In her testimony before the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment on State and Local Government Administration probing alleged corruption in the management of pension funds, she said a letter had been written to the banks to freeze the account because of the mismanagement of the fund.

“There are many anomalies with the management of pension funds and the transfer of accounts. We need to sanitise the system”.

In her letter to the heads of the financial institutions managing the fund to freeze the account, Okonjo-Iweala specifically said that the accounts should “remain frozen except for an amount to be authorised by me for the payment of pension benefits”.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

1 day ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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

1 day ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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

1 day ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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