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Cooperative Blames NURTW, RTEAN For Railway Collapse

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16 years ago

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The Rivers Transport Investment and Cooperative Union Limited (RTICUL) has accused the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) both trade unions for being responsible for non-functionality of the Nigeria railway transportation.

Speaking to The Tide in Port Harcourt, the President of the Cooperative Union, Mr. Tubonimi Wokoma state that RTEAN has taken over the operations of the Nigerian Railway criminally in the area of haulage of goods across the country.

According to Mr. Wokoma, RTEAN and NURTW have paralysed the operations of the Nigerian Railway System, through their activities, regretting that no body was saying anything.

He explained that the two trade unions (NURTW and RTEAN) operate where they are not supposed to, using a carted style with policies that do not allow transport business to grow.

He claimed that many of them have used the trade unions to gain access to political positions.

The cooperative president expressed unhappiness over the activities of the cartel for disallowing government policies and laws on genuine transportation to take precedence in the transport business across the nation.

Against public and general competitive transport development, Wokoma said that RTEAN and NURTW used their cartel connection to influence government decision and programmes to revive the railway system and other road transport development in the country, insisting that their operations have left Nigerian roads perpetually in bad condition.

He said that while the NURTW is meant for employees of a transport companies like NUPENG the oil sector, the RTEAN is meant for management staff and employers of the transport workers, like PENGASSAN, and earn their income through check-off dues and not through extortion of self employed drivers on the road by force.

Wokoma said that 80-90 per cent of people running transport business are self employed and commissioned drivers, adding that under the federal government official Gazettee, extra ordinary, No 6, volume 65 of February 8th, 1978, only salaried employees of a transport company that should be members of a trade union.

By this gazette, Wokoma wondered why self employed and commissioned drivers who are supposed to be organised into a cooperative union are force to join trade union and at the same time being forced to pay unnecessary due and levy.

The cooperative union president, therefore, called on the federal government to rise to the challenge of organising and protecting cooperative movement for effective transport development.

He said that cooperative is the solution to transport development insisting that NURTW and RTEAN have nothing to show for the over 40 years of their operation.

He praised cooperative everywhere for helping members to develop through their contribution to the cooperative union.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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18 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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18 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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18 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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