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Enhanced Nigerian E-Passport Excites High Commissioner to UK

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Amb Sarafa Isola, the Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has expressed delight at the rollout of the enhanced Nigerian e-passport.

He said that sooner than later, physical contact over passport issuance would be completely eliminated and overtaken by the enhanced e-passport.

Isola stated this during the rollout of the Enhanced e-passport on Tuesday at the Tafida Hall of the Nigerian Mission in London.

According to him, one of the essences of the introduction of the enhanced e-passport is crowd control, adding that it is preferred to the old system.

“We will deal online with the portals of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) for your passport requests.

“The only thing that will make you have contact with anybody whatsoever on passport issuance will be the enrollment of your biometric features.

“We want to again spread, as much as possible, to wherever a substantial number of Nigerians are., so that the requirement of people having to come here for that aspect of it will be greatly reduced if not totally eliminated,” Isola told scores of Nigerians present at the rollout ceremony”.

The roll-out of the enhanced e-passport followed similar exercise in Nigeria in January, 2019.

The Nigeria Immigration Service had decided to fine-tune the processing and production of the enhanced e-passport before its launching overseas.

In a goodwill message to the High Commission in London, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, noted that it was the first time the rollout was being carried out outside Nigeria.

“So, it therefore has a special significance, not only to the mission and not only to the immigration service, but also to all Nigerians living in the UK,” the minister said.

Similarly, the acting Comptroller General of NIS, Alhaji Idris Jibbi, expressed pleasure at the rollout of the enhanced e-passport as well as the synergy and support enjoyed by the immigration desk in the mission.

Jibbi, who gave the opening remarks at the event, said the rollout has been successful due to the support of the Minster of Interior.

 “All the passports being issued at the other issuing centres in Nigeria and across foreign missions are valid travel documents.

“This is until we are able to fully transit to the enhanced e-passport regime and commence issuance across all centres at home and abroad.

“As can be gleaned from our other reports, the immigration desk of this mission issued 45,389 standard passports in 2018; 44,861 in 2019 and 28,046 in 2020 – because of COVID-19.

“These statistics show that this mission is our number one passport issuing centre abroad,” Jibbi said.

He added that Nigeria would continue to prioritise the allocation of adequate passport booklets; taking into cognisance the huge Nigerian population abroad.

Meanwhile, the High Commission noted that a major requirement for the issuance of the enhanced e-Passport was the National Identification Number (NIN).

In this regard, it listed 17 NIN Enrolment Centres in five UK cities as Aberdeen, Glasgow, Leicester, London and Southampton.

These cities have been licensed by the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) to process NIN for Nigerians in the United Kingdom.

The High Commission, however, noted that the e-passport applicants who have already applied should continue to receive attention until the last applicant had been attended to. (NAN)

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FCT HOS: Why President Tinubu Extends Atang’s Tenure By 6 Months

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By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the extension of Atang Udo Samuel, as the the Head of Service, HOS,  for Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, in order to stabilise and consolidate the ongoing process in repositioning, the administrative structure of FCTA.


In a memo that was obtained by Daily Asset, and signed on behalf of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, by the Chief of Staff, to the Minister, Chidi Amadi, in Abuja.

The memo stated that Atang’s  tenure was extended for six months with effect from Wednesday 27th March, 2024.
The memo reads, “I am directed to refer to the above subject matter and to inform you that His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has graciously approved the extension of your service for a period of six months with effects from Wednesday 27th March 2024 when you would have attained the mandatory age of 60 years.

“The extension of your service premised on the need to stabilise and consolidate the ongoing process to reposition the administrative structure of FCT Administration occasioned by the recent inauguration of FCT civil service commission”.
It would be recalled that Forty Seven years after creation, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) finally got a Civil Service Commission, a few days ago .
On that same day, FCT Head of Service, HOS, Udo Samuel Atang, and ten Permanent Secretaries chosen from Directors of the FCT Administration, took their oaths of office.
And on Wednesday 27th of March, the HOS attained the mandatory age of 60 years for retirement in civil service.

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FGGC Benin Emerges Winner of 2023 National Senior Secondary Schools’ Debate

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Federal Government Girls College, Benin has emerged overall winner of the 2023 National Senior Secondary Schools’ Debate Competition.
This remarkable achievement came after fierce competition from schools across the six geo-political zones of the country.


