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Deregulation: FG , labour Meet Over Planned Protest

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16 years ago

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The Federal Government, at the weekend began negotiation processes aimed at averting the planned mass protest by labour movements, which is slated for October 29.
This move might not be unconnected with the need by the government to avert the possible embarrassment the proposed mass protest would cause it as the FIFA Under-17 Championship would still be ongoing by then.
The Nigeria Labour Congress had threatened to mobilise Nigerian workers to protest the FG’s deregulation policy which is expected to lead to a hike in fuel price from the current N65 per litre to N94.
The meeting, between the Presidential Committee on Reforms in the Downstream sector and the NLC had top government officials including Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman; Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muktar; Minister of Labour, Prince Kayode Adetokunbo; and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ajumogobia Odein in attendance.
Adetokunbo speaking to newsmen last Thursday had disclosed that a meeting would be held with labour leaders to explain what advantages the policy held for the nation. He had dispelled reports that the planned regulation was meant to take off on November “We will carry labour along, including the NLC, TUC, PENGASSAN, and NUPENG, and more importantly the National Union of Road Transport Workers who are most affected by the issue, we will involve all of them into the vision by carefully explaining the policy, then they will decide whether to key into it or not,” he said.
The Tide, however, gathered that the postponement of the commencement date for the deregulation policy was to avoid fuel queues and protests during the FIFA competition.
The meeting which held during the weekend at the Ministry of Finance Head-quarters in Abuja also had in attendance the Minister of State for Commerce, Mr. Humphrey Abah, and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Mohammed Barkindo, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ochi Achinivu. Labour leaders present at the meeting were, SSANU President, Comrade Promise Adewusi, who represented the NLC President, Vice President of NLC, Comrade Ladi Iliya, NLC Secretary-General, Mr. John Odah, and other labour representatives.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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20 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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20 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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20 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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