General
Immigration Laments 97,000 Uncollected Passport Booklets
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disclosed that about 97,000 passport booklets were uncollected in the 36 states, including Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This was disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Tony Akuneme, on Friday.
Mr Akuneme said that the service recently found out that Lagos State had half of the uncollected passports.
He said that there was also a danger that half of the owners of the uncollected passports could not be reached due to a lack of proper documentation because of third-party involvement.
He also said that the essence of a recent state of emergency declaration was to draw the attention of the media so that a lot of people that were oblivious could know that their passports were ready for collection.
He said, “Some of them engaged agents to help them in their passport processing, and these agents might be doing this for a lot of persons.
“They end up dropping wrong contacts and thereby making it difficult to reach out to the owners of these passports when they are ready for collection. This is a big challenge,” he said.
The SPRO said that the service recently found out that most applicants’ complaints ranged from human factor to technical factors, which included the slow speed of internet services, which led the Acting Comptroller General, NIS, Mrs Caroline Adepoju, to declare a state of emergency on passport issuance across the country.
According to him, the CG didn’t want to leave anyone in doubt as to the issue of passport processing, with this being her core area of interest.
“That’s how she came about that term of declaring a state of emergency in the passport issues.
“When the acting CG assumed office, she made it very clear that she was going to focus on Passport reforms and staff welfare,” he said.
According to him, the Lagos state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is willing to collaborate with the CG in terms of expanding the passport services in Lagos State.
“So, we went to Lagos State Governor to help in terms of giving us office space where we can set up front desk offices, and immediately, the governor was very positive in his response.
“Lagos is a tourist place, and immigration has a key role to play in the mind of anybody visiting the state.
“So it was a welcome development, and you can see that the state of emergency that was declared is already yielding fruits as the governor accepted CGs request on land allocation to build staff quarters in Lagos,” he said.
Mr Akuneme said that the service was collaborating with the media to change the perception there were no passport booklets for collection.
He said “there are booklets issued that are not collected. It is ironic, we don’t have a problem of booklets, we don’t have a shortage of booklets.”
“What we have had in the last one or two years is a sudden upsurge in the number of Nigerians wanting to travel. We felt it was also related to COVID-19,” he said
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s National Economic Council (NEC) has approved the establishment of Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board as part of efforts to drive non-oil revenues.
This was disclosed by the Governor of Imo State, Mr Hope Uzodinma, while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the 149th NEC meeting chaired by the Vice-President, Mr Kashim Shettima, on Thursday at Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He explained that in order to make the board function effectively, the council approved a proposal for Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Mr Uzodinma stated that the chairman of the board would be selected from the private sector, adding that the body would be funded from import levies on textiles.
“The National Economic Council, among others things, received a representation from the members and leadership of Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Forum.
“These are private sector operatives who are into the cotton business, garment and textiles and the presentation highlighted their proposal on how to revitalise the cotton industry in Nigeria.
“The council endorsed the presentation and approved the establishment of a National and regional Offices for the board in each of the six geopolitical zones for proper coordination,” said Mr Uzodinma.
On his part, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa said the council also received proposal from the Minister of Livestock Development on acceleration strategy for the livestock industry.
He said the presentation was on on a plan to transformation the livestock industry between 2025 and 2030, stating that the strategy was built on the national livestock growth acceleration plan, which is expected to transform the sector to create jobs, export products and serve as an engine room for internally generated revenue.
“The projection is that the strategy will generate between $74 billion down and $90 billion in that sector by the year 2035.
“It will be a direct partnership with the state governors, the private sector and foreign investors under a very sound federal regulatory umbrella,” said Mr Diri.
He added that the investment would be prioritised into five key pillars between 2025 and 2026, saying the pillars are: animal health and zones control, feed and further development, water resources management, statistics and information and livestock value chain development.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has announced plans to commence the disbursement of the $700 million Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) within the next four months.
Last week, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, instructed the maritime regulator to initiate the long-awaited disbursement process for the fund.
This directive marked a significant shift from over two decades of administrative stagnation and ushers in a new era of strategic repositioning of Nigeria’s indigenous shipping.
Speaking on Wednesday, NIMASA’s Director General, Mr Dayo Mobereola, providing a timeline for the disbursement said this will happen within the next four months, which by calculation, is August 2025.
He made the announcement during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education, and Administration in Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“We are acting in accordance with the directive of the Minister to ensure indigenous shipowners finally have access to this critical funding. The guidelines have been streamlined based on the Minister’s approval, so beneficiaries can access the funds within three to four months,” he said.
“To effectively manage the $700 million intervention fund, the number of Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs) has been expanded from five to twelve.”
The CVFF, established under the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act of 2003, was designed to empower Nigerian shipping companies through access to structured financing for vessel acquisition. However, successive administrations failed to operationalize the fund—until now.
According to Minister Oyetola, the disbursement of the CVFF will represent not just the release of funds, but a profound commitment to empowering Nigerian maritime operators, bolstering national competitiveness, and fostering sustainable economic development.
“This is not just about disbursing funds. It’s about rewriting a chapter in our maritime history. For over 20 years, the CVFF remained a dormant promise. Today, we are bringing it to life—deliberately, transparently, and strategically,” he stated.
NIMASA, in alignment with the Minister’s directive, has already issued a Marine Notice inviting eligible Nigerian shipping companies to apply.
Qualified applicants can access up to $25 million each at competitive interest rates to acquire vessels that meet international safety and performance standards.
The fund will be administered in partnership with carefully selected and approved Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs), ensuring professional and efficient disbursement.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ogun State Government, through its Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA,) has sealed four industries for environmental infractions.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Mr Luke Adebesin, the affected organisations are Fortune Height Farms Limited and Sanda Wood Industry Limited, both in Odogbolu Local Government, Shengceramic Material Limited in Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Nehemiah Grace Developer Limited at Ijako in Ado-Odo, Ota Local Government.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on OGEPA, Mr Farouk Akintunde, reiterated that all companies must comply with operating and environmental standards laid by the state.
The agency alleged that Fortune Height Farms Limited, which is into production of eggs and catfish, was sealed after a petition was received from its host community for discharging untreated influence into the environment.
Sanda Wood Industry Limited was sealed for allegedly denying government officials access into its facility while engaging in open burning, while Nehemiah Grace Developer Limited was sealed for encroaching on the waterways and constructing drainage without the state government permit.
“Ogun State government will not fold its hand and allow these industries to violate our Environmental laws,” the agency said, adding that it will continue to ensure that the South Western state is safe and secure.
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