By Our Correspondent

In a bid to improve the welfare of Nigerian workers, the federal government declared on Friday that it has commenced consultations ahead of fresh negotiations on the national minimum wage..

Permanent secretary, federal ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Kamil Shoretire, who disclosed this during a capacity-building workshop for labour correspondents in Abuja, said that although the government had not announced a timetable for the formal commencement of negotiations, background consultations were already underway.

He said: “We are yet to announce the timetable for that, but background discussions are already ongoing. When it’s time to get the press involved in what has been proposed and what is being negotiated, it will be revealed to you,”.

The permanent secretary stressed that the consultations were part of wider efforts to address wage and allowance issues across different sectors, noting that collective bargaining discussions were also ongoing with workers in sectors such as health and education.

According to him: “Various discussions with health, education and other sectors that have lots of issues in terms of wages and allowances are ongoing and they are being fast-tracked so that the ones that are agreed will reflect in next year’s budget,”.

The permanent secretary also disclosed that the Federal Government had responded to a complaint filed against it by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

He said, Nigeria met the September 1 deadline set by the ILO to respond to outstanding issues raised in the complaint.

“Let me start with the ILO. We have met the deadline. We have responded to the request from ILO. I was there when a complaint was filed by the NLC against the Nigerian government at the ILO on some of the labour issues that are yet to be resolved in the country.

“We responded at the ILO, but we also got that certain areas were not addressed or were pending. So those ones were the ones that we got a deadline on September 1, and we have responded accordingly”, he said.

The NLC had petitioned the ILO at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, alleging violations of workers’ rights under the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949, otherwise known as Convention No. 98.

By our correspondent

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has challenged the government and the media to meet at the point of truth, urging journalists to go beyond headlines and political narratives by independently establishing facts through evidence, investigation and context.

Mbah said government had a responsibility to be transparent about its actions and accountable for its results, while the press must independently scrutinise those actions and report the truth, whether the findings exposed shortcomings or revealed progress.

The governor stated this on Thursday while welcoming over 300 editors to the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Enugu.

The conference has as its theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” while its sub-theme is “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Misinformation Before, During and After Elections.”

Mbah said the relationship between government and the media should not always be defined by confrontation, stressing that both institutions had different responsibilities, but a common obligation to serve the Nigerian people.

“Government must be transparent about what it is doing and be accountable for the results. The press must establish the facts and report the truth.

“Sometimes that truth will expose failure. Sometimes it will reveal progress. The obligation for us both is the same in either case – serving the people of Nigeria,” he said.

The governor urged journalists to deepen investigative reporting, particularly at a time when artificial intelligence and other technologies were making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine and fabricated information.

He said AI could be used to fabricate photographs, clone voices and manipulate videos to make people appear to say things they never said, warning that the development had increased the responsibility of professional journalists.

“My challenge to you, therefore, is simple – go deeper, beyond the surface,”Mbah told the editors.

According to him, rigorous journalism should not involve searching for evidence to support a position that had already been taken.

“Its value lies precisely in its independence: examine the evidence, test competing claims, establish what happened, and report what you find,” he said.

Mbah added that the same standard should apply to government and its critics, stressing that government achievements should not be ignored simply because they did not fit a particular political narrative.

“We have tried to build an Enugu government that is open about what it is doing and clear about what it is trying to achieve. Where we fall short, that should call for scrutiny and be reported. But the same principle applies when the evidence reveals progress,” he said.

The governor also used the occasion to highlight some of his administration’s projects, including more than 1,500 kilometres of roads constructed or reconstructed, over 7,000 classrooms, Smart Green Schools and Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state’s 260 wards.

He listed other interventions as water infrastructure, new transport terminals and CNG buses, Enugu Air, the revival of dormant industries and the development of a new city.

Mbah said the administration was working to position Enugu as an economic gateway to the South-East, with the ambition of making the state one of Nigeria’s leading economies and a national leader in human development and quality of life.

He also acknowledged the support of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government, particularly in areas of roads, aviation, energy and regional development.

The governor urged the editors to use their presence in Enugu to independently assess the developments in the state.

“Take some time to explore the city, speak to the people who live and work here, and get a sense of the direction in which Enugu is moving,” he said.

One of the highpoints of the opening ceremony was the presentation of a plaque for good governance to Governor Mbah by the Guild.

By Our Correspondent

The 2026 Capacity-Building Workshop of the Senate Press Corps will focus on strengthening legislative oversight and media collaboration as mechanisms for safeguarding Nigeria’s national budget from unlawful insertions and other practices capable of undermining budgetary integrity.

In a statement signed by Chairman Senate Press Corps, Taiye Odewale on Friday, the workshop, scheduled to hold on Monday, September 28, will have as its theme: “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions.”

According to the statement, the theme of the workshop was carefully chosen in view of the critical role of effective legislative oversight, responsible journalism and public accountability in ensuring that the national budget reflects approved priorities and serves the broader interests of Nigerians.

The statement futher noted,”As part of efforts to provide participants with expert perspectives on the subject, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani; Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde; and Publisher of Eagle Times Newspaper, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, have been invited to make presentations on relevant aspects of the workshop theme.

“The workshop will also feature an intensive training session on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, to be facilitated by London-based instructors from Mass Media TX Limited.”

According to the organisers, the AI session is designed to expose participants to emerging technologies and their practical applications in contemporary media and professional practice.

The event is also expected to bring together key stakeholders from the National Assembly and the National Assembly bureaucracy, with invitations extended to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio (GCON); Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (CFR) and Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu.

Others are, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola; Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa; Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Kawu Sumaila; and the Clerk to the National Assembly, Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana.

The organisers said the participation of lawmakers, budget experts, civil society advocates, media professionals and technology instructors would provide a platform for robust discussions on budget transparency, legislative scrutiny and the role of the media in promoting accountability.

“The workshop is expected to examine practical approaches to strengthening the budget process, improving oversight mechanisms and enhancing collaboration between legislative institutions and the media in the public interest,” it noted.

The organisers expressed optimism that the capacity-building initiative would contribute to improved understanding of budgetary processes and promote stronger professional engagement around issues of transparency, accountability and responsible public expenditure.

The 2026 Capacity-Building Workshop will take place at Hearing Room 231 on Monday.