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MD Canvasses Repositioning Of Labour Unions

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15 years ago

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Dr Otive Igbuzor, Managing Director of African Centre for Leadership, on has advised organised labour to reposition and wake up to its responsibilities.

Igbuzor gave the advice in Lagos at a book presentation entitled: “The State of Works’ Rights in Nigeria: An examination of the Banking, Oil and Gas and Telecommunication Sectors’’.

The book, written by Prof. Funmi Adewumi of the Osun State University and Dr Adebimpe Adenugba of the University of Ibadan, was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation

He said the book would educate employers in complying with existing labour laws as well as help employees to enforce their rights.

According to Igbuzor, who reviewed the 91-page book, the quality of the workforce determines the development and growth of a country’s economy.

“Workers must work in dignity and their rights must not be abused.

“In spite of the challenges faced by trade union organisations, they can defend and protect the rights of workers,’’ he said.

Mr Babatunde Ogun, President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), said that non-implementation of laws and policies on workers rights had been a challenge.

Ogun further said that the negative attitude of management to workers’ rights, often demonstrated by intimidation and harassment of employees, must be discouraged in all its ramifications.

“If the Federal Government had been able to implement some of its policies on workers, their rights would not be abused,’’ he said.

The union leader said it was regrettable that labour standard had been lowered in the country as a way of attracting foreign investors in the oil and gas industry as well as other sectors.

He said that laws and policies that impact negatively on workers in the oil sector were being challenged to make the government pragmatic in the implementation of the laws.

Also, Mr John Odah, General Secretary of NLC, urged the unions to merge to form a stronger force to fight against anti labour practices and ensure that workers rights are respected.

He said the oil and gas sector as well as the telecommunication and the banking sector were  a major part of the economy that must be well managed to ensure continued  growth.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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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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2 days 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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