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NCSU Boss Hails Wike, Workers’ Meeting …Decries Consultancy In Civil Service

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10 years ago

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The Rivers State Chairman of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Comrade O.T. Lilly-West, has applauded the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for finding time to interface with civil servants, at the State Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt, on Monday, saying, it is a recognition of the fact that civil servants are engine rooms of government.
Lilly-West, who made the remarks in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt said by meeting with civil servants, Governor Wike had shown that he is a seasoned administrator, adding that the governor’s pronouncements during the meeting were an indication that he is abreast with the problems of the civil service in the state.
He also applauded the governor’s decision to constantly liaise with the Head of Service, Barrister Samuel LongJohn over the payment of salaries of civil servants, describing it as a right step in the right direction.
According to him, there was no way the governor would effectively address the problems of the workers without working with the Head of Service.
He said the decision of the governor to work with the Head of Service was also geared towards reinvigorating the civil service, saying, the Head of Service was an egghead who had brought a lot of innovation into the civil service since assuming office.
By introducing Biometrics Captured System into the civil service, Comrade Lilly-West said the Head of Service had through the innovation reduced to the barest minimum the ghost workers syndrome, assuring that NCSU and other industrial unions in the state would work with the state government to completely eradicate the scourge.
While lamenting a situation where names of dead civil and public servants were still allegedly in the salary vouchers and payroll, the labour leader described it as the highest level of corruption and fraud within the civil service, and assured that the NCSU and other unions would ensure that the unwholesome practice was completely eradicated.
The NCSU boss also decried a situation where retired civil servants in the state were used as consultants by the past administration to execute jobs and projects, saying, it was a ploy to take away jobs that were supposed to be handled by civil servants.
According to him, the practice was killing the zeal and motivation of civil servants in the state.
Lilly-West, however, expressed optimism that Governor Wike would address the structural and infrastructural problems facing the civil service, and thanked him for interfacing with the workers.
He advised civil servants to adhere to the governor’s admonition to always follow due process, particularly in going about their demands, assuring that labour leaders in the state were poised to give to the workers what rightly belonged to them.

 

Donatus Ebi

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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