Photo: Minister of Interior, Olatunji Olubunmi-Ojo

Minister of Interior, Olatunji Olubunmi-Ojo, said that Nigeria can now produce “nothing less than 10,000 passports per hour.”

The minister attributes the passport production fest to the establishment of a world-class centralised personalisation centre in Abuja, a development he described as the first of its kind since 1963.

In an address during the International Civil Service Conference 2026 in Abuja, the minister said that the reform has transformed passport production from a slow, manual and fragmented process into a system driven by automation, integration and efficiency.

“For the first time since 1963, we have a world-class centralised personalisation centre in Abuja,” said Olubunmi-Ojo.

“And what that means is that from a system that could do 400 or 500 passports per hour, all over the world, we could barely do three, four thousand a day or per hour.

Today, we are in a position to do nothing less than 10,000 passports per hour with a centralised level of control.”

He said the nder the new arrangement, stressing that the innovation marks a major shift in the management of internal security services and public administration.

Former Head of State Gen Yakubu Gowon (retd) on Tuesday launched an autobiography, titled ‘My Life of Duty and Allegiance.’

The book launch was graced by Former President Goodluck Jonathan ; Vice‑President Kashim Shettima, former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rted) with his wife Victoria, Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rted) Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III , and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, among other VIPs.

Speaking during the public presentation of the book at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the president, who was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, urged that the memoir be widely circulated to preserve historical memory and strengthen national unity.

President Tinubu emphasised that accounts from leaders who lived through defining moments are essential to deepening democratic stability.

“A nation that misplaces its memory soon begins to quarrel with its own reflection. A society without memory becomes an orphan in time,” he said.

Tinubu told the gathering that Gowon’s reflections arrive at a critical juncture for Nigeria and West Africa, where insecurity, economic pressure and social fragmentation persist.

He praised Gowon’s post-civil war reconciliatory stance, particularly the “No victor, no vanquished” declaration, as a principle that “helped preserve Nigeria’s unity after the civil war”.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan agreed to that Yakubu Gowon’s “No victor, no vanquished” declaration after the Nigerian civil war helped to create the basis for national healing across the country.

Jonathan lauded the former military head of state for his role in strengthening unity, promoting reconciliation and supporting youth development.

He described Gowon as a “living testimony” of leadership during one of Nigeria’s most consequential eras.

Gowon, on his part, explained that he wrote the memoir to tell his truth rather than settle scores. “My story and that of Nigeria became intertwined,” he told the audience, describing the book as his “modest attempt to document the opportunity I had to serve Nigeria”.

He cautioned Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election against listening to “naysayers”, insisting that the nation “did not fail under my watch” and “will never fail despite the country’s challenges”.

•Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Samaila Uba

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced that no fewer than 175 ISIS terrorists were killed on Tuesday in ongoing joint counterterrorism operations conducted by Nigerian troops and the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Northeast Nigeria.

The military high command said that the coordinated operations, which commenced a few days ago, have continued to record significant successes against ISIS and ISWAP elements operating in the region.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Samaila Uba.

According to the DHQ, the latest assessment as of May 19, 2026, showed that 175 ISIS militants had been eliminated from the battlefield through sustained ground and air assaults.

The statement noted that the operations had also led to the destruction of terrorist checkpoints, weapons caches, logistics hubs, military equipment, and financial networks used to sustain insurgent activities.