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Four StatesTo Enjoy Agip’s $50m Community Projects

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13 years ago

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Community projects in the

Nigerian Agip Oil Company’s (NAOC) operation areas of  Imo, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states, have been estimated to gulp $50million this year, following the upward review from the previous $30 million.

NAOC General Manager, Giovanni Salvini, dropped the hint last Saturday, at the presentation of the company’s joint venture gas facilities to members of the House of Representative’s House Committee on Gas Resources in Port Harcourt , during their facility visit.

He re-affirmed NAOC’s commitment towards improving the standard of living of the host communities in the four OML concession areas, in spite of the revenue sharing formula of NNPC 60%, Philips 20% and Agip 20%.

Salvani added that NAOC has reduced gas flaring up to 12% this year and intended to reduce it further to 7% by 2013.

The General Manager, however, noted that community and security issues have impeded projects and also affected the progress of work.

The  said include, inadequate funding to carry out projects, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) high level of indebtedness to the Independent Power Project (IPP) and the unstable grid limiting the output of IPP are issues that must be addressed. Also, facility and oil theft by vandals affects the production capacity and the economy in general, he noted.

In his response, the House Committee Deputy Chairman, Alphonsous Ironna, who represented the chairman, commended NAOC for supporting the federal government in the IPP Gas projects and urged them to step up their concern towards the electrification of the nation.

The lawmaker, advised the company to introduce a high technology device known as HDD to check the criminal acts of vandalization and oil theft, and assured that a bill will be passed to check any vandal who chose to perpetrate the act.

“As part of effort to maintain a peaceful co-existence, NAOC should live up to its social corporate responsibility, consult widely with the community stakeholders, obey MoUs and empower the youths in the area, he said.

Highlight of the visit was the site inspection of the IPP Gas plant at Obrikom in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government, Rivers State by the committee members.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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