Business
FRSC will link NIN to vehicle registration, licence March 2021 – Oyeyemi

CORPS Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, has said the corps will introduce the National Identity Number (NIN) information by first quarter of 2021 for vehicles registration.
He stated this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Friday.
He said the essence of the NIN was to enhance road safety through the use of technology. He also said from December, driver’s licence would no longer be issued without the NIN information.
He said, “I must commend the government. With the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), now we have one national database, one identity. You cannot use double identity now and with the biometrics, you cannot be funny.
“You know before, some people have about five different identities, but now, you are forced to pick one. Once you pick one with NIMC, that is what you will be using because it is now going to be as from next month (December). It is going to be compulsory.
“Now, if you want to renew your driver’s licence or you want to obtain a fresh licence, you must provide your NIN. NIN is the first thing and with that, no biometrics will be done again; they will import it from NIMC.
“So, I am talking about using technology now to enhance security. So with this, I think we will make progress we are really on course.”
The FRSC boss explained that only the Vehicles Inspection Office (VIO) is authorised to test applicants before prescribed fees could be paid to the state government through their internal revenue service.
He added that the VIO would, in turn, refer applicants for capturing, which would be transferred to the database of the country. “Now, a lot of things have been occurring, you cannot get licence by proxy. Anybody that does not go for the physical capture for the first issuance of licence is not a genuine licence, it is fake.
“I am happy when I came on board, I came on board in 2014, the first thing we did was to establish a verification portal. When the portal was done, all those with fake licences disappeared.
“A fake licence is N25,000 to N30,000, original licence is N6,350, but I won’t blame them, it is the ‘bigmanism’. People are not ready to follow the process and along the line too, this NIN information for driver’s licence will have the same thing before the end of first quarter next year for vehicle registration.
“If you want to register your vehicle, it is going to be compulsory for you to provide your NIN these are parts of the security checks. So once you provide your NIN, it makes the matter to be simpler.”
He urged the country to take a cue from China and other developed countries that make use of technology to fight crime. He commended the security agencies for making use of their unrestricted access to the data base in checking corrupt practices in the system.
Railway
Cargo train: NRC targets April for 100% Lagos-Kaduna dry port movement

Cargo train: NRC targets April for 100% Lagos-Kaduna dry port movement
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has fixed the beginning of second quarter 2025 for full operations of its cargo train movement from Lagos to Kaduna Inland Dry Port.
This was disclosed in a video clip shared on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the NRC on Saturday.
Managing Director of the NRC, stated in the video that while logistical operations had been put in place, some non-logistical issues needed to be addressed to ensure the seamless movement of goods via both narrow and standard gauge rail lines.
“There are little issues which are not related to logistics that needed to be cleared out.
However, bearing all circumstances, we are determined that the Nigerian Railway Corporation will ensure that the movement of goods along both narrow and standard rail lines is at maximum. “So, we are committed to ensuring that the movement of goods from Lagos to this dry port is achieved somewhere at the beginning of the second quarter,” Opeifa said.
He added, “We believe that all other issues related to other agencies of government would have been resolved and working with them should be able to ramp up, not to 70% but to 100%.”
Managing Director of Inland Containers Nigeria Limited, Omotayo Dada, also featured in the video and expressed optimism that within a few quarters, productivity at the Kaduna Inland Dry Port would increase significantly.
“We are optimistic that within a couple of quarters, before the year runs out, productivity would even increase by about 70%,” Dada said.
The Kaduna Inland Dry Port, commissioned in 2018, was established as a major logistics hub for exports, particularly agricultural products.
However, it has been operating below capacity, handling fewer containers than initially expected.
Over the years, container movement between Apapa Port and the Kaduna Inland Dry Port has been intermittently suspended for various reasons. Notably, in September 2020, operations were halted due to the rehabilitation of railway tracks, disrupting freight transport.
In a broader effort to improve freight connectivity between the southwestern seaports and inland regions, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved a $45.3 million contract for a feasibility study and engineering design of a new rail corridor.
The planned alignment will extend from Badagry Deep Sea Port through Tin Can, Apapa, and Lekki Seaports, reaching Ijebu-Ode and Kajola, where it will integrate with the Lagos-Kano-Maradi Railway Modernization Project.
Business
N’Assembly approves N14.3tn for debt service out of N45.9tn 2025 budget

