
News
Immigration Service clears 195,795 Passports backlogs
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has cleared a total of 195,795 Passports application backlogs out of 204,332 Passports following the deadline given to the NIS on September 7 by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Piqued by delays in issuance of passports and the harrowing experiences of Nigerians home and abroad, the Minister addressed a meeting of stakeholders attended by top officials of the Ministry, the management of NIS led by its Acting Comptroller General, Mrs Wura-Ola Adepoju and Dr Yinka Fisher, the Managing Director of Iris Smart Technologies.
The Minister said President Bola Tinubu was not happy about the unpalatable experiences of Nigerians regarding Passports issuance, and has ordered a change forthwith. He therefore gave the NIS two weeks to clear the backlogs across the country.
It was learnt that as at Thursday last week, the total outstanding of backlogs of Passports stood at 8,537.
Findings by our Correspondent revealed that in the first five days of the Minister’s deadline over 55,000 Passport backlogs were cleared across the country.
It was gathered that besides the normal working days of the week, the frontline Desks of the NIS were made to work on Saturdays and Sundays to ensure compliance with the directive of the Minister.
Our Correspondent also recalled that within three weeks, 97, 000 Passports backlogs were cleared as the Minister insisted on being briefed everyday by the authorities of the NIS.

Reports from across the country showed that some Desks have cleared all Passports backlogs. Kaduna, Portharcourt, Kano, Katsina, Ilesha, Abuja and Gwagwalada among others recorded zero backlogs.
As at Thursday 28th September, 2023, out of a total backlog of 204,332 Passports waiting for clearance, 195,795 have been cleared, leaving an outstanding balance of 8,537.
It was learnt that the frontline Desks with backlogs are still being challenged by the Minister to deliver within the shortest periods. The breakdown so far showed that Ikoyi Passport Desk produced 2,172 Passports booklets and has a backlog of 5,423 to clear.
Festac in Lagos, one of the busiest in the country like Ikoyi produced 1,151 and has 1,119 backlog to clear. Ibadan produced 1,333 with 111 backlog to clear, Ilorin has 1,017 Passports backlog to clear while Sagamu has 867 backlog to clear.
Our Correspondent gathered that Ilorin, Abeokuta, Sagamu are co-producing the booklets with Ibadan.
The Minister, it was discovered, has established a mechanism for surveillance and monitoring of developments in all Passports offices across the country to ensure the sustainability of the momentum and prevent any relapse to the old order.
News
Enugu Lawyer rejects paternity claim after DNA Test results
A legal practitioner, Barrister Chinedu Ifeanyi Iloeje, has publicly declared that a man previously believed to be his son is not biologically related to him, following the outcome of a DNA test.
In a public notice published in a newspaper, Iloeje stated that he was allegedly misled by the man’s mother into believing that the individual, identified as Chinedu Francis Iloeje, was his biological son.
According to the notice, DNA testing conducted on the matter established “beyond any doubt” that the man is not his son.
The lawyer further clarified that he never legally adopted the individual, despite the latter bearing the name Chinedu Francis Iloeje.
Disclaimer
Barrister Iloeje explained that the man’s original name is Chinedu Francis Onwualu and stressed that he has no legal or biological relationship with him.
The notice also informed members of the public, the Greater Iloeje Family, the Umuodu Village Union, Uwani Amokwe Town Union, St. Theresa’s Catholic Church Amokwe, Udi Local Government Council, and other stakeholders of his declaration.

He stated that the disclaimer was made in good faith and while of sound mind, urging the public to take note of the clarification.
The publication has sparked discussions on paternity disputes and the increasing reliance on DNA testing to resolve questions of biological parentage.
News
Obi donates N10 million to burnt hospital in Enugu
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the forthcoming 2027 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has donated N10 million to assist in the renovation of the burnt Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital, Enugu State.
The former Anambra State governor handed over the cheque for the donation to the hospital management team when he visited the hospital yesterday.
The hospital belongs to the Reverend Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of the Catholic Church.

Mr Peter Obi inspecting the burnt hospital
Addressing the hospital management team after inspecting parts of the burnt hospital, the NDC presidential candidate commended them for their efforts in contributing to healthcare delivery services.
Telling them that even though they might feel that they were not being appreciated for what they were doing, Obi, however, described healthcare delivery services and education as among the “most critical needs of society” and urged them not to relent in what they were doing.

Accompanied during the visit by his Chief of Staff, Commissioner for Housing, as well as Special Adviser on Media when he was Anambra State governor, Prof. Stella Okunna, Prof. Patrick Obi, and Dr. Valentine Obienyem respectively, Obi assured the hospital management team that he would continue to support them.
Part of the hospital gutted by the inferno and inspected by Obi was the Children’s Ward.
Expressing gratitude on behalf of the hospital management, the Chief Medical Director of Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor, Anambra State, Rev. Sister Dr. Maria Nkiruka Okafor, eulogised Obi for his sacrifices and selfless contributions to humanity.
Disclosing that Obi had already credited the hospital’s accountant with the N10 million donation and that he was even the person who called her to inform her that he had received the sad news of the inferno and promised to donate towards the renovation, Rev. Sister Okafor described him as a rare politician.
She prayed that God would grant him his ambition to become President of the country and enable him to achieve his desire to transform it.
News
FG, Enugu State target direct China-Enugu Cargo flights by December – Keyamo
The Federal Government and Enugu State Government are in talks to ensure the commencement of direct cargo flight operations between Enugu and Guangzhou, China, before the end of the year.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in Lagos during the launch of the United Air’s newly acquired airplanes on Thursday.
The Minister added said the FG had affected a structural management overhaul at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, also bringing the airport under a privately run operational framework.

Enugu Airline
“One of our prides in the South is the Enugu International Airport. The Enugu governor approached Mr. President, noting that the airport was not maximising its economic potential under standard bureaucratic structures, and requested to bring in private investors to run it. Mr. President gave the green light.
“As I speak with you, Enugu is now fully privately owned and fully supported by state government, with the clear objective of also turning it into a dedicated cargo hub for the entire Southeast.”

To this effect, therefore, Keyamo said that a high-level bilateral trade negotiations were ongoing with a view to securing direct logistics flights between China and the Southeast by the end of 2026.
“Just two days ago, the Enugu governor and I were actively negotiating the first direct cargo flight from Guangzhou, China, straight into Enugu.
“We are targeting December for the maiden flight. This will allow our Southeast merchants and traders in China to consolidate their goods into unified cargo accounts twice a week, flying straight into Enugu for seamless delivery to hubs like Onitsha and Aba,” he concluded.
It is recalled that Governor Mbah had in July 2025 launched Enugu Air, a state-owned airline, as part of the administration’s integrated blueprint for a modern, multimodal transport ecosystem and the vision to make Enugu a major aviation and logistics hub.
Since then, Enugu Air has grown its fleet from three at inception to six planes with plans to further increase it as it prepares to commence operations to regional destinations like Accra, Libreville, Abidjan in next few months and long haul flight operations to various destinations around the world by the end of the year.
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