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FCT Residents Advise Govt On Road Checks

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Residents and commuters
plying the Abuja-Keffi Road have called on the authorities to adopt modern techniques for security checks to allow free flow of traffic on the route.
The Tide reports that the military mounted security checkpoints along the road using manual checks to detect criminals.
This followed the April 14 bomb blast that occurred at Nyanya Motor Park, which claimed many lives and property.
Reacting to the development, motorists and commuters told journalists in Abuja that the manual check by soldiers was causing an unprecedented gridlock, resulting in the loss of man hours.
Mr Tony Okewu, a resident of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, located along the road, said the traffic jam was uncalled for as the government could afford modern security gadgets to detect bombs and other dangerous weapons.
‘The traffic is really hectic; the method of checking is analogue; government should get digitalised equipment that will easily detect explosives from afar,’’ Okewu said.
Another commuter, Mr Uche Njoku, decried the situation and asked: “For how long will we continue to suffer like this?’’.
Njoku, a civil servant, said that since the road block was erected on Thursday, he spent at least three hours daily to get to work.
Mrs Christiana Gimba, a resident of Nyanya, said that she paid N500 for ride on a motorcycle from Nyanya to AYA to escape the holdup.
“I had to pay N500 to a bike man from Nyanya to AYA so that I can get to the office on time. That was a huge risk I took because of the danger involved in plying a highway on a bike. It’s not funny at all.
“The situation now makes me spend double out of my budget because on a normal day N500 is my fare for the whole day,’’ Gimba said.
Another road user who was stuck in the gridlock, Ms Lucy Okere, described the situation as unfair, saying there were better ways to conduct such checks without causing such nuisance.
She advised government to seek external help or advice on how to tackle the security challenge without making the masses experience much difficulties.
The traffic jam, which spanned beyond Mararaba, caused some stranded commuters, to walk from Mararaba to AYA, a distance of 10km, to board vehicles to the city centre.
Some who ventured to ride on motorcycles paid triple the normal fares.

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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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