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Minimum Wage: NLC Decries Delay In Committee Sitting

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has decried the delay in the sitting by the Tripartite Committee for the negotiation of the National Minimum Wage for workers in the country, since its inauguration.
Acting President of NLC, Mr Kiri Mohammed, said this yesterday in Abuja at the 11th Quadrennial Conference of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Federal Council, with the theme: “Equipping the Union to Face the Challenges of 21stCentury.”
According to him, the organised labour will no longer tolerate the delay in implementation of the National Minimum Wage for workers.
“Since we had an inaugural meeting, they have not called for a meeting; it looks like there is a deliberate delay for the negotiation process.
“We have not even started the negotiation process but if we meet we would modify our demand for the upward review,” he said.
He disclosed that the organised Labour has demanded for the upward review of N56,000 minimum wage for workers in the country.
Recall that the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have jointly proposed and presented N56,000 as the new minimum wage to the Federal Government as against the present N18,000.
He said the reason for the upward review was imperative as the present economy realities have surpassed that of two years ago.
According to Mohammed, organised labour due to economy reasons then obviously demanded N56,000 as minimum wage two years ago, from Mr President and to date nothing has happened.
“ For that same reasons, NLC decided to look at those reasons and see how it can be modified and we have actually decided for upward review of more than the N56,000 as minimum wage for workers.
“So, the leadership of the organised labour met and decided to look at the present economy realities on the ground and our finding is that the N56, 000 is not enough.
“That is why we have made a fresh submission and we have submitted it to the secretariat of the Tripartite Committee of the National Minimum Wage.
“But, I am not going to tell you the actual amount because the NLC president is supposed to announce that by himself,‘’ he said.
He assured workers that the NLC would do everything possible to ensure that a living minimum wage was implemented for workers in the country.
He, however, commended members for their support during the recently concluded national delegated conference of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU).
Earlier in his address of welcome, Mr Odebunmi Timothy, Acting Chairman of the (NCSU) Federal Council noted the minimum wage for workers was long overdue.

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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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