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Activities grounded at Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu as Workers begin indefinite strike over Same-Scale Promotion

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The aggrieved workers of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu during their peaceful protest on Tuesday
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Activities at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu were disrupted on Tuesday as workers under the umbrella of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) commenced an indefinite strike over what they described as “obnoxious same-scale promotion” implemented during the hospital’s 2025 promotion exercise.

The protesting workers, who came out in large numbers, marched from the hospital’s Boulevard area to the main gate, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards demanding immediate reversal of the promotion exercise which they said amounted to stagnation and demotion of staff.

The industrial action followed the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the management of the hospital on April 27, 2026, during which the unions demanded the withdrawal of the controversial promotion policy.

Workers of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu on strike

Addressing the workers during the demonstration, the Enugu State Vice Chairman of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Comrade Innocent Ejike, assured the aggrieved staff of labour’s support, insisting that injustice against workers would not be allowed to stand.

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“As far as we’re concerned, what is wrong will never stand. If they’re working against you, they’re working against all of us and we’ll never allow that to stand,” he said.

He urged the workers to remain united and disciplined throughout the struggle, stressing that division among workers would weaken their cause.

“There’s no way somebody will go through the rudiments and process of promotion exams and you still keep him in the same position. That is another name for stagnation,” he added.

Also speaking, Chairman Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, National Orthopedic Hospital Enugu, Comrade Chukwuemeka Edwin, said the unions were at the hospital to demonstrate solidarity with their members, recalling a similar experience at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu in 2011.

According to him, workers in the orthopaedic hospital resisted attempts to deny them “skipping” during promotions under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), warning that labour would resist any attempt to revive the policy at FNHE.

“What they did to us then was that people moving from CONHESS 10 to 11 were promoted to the same CONHESS 10, while those moving from 11 to 12 were retained on the same level of 11. We resisted it completely.

“After 15 years of that dark era, we are now seeing the same thing being implemented at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu. It will never happen,” he declared.

Edwin described the implementation of same-scale promotion as “illegal,” insisting that healthcare promotion remained a “no-go area.”

“The only thing that should call you back from this strike is the withdrawal of that letter,” he told the protesting workers.

Chairman of the National Union of Allied Health Workers and Professionals Enugu State Chapter and past Chairman of Trade Union Congress, TUC, in the state, Asogwa Benjamin, said the unions resorted to strike action after exhausting all avenues for dialogue with management.

“After the 21-day ultimatum, we still gave a grace period of two days. So, we are constrained to take up this last option,” he stated.

Similarly, Acting Chairman of NANNM in the hospital, Comrade Ajiri Okezie, insisted that the workers were only demanding their legitimate rights.

“Promotion is not a privilege but a right. We consulted widely before taking this action. Until you hear from us, don’t come to work,” he said.

The Acting Chairman of JOHESU and Senior Staff Chairman, Comrade Cletus Nweke, also threw his weight behind the strike, describing the workers’ action as justified.

In the April 27 ultimatum jointly signed by leaders of JOHESU affiliates and NANNM in the hospital, the unions accused the management of subjecting workers to “same-scale promotion” during the 2025 exercise.

The unions stated that the exercise was “not promotion but rather stagnation/demotion,” warning that they could no longer guarantee industrial harmony if the decision was not reversed.

The workers anchored part of their demands on a 2017 circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health following a memorandum of terms of settlement reached with JOHESU after a nationwide strike.

In the October 3, 2017 document signed on behalf of the Minister by Dr. W. D. Balami, Head of Department of Hospital Services, the ministry expressly directed federal health institutions that “there should be no same-scale promotion in accordance with the Public Service Rule.”

The document also directed hospitals to pay arrears of “skipping” and other allowances owed to health workers.

Union leaders at the protest argued that the current promotion exercise at FNHE violated the 2017 agreement and contravened established public service rules guiding promotions in the health sector.

As of the time of filing this report, the management of the hospital had yet to officially respond to the allegations and the ongoing strike action.

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Enugu Air Launches New Website

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…moves online services to www.enuguairlines.ng

Enugu Air has announced the launch of its new official website, enuguairlines.ng, as part of efforts to provide passengers and customers with a better, safer and more convenient digital experience.

The airline said the migration to the new website is designed to improve how passengers connect with Enugu Air and access its services online, including flight bookings, schedules and the latest updates.

Announcing the development, the airline said: “We’ve moved! We’re innovating! We’ve migrated to a better, safer and convenient website to connect you to the world.”

Passengers can now access Enugu Air’s online services through its new web address, enuguairlines.ng, which the airline described as its new digital home.

The airline urged passengers and prospective travellers to save the new web address and use it for flight bookings, checking schedules and obtaining the latest information about its operations.

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“Same Enugu Air. New web address,” the airline stated, emphasising that the change represents an improvement in its digital platform while retaining the Enugu Air brand and services.

The airline further encouraged customers to visit, www.enuguairlines.ng for all flight-related information and online services.

