The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has released the dates and designated centres for the 2026 Directorate-Level Promotion Examination.

The examination is scheduled in accordance with Circular Ref. No. FC.

Ibraheem Zakariyya, Head of Press and Public Relations of the Commission, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

Zakariyya quoted Olaopa to have informed all accredited candidates of the scheduled dates for the local and foreign legs of the examination.

Olaopa advised candidates to carefully note the examination date indicated on their examination cards and report at their designated venues by 7:00 a.m. prompt.

He said the local leg of the examination would hold from Monday, Sept. 21 to Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, for candidates across all applicable grade levels.

The examination, he said, would be conducted across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He listed the designated centres as Lafia, Nasarawa State, for the North-Central zone; Kaduna, Kaduna State, for the North-West zone; and Bauchi, Bauchi State, for the North-East zone.

Others are Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the South-South; Ibadan, Oyo State, for the South-West; Enugu, Enugu State, for the South-East; and Abuja, FCT, for the FCT and Commission headquarters.

He urged candidates to sit for the examination only at the venue specifically indicated on their examination identity cards.

“The Commission therefore urges all accredited candidates to verify their examination details ahead of time and make adequate arrangements to arrive at their respective centres early to avoid any inconvenience,” he said.

He further said that the foreign leg of the examination was scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.

He said the foreign examination centres would be located in Ottawa, Canada; London, United Kingdom; Beijing, China; and Cairo, Egypt, as indicated in the official timetable.

Olaopa reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring a transparent, orderly and credible promotion examination process.

He also called on concerned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Permanent Secretaries, Accounting Officers and Chief Executive Officers to ensure that the contents of the circular were brought to the attention of all affected officers for strict compliance.

The Institute of Marine and Offshore Nigeria (IMION) has urged the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) to deploy a port Single Window.

The institute made the call on Wednesday at the closing of its three-day executive course in Lagos on logistics and trade facilitation.

The course was with the theme: ‘Logistics and Trade Facilitation for Blue Economy Growth’.

IMION said policies must translate into practical action to improve safety, attract investment and enhance service delivery across ports and offshore operations.

Director-General, African Centre for Supply Chain Management, Dr.

Madu said multiple agencies with legitimate mandates often create duplication, conflicting requirements, repeated inspections and unclear accountability.

He said such fragmentation increased the cost of doing business in Nigerian ports and undermined trade competitiveness.

Madu urged NPERA to resolve conflicts arising from overlapping mandates, stressing that “good laws produce bad outcomes without coordination”.

He added that traders deserved “one data submission and one inspection” to reduce delays and improve efficiency.

Madu called for clear Key Performance Indicators for agencies and users, with customer experience serving as the ultimate measure.

He said the indicators should track time, cost and predictability across port processes.

Madu advocated trade simplification through digitisation, transparent documentation and predictable cargo release.

He asked whether reforms had actually reduced trading time and costs for businesses operating across Nigeria’s ports.

Madu said businesses should know requirements, costs, timelines and appeal channels upfront to improve certainty and accountability.

He said modern inspection should rely on intelligence, risk management and technology rather than excessive bureaucracy.

Madu warned that technology should “reduce friction, not digitise bureaucracy”, saying uncoordinated controls could worsen delays and increase costs.

He said additional controls without proper coordination could create opportunities for corruption and undermine the benefits of digitalisation.

Madu said infrastructure alone could not move trade, as slow and fragmented procedures could erode value in spite of available ports, roads, railways and vessels.

He said trade facilitation should make legitimate trade faster, cheaper and more transparent without compromising regulatory requirements.

According to him, efficient trade processes would support growth, investment and improved cash flow for businesses.

Also speaking, Dr Eugene Itua of the Africa Green Economy and Sustainability Initiative said sustainability and risk management must balance economic efficiency.

He said they must also promote environmental protection and social equity across blue economy logistics.

Itua said Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness would depend on smarter compliance and stronger collaboration among government agencies.

He added that a skilled workforce would be essential to harness emerging opportunities in offshore operations and logistics. (NAN)

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has approved N2 billion for the payment of gratuity arrears owed retired civil servants in the state.

The ‌‍‍‍⁠⁠‌‍‍‍‌‍⁠‌‌Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, disclosed this on Wednesday during a monthly news briefing in Lafia.

Ahemba said the approval was to help clear the arrears from 2013 to date, adding that payments had been made up to 2012.

“The governor is determined to ensure that whatever entitlement is due to our retirees, they do not suffer to get it.

“That is why he has decided to make this commitment again,” he said.

The governor’s aide also announced fresh interventions in mining revenue deployment, particularly in the mining communities.

He said the state had received N2.6 billion from a lithium processing company in Endo, Nasarawa Local Government Area (LGA).

Ahemba said that following the receipt of the money, the governor subsequently convened an expanded state Executive Council meeting with traditional rulers and stakeholders from host communities.

According to him, the governor directed that part of the funds be released for projects in Endo and surrounding communities.

“Recall that the state has agreed with the mining company, giving out a licence to enable the company to mine, and then continue to pay tax to the state.

“This agreement is going to last from now to 2051,” Ahemba said.

He also said that the governor had directed stakeholders in the communities to work out key projects and inform the government.

He pointed out that the governor is not a dictator but wanted the people to make input into the kind of projects that would affect their life.

The governor explained that the licence was acquired in the name of Nasarawa Government, contrary to reports that it was acquired in the governor’s personal name.

On education, Ahemba said that 1,000 teachers had been recruited through the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board from more than 10,000 applicants.

He said the successful applicants would immediately receive appointment letters for deployment to rural primary schools.

He said the government had also awarded contracts for three model schools, one in each senatorial district.

According to him, the government has mobilised contractors to the sites, with work expected to commence in Akwanga zone soon.

“To tackle out-of-school children syndrome, SUBEB has procured over 10,000 exercise books, uniforms and sandals for distribution to public school pupils.

“The board has also been directed to begin advocacy, after which a task force, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, will enforce compliance,” he said.

Ahemba said that mobile courts would prosecute parents who failed to send school-age children to school.

He further said that the government had concluded arrangements to commence rural and urban road projects across the state in the coming weeks.

The pilot projects, he said, would commence in selected LGAs, with the aim of ensuring that projects covered all the 13 LGAs before the end of the administration.

On the 2027 elections, Ahemba said that the government was ready to provide a level playing field but would not condone any acts of lawlessness by any politician, no matter how highly placed.

The Chairman, state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Juliana Ofoku, commended the governor for his support to journalists in the state.

Ofoku pledged the union’s commitment to projecting government activities and programmes through responsible reportage. (NAN)