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Stanbic IBTC Bank Partners SAA On e-Ticket

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Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of the Standard Bank group, has partnered South African Airways (SAA) to launch an e-ticketing solution in Nigeria with a view to reducing cost to travelers and enhancing efficiency in air travel.

The platform, called ‘SAA Flexipay’, is an electronic ticketing solution built on Stanbic IBTC’s robust collection platform called collectplus. It entails – seamless process in which a customer can conveniently purchase a ticket and step into the plane, eliminating the queues and other logistical road blocks that typically accompany this activity.

The Standard Bank group, to which Stanbic IBTC belongs, has been offering electronic banking to its clients in South Africa and other countries in Africa for over 20 years. In south Africa, Standard Bank.

Bank has been voted by clients as the leader in electronic banking for the last 18 years. Stanbic IBTC brought this expertise to Nigeria through the launch of its online banking channel, called New Business online, in Lagos and Abuja.

Mrs Sola David-Borha, the Deputy CEO, Stanbic IBTC, said ‘the introduction of this e-tickting channel fits into Stanbic IBTC’s strategic focus of strengthening its universal banking franchise”.

He identified convenience and ease as major benefits to be derived from the solution as the customer will enjoy greater peace of mind guaranteed by the elimination of ticket collection and faster and automated check-in online or at airport stations.

SAA Flexipay is an internet based e-ticketing solution designed for agents and individuals for making payment for ticketing via Stanbic IBTC branches nationwide or through the Stanbic IBTC web. After the payment is made, the South African Airways staff are immediately alerted via email and they can log on to the SAA Flexipay to verify details of the payer, how much was paid, where payment took place, and the passenger name record (PNR). The ticket is released after confirmation and is sent to the agent or individual that made the payment. SAA Flexipay is powered by State-of-the-art technology and adheres to the highest levels of user friendliness.         According to the South African Airways Country Manager, Mrs. Thobi Duma, the product was designed with our esteemed customers in mind, so has to create a convenient and smooth travel flow process irrespective of when and where they are making the reservations and payments from. South African Airways recently increased its frequency from four to daily flights.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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