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Senate To Give 2014 Budget Priority, Resumes, Tuesday

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12 years ago

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The Chairman, Senate
Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang has said that  the Senate would treat the 2014 Appropriation Bill, as a matter of priority, on resumption.
Speaking with newsmen  in Abuja last Thursday, Enang said this was to enable the country have a budget to work with.
“We will give priority to the 2014 Appropriation Bill when we resume. This is urgent because as at today, the 2013 Appropriation Bill has effectively, conclusively and irreversibly lapsed.
“As a result, there is no budget to be implemented in the country since we did not, within the life time of that budget, amend it to extend its life span beyond December 31, 2013, as  it becomes very urgent that we should consider and pass the 2014 Appropriation Bill so that the machinery of government can run well,’’ Enang said.
It would be recalled that the life span of the 2012 budget was extended to March 2013 but that of 2013 was not extended.
He also said that the issue of the constitution amendment would be in the fore front to enable the senate dispense with it and face other issues.
“We will also give priority to concluding the amendment to the 1999 Constitution which the senate started and passed a different version with the House of Representatives.
“We have to meet and harmonise so that we will have one document to send to the Houses of Assembly so as to start having returns.’’
According to Enang, the senate will also treat the issue of the electoral act with urgency in order to quickly amend the necessary sections that will affect the 2015 elections.
He added that the amendment was to allow INEC to prepare properly.
“Another issue that will be of priority is the electoral act because there are several proposed amendments, so, we will give priority to that for INEC’s preparation for the 2015 elections.
“Some of these amendments touch on issues of nominations in political parties which are expected this year.’’
The lawmaker also gave the assurance that the senate would conclude work on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to ensure that it is passed before the heat of the elections.
According to him, 2014 is a year of a lot of politicking adding that the senate will be committed to considering sensitive bills, on time, to allow legislators devote time to their parties.
“This year we will be very serious about timing and consideration of sensitive bills, this is because in the course of the year, there will be a lot of politicking.
“Since legislators are all products of political parties, it will be good to allow legislators share time between lawmaking and their political parties.’’
The Rules and Business chairman added that 2014 was a peculiar year adding that the senate would treat it with all the seriousness it deserved.

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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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