N’Assembly approves N14.3tn for debt service out of N45.9tn 2025 budget
The National Assembly on Thursday passed N45.9 trillion as budget for the 2025 fiscal year, setting aside N14.317 trillion for debt servicing.
Both chambers of the assembly agreed to jerk up the budget by N719.5bn over what the executive submitted for approval.
President Bola Tinubu had initially proposed a N49.7 trillion budget but later revised it to N54.2 trillion before seeking legislative approval.
A breakdown of the N14.317 trillion total debt servicing showed that N7.191 trillion is for domestic debts (including Ways and Means), N6.749 trillion is for foreign debts, and N377.299 billion is for sinking funds to retire maturing promissory notes.
Newstrends discovered from a document of the Federal Ministry of Finance that Nigeria’s total debt as of the second quarter of 2024 “grew in naira terms to N134.3 trillion ($91.3 billion) from N121.7 trillion ($91.5 billion) in Q1 2024, driven mainly by exchange rate devaluation.”
Apart from debt service, the approved budget also showed N3.645 trillion for statutory transfers, N13.64 trillion for recurrent expenditure, and N23.963 trillion for capital expenditure (development fund), with a fiscal deficit put at N13.08 trillion.
Under the statutory transfers, National Judicial Council gets N521.626 billion, Niger Delta Development Commission gets N626.533 billion, South East Development Commission gets N140 billion, North West Development Commission gets N145.607 billion, South West Development Commission gets N140 billion, South-South Development Commission gets N140 billion and North Central Development Commission gets N140 billion.
The Universal Basic Education Commission gets N496.842 billion, National Assembly gets N344.853 billion, Public Complaint Commission gets N14.460 billion, Independent National Electoral Commission gets N140 billion, National Human Rights Commission gets N8 billion, North East Development Commission gets N240.988 billion while Basic Health Care Provision Fund gets N298.421 billion, respectively.
From the recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, Presidency gets N111.094 billion, Ministry of Defence gets N2.510 trillion, Ministry of Police Affairs gets N1.226 trillion, Ministry of Interior gets N658.586 billion, National Security Adviser gets N335.975 billion, Ministry of Education gets N1.159 trillion, Ministry of Youths gets N442.271 billion, Ministry of Foreign Affairs gets N286.887 billion, Information and National Orientation gets N75.887 billion, among others.
Under the Capital expenditure, Presidency gets N144.485 billion, Ministry of Defence gets N604.917 billion, National Security Adviser gets N316.864 billion, Secretary to the Government of the Federation gets N155.812 billion, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security gets N1.201 trillion, Ministry of Finance gets N892.939 billion, Ministry of Works gets N2.045 trillion, Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation gets N578.398 billion, FCTA gets N229.625 billion, Ministry of Education gets N953.931 billion, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare gets N1.154 trillion, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation gets N291.548 billion, among others.
Under the Multilateral/Bilateral loan funded projects, Ministry of Power receives N1.307 trillion; Ministry of Interior, N400.630 billion; Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, N400.630 billion; FCTA N235.369 billion; Ministry of Finance N236.657 billion; Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, N208.466 billion; Ministry of Education, N193.098 billion; Ministry of Health and Social Welfare gets N56.489 billion, among others.
Business
MTN apologises, says 200% data price increase a mistake

MTN apologises, says 200% data price increase a mistake
MTN, Nigeria’s largest telecom operator, has issued a public apology to its customers following widespread complaints about a sudden 200% increase in the price of its popular 15GB data package.
The price increase, which requires internet subscribers to pay N6,000 for a 15GB weekly data plan, a 200% increase from the previous N2,000, surprised many customers and sparked fury on social media on Wednesday.
In a message posted on social media on Thursday, MTN acknowledged its customers’ unhappiness in an informal, conversational tone and sought to address the rising anger among users who had become accustomed to the previously given low prices.
The message read, “To our 15G digital bundle lovers. You are vexed. We know. We know how upsetting it must have been to suddenly wake up to a 200% increase on your favorite digital bundle.
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“We could share several reasons and provide explanations, but omo, all that one is a story. We don’t cast. We get it and admit it. Let’s just say it was a mistake.”
MTN extended its apologies by imploring consumers not to be unhappy, adding, “In this love season, don’t stay furious with us. Kindly forgive and forget. You are important to us, and we will never stop showing you that. Let us continue our relationship.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
For the time being, only MTN has raised its tariffs, but Airtel and Globacom are anticipated to follow suit after the Nigerian Communications Commission approved a 50% tariff increase in January.
However, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has slammed telecommunications companies’ execution of a 50% pricing hike, seeking an immediate reversal.
MTN apologises, says 200% data price increase a mistake
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