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Former Risonpalm Workers Cry Out Over Gratuity

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12 years ago

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Former staff of defunct Risonpalm Nucleus Estate, Ubima, which was taken over by Siat Plc have threatened to shut down the operations of Siat in both Ubima and Elele estates if their gratuity and severance packages were not fully paid within seven days.

The chairman of defunct Risonpalm Workers Organised Group, Chief Friday Ordu, who stated this while speaking with The Tide at Omerelu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, said that more than two thousand ex-workers of Risopalm would besiege the company, disrupt its operation and remain in the company’s premises until their entitlements were fully paid.

Chief Ordu narrated  the shoddy treatment meted out to them by Siat Plc which were not in consonance with Rosonpalm’s conditions of service.

He explained that the payment which Siat Plc unilaterally made to workers were paltry and not befitting for workers who had spent decades of their youthful age in service of the state-owned Risonpalm as some ex-workers received N5,000, while some did not receive a dime.

The chairman noted that one Mrs. Victoria Ngozi Welekwe, who joined Risonpalm in 1982 and was disengaged in 2011 did not receive a dime.

Chief Ordu alleged that the computation of the workers entitlement was done secretly without consultation with the finance controller.

According to him, “about 17,000 hactares of arable land were expropriated from the workers’ homeland by the defunct Risonpalm.”

He expressed regrets that Siat Plc, was no longer keeping the law on the employment of host communities.

The chairman state that they had written several letters to Siat’s Management but to no avail and pointed out that the issue of their entitlement would not be compromised as they were not begging for it.

He alleged that out of N5 billion earmarked for workers’ gratuity, only N165 million was paid by Siat Plc, and expressed regrets that workers who had spent their youthful age in Risonpalm could be treated so shabbily.

The chairman implored the state Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to intervene in the matter in order to assuage the plight of the workers.

Efforts to reach the Chief Executive of Siat Plc, Mr. P. Vandebeeck proved abortive as he was said to have travelled.

 

Chidi Enyie

 

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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4 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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4 days 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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4 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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