It further stated that the old website, enuguairlines•com has been discarded and no longer in use.

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Kidnapped female Police officer found dead in Ebonyi

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A kidnapped female police officer has been found dead in Ebonyi State after a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate was arrested and led police operatives to the scene where her remains were recovered.

The Nigeria Police Force disclosed this in its state-by-state operational update issued by Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters, Ani Iniedu on Monday, detailing several arrests, rescues and recoveries recorded across the country between September 19 and 20, 2026.

According to the police, the suspect was arrested following a sustained intelligence-led and technology-based investigation into the kidnapping of the female officer.

The suspect reportedly led combined police teams to the crime scene, where the remains of the officer were recovered.

The police said the case is being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Abakaliki.

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In a separate operation in Adamawa State, police operatives rescued two kidnapped victims from a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Shako Forest, Toungo Local Government Area.

The operation, carried out on September 20 following actionable intelligence, also led to the recovery of two magazines containing 10 rounds of 7.62×39mm live ammunition.

A National Identification Number (NIN) card, mobile phone, passport and chain were also recovered from the suspected hideout.

In the Federal Capital Territory, police arrested 334 suspects during coordinated raids on criminal hotspots, black spots and uncompleted buildings across several locations.

The operation, conducted on September 19, also resulted in the recovery of various quantities of substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

Meanwhile, police in Anambra State arrested a suspected child trafficker who was allegedly intercepted while travelling with a six-month-old baby boy.

The baby was recovered and handed over to the appropriate authorities for necessary action, according to the police.

In Kaduna State, four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate were arrested following intelligence-led operations.

Police said the suspects confessed to their alleged involvement in kidnapping and provided information about fleeing accomplices. A locally made Dane gun was recovered.

Another suspected kidnapping syndicate member was arrested at Soba Market in the state. Police said the suspect also confessed and gave information implicating five fleeing accomplices.

In Ogun State, police arrested a suspect linked to a fatal shooting incident in Isara, Remo North Local Government Area.

One single-barrel gun, one live cartridge and one expended shell were recovered during the operation.

In Imo State, a suspect was arrested during a raid on a suspected criminal gathering at Nekede, Owerri West Local Government Area, with police recovering a locally made cut-to-size single-barrel gun.

Police in Ekiti State also arrested two suspects linked to multiple shop-breaking and stealing incidents in Ado-Ekiti and recovered suspected stolen iron rods.

In another operation in Ado-Ekiti, police recovered an abandoned white sack containing a pump-action gun loaded with two live cartridges and a locally made single-barrel gun from a farmland.

In Benue State, police tactical teams, supported by personnel of the Police Mobile Force and military, intervened in a renewed communal conflict at Akpa-Mbakor Community in Tarka Local Government Area.

The security teams dispersed the rampaging youths and restored normalcy in the area, according to the police.

In Oyo State, police arrested a truck driver allegedly involved in a fatal road traffic incident along the Ijebu-Ode/Idi Ayunre Road.

The truck was impounded for further inspection and investigation.

The police said all the cases remain under investigation by the respective State Criminal Investigation Departments.

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UK excludes Nigerian, Ghanaian-trained teachers from teaching qualification list

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Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana are no longer eligible to apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England under the United Kingdom’s overseas-trained teacher application route.

The change took effect on September 9 and means teachers trained in the two West African countries can no longer use the route to obtain QTS, a status recognised by many schools in England.

The UK Department for Education said countries included in the scheme must meet specific requirements to ensure that applicants’ qualifications, professional standing and teaching experience can be properly verified. One of the requirements is that a country must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional status and providing authenticated references.

According to the department, Nigeria and Ghana did not meet the reference-verification requirement.

“Our data shows that more than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain. This means assessors spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications,” the department said.

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The UK department said about 90 percent of applications are assessed within 12 months.

India was also removed from the eligible list because it does not have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing.

South Africa is now the only African country remaining on the list of countries whose teachers can use the QTS application route.

The department said the verification process was necessary to ensure that information provided by applicants was genuine and that teachers awarded QTS possessed the required skills and experience to teach in England.

To apply for QTS, overseas-trained teachers must have a valid passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree and professional recognition as a teacher in the country where they trained.

Applicants must also have completed any mandatory induction requirements needed for full teacher registration in their country of qualification.

They are required to demonstrate that they are qualified to teach children aged between five and 16 and have at least nine months of teaching experience gained after qualifying as a teacher.

Applicants must also provide employment references that verify their work history and use an email address linked to the school’s official domain.

Depending on the country where a teacher trained, additional requirements may include qualifications to teach pupils aged between 11 and 16 and a specialism in subjects such as mathematics, science, biology, chemistry, physics, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish.

However, because teachers in England are employed by individual schools rather than the Department for Education, schools may consider alternative routes into teaching.

The department said teachers who are no longer eligible to use the QTS application service can explore other routes into teaching in England.

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