The grand finale of the competition was organised by the Senior Secondary Education Department, Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja on Tuesday.

The topic debated on was “Democracy has done more harm than good to the nation.”
The students of FGGB Benin impressed the judges with their outstanding performances, securing the overall first position, while Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba and Federal Government College, Potiskum, secured the second and third position respectively.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, said the competition was aimed at igniting the student’s quest of academic excellence and the growth of critical thinking abilities.
Sununu, represented by his Special Adviser on Project, Mr Rufai Adamu, charged the students on their continued contributions to the intellectual enrichment of the society.
“The debate exercise is an effective method for developing students’ critical thinking skills as well as a spirit of inquiry and reasoned conversation.
“The topics discussed throughout this competition have spanned a wide spectrum of issues, reflecting the diversity and complexity of the world we live in.
“From socio-economic challenges to environmental concerns, the students have demonstrated an impressive ability to grapple with multifaceted issues and present well-reasoned arguments.
“As we witness the grand finale, let us remember that education is not merely a means to an end but a lifelong journey of discovery and growth.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the education system continues to foster critical thinking, creativity, and a sense of civic duty,” he said.
In her remarks, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, the event convener, Director, Senior Secondary Education Department in the ministry,  said the competition was designed to promote effective critical thinking and development of excellent oral and written communication skills.
“As we all know that debate promotes critical thinking, boosts confidence and promotes effective communication skills, encourages teamwork, It stimulates independent research, supports democratic values and tolerates opposing views.
“It increases knowledge sharing and professional attributes to mould and bring about a successful career. It equally fosters a sense of unity among students by encouraging open, respectful and constructive debates on a topic of national importance,” she said.
Meanwhile, the President General, Unity School Old Students Association (USOSA), Michael Magaji, appealed to the ministry to go beyond debating but introduced a global initiative just as the UN global club to bring students to the current levels of global thinking.
 Highlights of the competition featured cash awards as FGGC Benin got a cash prize of N150,000 while FSTC Yaba got a cash prize of N100,000.
Other consolation prizes were given to the students by Cisco Network Academy, Skool Media and USOSA and the Ministry of Education.

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We’re Meeting Our Targets on Airport -Kuje Road Construction – Wike

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By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, haom Wednesday,  expressed satisfaction with the quality and speed of the ongoing road constructions in Kuje, Kuje Area Council.
The roads that were inspected by the Minister included, the six-lane dual carriageway from Airport Expressway to Kuje Junction and the five-kilometre dual carriageway from Garage Junction to LEA Secretariat, in Kuje.


The minister explained that the five-kilometre dual carriage way from Garage Junction to LEA Secretariat was nominated by the council’s chairman and stakeholders in the area.

He said that the contractor has done earth work covering 2.
5 kilometres, adding that what would follow was the drainage.
According to the Minister, “The Area Council Chairman and the stakeholders in Kuje were the ones that nominated this road. And the road is 5 kilometers and just like what the contractor said, they started from where they have difficulty so that by the time they get to where there is consent they would have sorted out the issues.
“From what they have said today, they have done the earthwork to 2 kilometers and they said before the end of the year they would have completed this particular road.
“And the one from the airport to Kuje city here, which is being handled by the Arab contractors, you can see that their work is going on very well.
“And with the quality of work we are quite satisfied too. The contractor said before the end of the year they would have completed the earthwork. It gladdens our heart that we are meeting our targets.”
Earlier, Mr Shehu Ahmad, Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, said that the road, linking the Airport Expressway to Kuje township would cover 11 kilometres.
Ahmad explained that between the airport expressway to Kuje junction, the road would cross over two rivers and also cross over the Outer Southern Expressway that would link the city centre with Gwagwalada Expressway.
He added that the Airport Expressway to Kuje Junction would cover nine kilometres, while the remaining two kilometres would extend backward towards Kyami District.
He explained that one of the major constraints affecting the delivery of the road was the presence of five towers belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) along the road corridor.
The FCDA boss added that TCN have been contacted and have agreed to relocate the towers, stressing that until the obstructions were removed, work could not take place in the affected areas.

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