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NLC President Cautions NUPENG Against Strikes

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igeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwaheed Omar has appealed to members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to consider the impact of industrial actions on the masses.
He made the appeal while speaking at the 2014 National Conference of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Omar also called on Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the other unions in NUPENG to reconcile their differences and partner to achieve their legitimate demands.
“Let us work to see this partnership as this conference is showing.
“Let there be partnership among all the major stakeholders so that the masses will not continue to suffer.
“In the course of carrying out your legitimate jobs and pressing for your demands, you should partner with each other.
“NUPENG should partner with IPMAN while carrying out its own action, likewise the PTD,” Omar said.
Omar lauded PTD members, noting that their gatherings and elections “are now free of rancour”.
Earlier, NUPENG president Achese Igwe commended the past leadership of PTD for taking the union to an enviable height, and enjoined delegates to be peaceful as they prepare to elect new executives.
“Election into offices is not a do-or-die affair.
“We condemn community interference in election in some states as is currently happening in Kaduna and Port Harcourt.”
Igwe called on the Federal Government to repair some of the bad roads across the country in order to reduce tanker accidents on the highway.
The Corp Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Osita Chidoka, said the organisation planned to build a training centre in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Chidoka said that in order to retrain drivers, the FRSC had sent about 40 drivers to France for training.
He further said that the FRSC would soon introduce speed limiter in commercial vehicles.
“We have decided that speed limiters will be introduced in commercial vehicles because of their over-speeding,” he said.
Chidoka, who said Nigeria had no record of the number of vehicles or drivers in the country, promised that it would be available before his exit from the commission.

Nigerian Copyright Commission South-East Zonal Manager, Mrs Ngozi Okeke (left), addressing newsmen on seized broadcast equipment in Enugu, recently. With her is the Zonal Administrative Officer, Mrs Maria  Machebe.

Nigerian Copyright Commission South-East Zonal Manager, Mrs Ngozi Okeke (left), addressing newsmen on seized broadcast equipment in Enugu, recently. With her is the Zonal Administrative Officer, Mrs Maria Machebe.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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