From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has charged public relations practitioners to champion strategic communication as a tool for rebuilding public trust, accountability and excellence in governance.

The Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr.

Law Mefor, gave the charge on behalf of the governor on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the One-Day Hybrid Professional Training organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Anambra State Chapter, with the theme, “Re-inventing Public Trust, Accountability, Professionalism and Excellence in Anambra State: Harnessing Public Relations Best Practices in Government, Corporate and Public Service.”

He emphasised the power of branding and reputation management in politics and governance, noting that in public perception, perception is more potent than reality.

“The resource person talked about branding. In political communication, those of us in politics know that the individual politician is a brand either a good one or a bad one. If you see yourself as a brand, you need to manage it,” he said.

“In social and learning psychology, reality and perception are miles apart, and perception happens to be more important than reality. Who you are, no matter how noble, if the perception out there is that you are a bad person, then you are a bad person. You need to manage your reputation,” he stated.

Mefor observed that some politicians with poor track records thrive because of excellent reputation management, stressing that governance must go beyond information dissemination to strategic communication that drives attitude change and behaviour modification.

“It is not enough to inform, to dump information. You need to communicate strategically so that people begin to ask themselves questions about their governance,” he said.

Citing Anambra’s environmental crisis as an example of attitudinal failure, the commissioner said flooding and erosion were largely man-made, caused by channelling of storm water from homes onto roads and total concreting of compounds without catchment pits or green areas.

He disclosed that his ministry began a joint engagement campaign with the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday, to sensitise citizens on sustainable environmental practices, noting that Governor Soludo deliberately rebranded the Ministry of Information to Ministry of Information and Value Reformation to drive value reorientation and rebranding of the state.

“We need to recreate Anambra, the Paradise for which Anambra was known before, which we lost. Where did we lose our way? How do we retrace our steps so we will not continue to progress in error?” He queried, and appealed to NIPR to join the Soludo administration’s coalition of the willing to rebuild the reputation of old Anambra, describing it as a practical, not theoretical, task.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja 

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the mandatory online verification and enrolment exercise for eligible federal civil servants to December 31, 2026.

PenCom spoke in a statement on Tuesday that the exercise, which began in February, was initially scheduled to end on July 31.

The commission said the extension followed requests from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for additional time to enable eligible employees to complete the online enrolment process.

As at July 2026, PenCom said MDAs had uploaded 62,320 records of active employees and retirees, but only 31,099 employees had successfully completed the enrolment.

The commission said the figures fall short of the estimated 150,000 active federal government employees entitled to accrued pension rights.

“PenCom calls on all eligible employees and Treasury-funded MDAs to take full advantage of the extension and complete the enrolment exercise before the new deadline,” PenCom.

The commission urged eligible employees and treasury-funded MDAs not to delay completion of the exercise before the new deadline.

PenCom said the exercise is aimed at determining the accrued pension rights of eligible employees and establishing the federal government’s outstanding pension liabilities.

“This is essential for determining the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budgetary provisions for their settlement,” the statement reads.

The exercise is being conducted digitally through PenCom’s contributions and bond redemption application (COBRA), which facilitates data capture, validation and processing.

MDAs are required to upload details of eligible employees on the platform, after which the employees are expected to visit their respective pension fund administrators (PFAs) with the required documents to complete enrolment.

Pension desk officers (PDOs), trained by PenCom, are responsible for coordinating the exercise within their organisations and guiding employees through the process.

PenCom said early completion would facilitate the determination of accrued pension rights and enable the necessary funding to be secured from the federal government.

“Amounts would be credited to employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) well ahead of retirement — earning investment returns and boosting retirement benefits,” the statement said.

The head of the civil service of the federation, in a circular dated April 27, 2026, directed treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise and ensure eligible employees complete the one-time enrolment.

PenCom said the exercise addresses pension liabilities inherited from the defined benefit scheme (DBS), which existed before the introduction of the contributory pension scheme (CPS) in 2004.

“Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014), employees who transitioned to the CPS are entitled to accrued pension rights – benefits earned under the DBS,” PenCom said.

The rights comprise pension and gratuity benefits earned from an employee’s date of first appointment up to June 30, 2004.

PenCom said all active employees of federal government treasury-funded MDAs who were in service as of June 30, 2004, are covered by the accrued pension rights provisions.

The commission said the determination of the rights is based on an actuarial valuation process.

PenCom said it would continue to collaborate with MDAs, PFAs and other stakeholders to improve awareness, facilitate participation and ensure eligible employees are properly captured.

By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The National Assembly has transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states for consideration and approval, formally commencing the next phase of the ongoing constitutional amendment process.

The transmission was confirmed on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana, in a statement made available to Parliamentary Correspondents in Abuja.

Ogunlana said the bills were transmitted to the respective State Houses of Assembly pursuant to the directive of the National Assembly leadership and in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The proposed Sixth Alteration covers 12 thematic areas, including electoral reforms, judicial reforms, security and policing, local government administration, inclusive governance and citizenship, the legislature, devolution of powers, human rights, fiscal reforms, strengthening of institutions, traditional institutions, and the creation of states and local governments.

The State Houses of Assembly are now required to consider the proposed amendments in accordance with their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly after completing their deliberations.

Although the Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which the state legislatures must communicate their decisions, the National Assembly has asked them to do so within 30 days of receiving the bills.

The Clerk, however, stressed that the 30-day period is an administrative timeframe and not a constitutional deadline.

“For clarity, the 30-day period is an expected administrative timeframe and does not constitute a constitutional deadline,” Ogunlana said.

Section 9 of the Constitution requires constitutional alteration bills, except those subject to higher thresholds under the same section, to secure the support of at least two-thirds of the members of each chamber of the National Assembly and approval by resolutions of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of the states.

For alterations affecting Section 8, Section 9 itself or Chapter IV of the Constitution, the Constitution prescribes a higher threshold of a four-fifths majority in each chamber of the National Assembly, alongside approval by the Houses of Assembly of at least two-thirds of the states.

The transmission therefore places the 36 State Houses of Assembly at the centre of the next stage of the amendment process.

The National Assembly said it recognised the constitutional responsibility and independence of the state legislatures and would respect their respective legislative procedures.

It also reaffirmed its commitment to conducting the process in accordance with the Constitution, due process, institutional cooperation and the legislative responsibilities of the different tiers of the legislature.

“Upon receipt of the resolutions of the State Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly will proceed with the necessary steps in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution,” the Clerk stated.

The latest development follows the National Assembly’s consideration of constitution-related proposals before its annual recess. The State Police Bill was the notable proposal considered during that period, receiving the support of 311 House members across party lines on July 23, 2026, while other constitution-related bills were not considered or passed before the recess.

With the transmission of the Sixth Alteration Bill to the 36 state legislatures, attention now shifts to the individual Houses of Assembly and their consideration of the proposed changes.

This version is structured for a front-page newspaper treatment, with the headline and two riders carrying the immediate news while the body provides the constitutional context and the major areas covered by the review.