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NUPENG, PENGASSAN Suspend Nation-Wide Strike

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11 years ago

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Nigerian oil workers under the umbrellas of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have suspended their five-day nation-wide industrial action.
The strike was suspended on Friday after a meeting with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke and the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with the unions.
The suspension was contained in a communiqué read after the meeting by the President of NUPENG, Comrade Achese Igwe and jointly signed by PENGASSAN President, Comrade Francis Johnson and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Jamila Shu’ara
Igwe explained that the suspension of the strike was an outcome of the intervention of the minister and expressed hope that vexing issues that led to the strike would be resolved.
It would be recalled that operations of NNPC were shut down Tuesday last week over an N85 billion pension unabridged gap by the corporation which resulted in the withdrawal of licence of NNPC’s closed pension by regulators.
PENCOM Director-General, Mr. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu said NNPC’s Pension Scheme Licence was revoked because of the Corporation’s inability to bridge a N85 billion vacuum existing in the scheme.
Inspite of the promise by NNPC authorities to avert the strike, dissatisfied workers declared a nationwide industrial action which negatively affected operations of the corporation and fuel supply across the country with Abuja the Federal Capital Territory being the most hit.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke has shunned the invitation of the House of Representatives’ joint committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream/Downstream).
The meeting scheduled Thursday to discuss and find solution to the strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN members was not attended by the Minister even when authorities of NNPC sent a written-note to the committee assuring that the corporation was doing everything possible to resolve the crisis.

 

Chris Oluoh

Commander General of NSCDC, Dr Ade Abolurin (3rd-left), inspecting seized jerry cans of Petrol from vandals during his tour of Oke-Oko Isawo in Ikorodu, Lagos State recently.

Commander General of NSCDC, Dr Ade Abolurin (3rd-left), inspecting seized jerry cans of Petrol from vandals during his tour of Oke-Oko Isawo in Ikorodu, Lagos State recently.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 hours 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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22 hours 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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22 hours 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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