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NURTW Calls For Collaboration With Security Agencies

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The President, National Union
of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Yasin, has called for strengthened collaboration between the union and security agencies to fight terrorism.
Yasin made the call in Abuja in an interview with journalist. He observed that the collaboration would also ensure efficiency and safety in transportation sector.
According to him, there is need for understanding between the union and security agencies on possible deployment of security agents to various motor parks across the country to check crimes.
“With the presence of security agents in the parks, there will be a constant security check at the entrance of the parks and it will put confidence in the people.
“We are just a labour union, we are not trained to do security work or search people and it is the responsibility of the security agents who are trained in that aspect to do this.
“What union workers need to do is to be security conscious and vigilant to be able to detect suspicious movements and alert the security agents,’’ Yasin said.
Yasin, nonetheless, stressed the need for the relevant authorities to install security devices in the motor parks to complement the functions of security agents.
He also urged the union members across the country to be sensitive to security matters in their respective motor parks.
Meanwhile,  Alhaji Najeem Yasin, has said that the union will focus on reducing maternal mortality in the country through its Emergency Transport Scheme (ETS).
ETS is a scheme under the Maternal and Child Health project of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P MCH) for reducing maternal newborn mortality.
Yasin, said the scheme was aimed at reducing maternal child mortality through effective referral mechanism during emergencies in rural communities.
According to him, ETS is implemented through the participation of union members who serve as volunteer drivers to transport pregnant women experiencing maternal complications to healthcare facilities for quick medical attention.
He said since 2004, the union had been collaborating with development partners to implement ETS in northern parts of the country.
Nyasin said during the period, ETS drivers conveyed thousands of pregnant women in various emergency situations to health facilities freely or on payment of the cost of fuel.
“With this scheme, accessibility to health will be brought to the doorsteps of all pregnant women in the targeted areas.
“The need for ETS cannot be over-emphasised taking cognisance of the critical situation of many pregnant women, especially in the remote areas of the country.
“Such pregnant women die from preventable deaths not because of lack of doctors or equipment but due to delays in reaching heath facilities,” he said.
He said the move by National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) by providing financial support to NURTW to implement ETS would go a long way in bringing smiles to pregnant women and their families.
Union boss said the project would ensure that “no lives can be lost in the process of giving birth to our children.
“This will also greatly contribute towards attaining MDGs 4 and 5 which are reduction of maternal mortality and improvement in the health of children respectively.”
The Tide reports that the union on April 3 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NPHCDA for implementation of ETS.
The MoU was signed to carry out a six-month pilot ETS at selected SURE-P MCH facilities.
He said the facilities were in the FCT, Niger, Bauchi, Kaduna, Zamfara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Imo states.

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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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