OCTOBER 23, 2020

By Lawani Mikairu

 Dana Air and Arik airlines have announced their readiness to resume flight operations from Lagos airport tomorrow, Saturday following the belief that the Lagos State government will lift the 24 hours curfew it imposed on the state. 

The curfew was imposed by the State governor Mr Babajide Sanwo Olu on Tuesday to forestall further breakdown of law and order following series of EndSARS protests. 

Confirming the likely resumption of domestic flights, the Spokesman for Dana Air, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa said: “Following our earlier announcement on cancellation, we are pleased to inform you that we will resume full flight operations from tomorrow, Saturday, the 24th of October 2020.” 

Ezenwa also said that tickets purchased for flights within the period of the curfew remains valid and can be ” rescheduled for free by sending an email to [email protected]”. “Once again our heart goes out to our brothers and sisters who lost lives and properties during the protest, ” he said. 

Meanwhile, Arik Air has also said it will be resuming limited flights to some destinations where there are no curfews on Friday, October 23, 2020. 

According to Mr Banji Ola, spokesperson for the airline, Flights from Lagos to other parts of the country will however resume upon the lifting of the 24 hours curfew by the Lagos state government. “Specifically, the airline will be operating flights from its second hub in Abuja to Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Benin, Kano and Yola.”

“On Friday, Arik Air will operate one flight each from Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja to Port Harcourt, Ilorin and Kano. Also, on Saturday, the airline will operate one flight each from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Benin and Yola,” Ola said. 

The two airlines had on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, suspended their flights’ operations due to the 24 hours curfew announced by the Lagos State government.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/20...

OCTOBER 25, 2020

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa has imposed a 24-hour curfew throughout the state, citing a breakdown of law and order in Yola, the capital.

Fintiri declared the curfew in a special broadcast on Sunday, warning that the government will not fold its hands and allow some few elements to destabilise the relative peace enjoyed in the state.

He said: "Fellow citizens, we cannot allow hoodlums and misguided elements to operate unchallenged when we are already battling with the challenges of insurgency, kidnapping, cattle rustling, banditry and farmer/herders' clashes.

"In view of the above, I have declared and imposed an indefinite curfew throughout the State, beginning from 3 o'clock Sunday, 25th of October, 2020."

He warned that the movement of vehicles, except those authorized, is prohibited during the curfew.

He said the security development followed the activities of some misguided elements who have broken into warehouses owned by the State Government and carted away COVID-19 palliatives.

The governor commended the youths in the state for not allowing themselves to be misled into doing anything untoward since the ENDSARS protest began in some parts of the Country.

He said while the government respects the rights of the citizens to seek redress, it notes that there are civilized and responsible ways of channeling genuine grievances.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the Government has, through the State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), distributed palliatives through the 260 wards of the State during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to cushion the effects of the first and second lockdowns declared in the State.

"Two weeks into the first lockdown, with an end to the pandemic not in sight, I directed that more foodstuffs be released to the people and distributed to the 21 Local Government Areas.

"Considering the hardship experienced by workers, especially those at the lower cadre, I directed a third round of distribution of food items to all workers from Grade Levels 1 to 6," Fintiri said. 

(NAN)

OCTOBER 25, 2020

(Reuters) - Britain’s government is looking at how long those exposed to COVID-19 need to quarantine, Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News on Sunday, commenting on reports that the self-isolation period could be reduced from 14 days.

Like many other European countries, the UK is facing a surge in infections. It has so far reported 884,457 coronavirus cases with 44,795 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

The government has ordered those in England identified as being exposed to the virus to stay at home for 14 days, or face fines of up to 10,000 pounds ($13,043).

“Teams are looking at what we can do around those isolation periods, this will be scientifically led,” Lewis said when asked about reports the period could be reduced to 10 or seven days.

“We’re not ready to make a final decision or announcement on that yet, but we want to make sure we’re moving with the science, and indeed again, allowing people to live and work within this virus as best as we can.”

Lewis denied a report in the Sunday Times that some city workers and company bosses could be exempt from the quarantine period. He said any changes to the rules would apply to everybody.

Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru and William James in London; Editing by Frances Kerry and Catherine Evans

OCTOBER 25, 2020

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has eased the curfew imposed on the state after the violence that trailed the EndSARS protests.

The curfew is now to run from 8pm to 6am until further notice. The statement issued by the Information Commissioner, Gbenga Omotosho, read: “The curfew in Lagos State has been reviewed. Restriction time is now 8pm to 6am. Lagosians are enjoined to plan their journey times as they go about their lawful businesses. Public schools remain shut till further notice.”

OCTOBER 26, 2020

“This means members of the public can move around between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily within the metropolis."

The Kwara government has announced the relaxation of the 24 hours curfew imposed on residents of llorin, the state capital, following protests in some parts of the metropolis.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, relaxed the curfew from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.

The governor said that the relaxation became imperative in view of the peace and harmony being recorded in the state.

Mr Ajakaye said the decision was taken after a state security council meeting with heads of the security agencies in the state on Sunday.

“A review of the situation in the Ilorin metropolis suggested a relative calm.

“The meeting observed that the objective of the curfew has largely been achieved as the misguided elements who looted and vandalised public and private property have been pushed back and normalcy restored.

“Consequently, the security council resolved to relax the curfew from 24 hours to between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. daily until further notice.

“This means members of the public can move around between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily within the metropolis.

“Even so, the government will continue to review the situation and take decisions that are in the best interest of the state,” he said.

He said that security operatives were on ground to ensure law and order prevail in all parts of the metropolis.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr AbdulRasaq had in a broadcast on Friday imposed a 24-hour curfew on llorin after hoodlums looted and vandalised some private and public places in the metropolis. 

(NAN)

OCTOBER 26, 2020

By Wole Oyebade

Local airlines, yesterday, resumed skeletal services following last week’s disruption by the EndSARS protests and the attendant curfew imposed by the Lagos State government.

The demonstrations, which had forced some foreign operators to suspend flights, resulted in grounding of operations by indigenous carriers amid absence of travellers and riots in Nigeria’s economic capital.

But yesterday, life began returning to the airports, even as operators push for disbursement of the N27 billion aviation bailout announced by the Federal Government to mitigate losses incurred following outbreak of the novel coronavirus across the globe.

Dana Air confirmed its resumption of flights on all routes nationwide.

The Media Communication Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, added tickets sold within the period of the curfew remain valid, and could be rescheduled at no cost.

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Also, Azman Air said trips between Lagos and Kaduna, Kano and Abuja, as well as Benin and Abuja were available.

Arik Air spoke in the same light, authenticating flights from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja to Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Benin, Kano and Yola.

Players were unanimous that the one-week interruption worsened their lot, after months of lockdown engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the estimated losses, government had pledged to assist the industry with the intervention fund. By calculations, the airlines were to get at least N10 billion of the money.

However, delay in release and denials on its whereabouts by officials have prompted suspicions that the funds might have been diverted.

But the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, recently said plan to disburse the lifeline was ongoing, adding that only airlines with valid Air Operating Certificates (AOCs) would benefit from the largesse.

Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Muhammad Albakri, also called for prompt financial support for the stakeholders.

He acknowledged that airlines globally were in dire straits, and at the risk of collapse without government’s intervention.

Four international operators across Africa have ceased operations due to the COVID-19 shocks, and two others are in voluntary administration, with many more in serious financial distress.

In the absence of urgent financial assistance, more carriers and their employees are endangered, so is the African air transport industry that supports 7.7 million jobs on the continent.

The governments of Rwanda, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso have pledged $311 million in direct financial support to the sector.

A further $30 billion has been promised by some governments, international finance bodies and other institutions, including the African Development Bank, African Export Import Bank, African Union and the International Monetary Fund for air transport and tourism.

OCTOBER 26, 2020

BARCELONA, Spain - Spain declared a second nationwide state of emergency Sunday and ordered an overnight curfew across the country in hopes of stemming a resurgence in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said.

The Socialist leader told the nation in a televised address that the extraordinary measure will go into effect on Sunday night.

Sánchez said that his government is using the state of emergency to impose an 11 p.m.-6 a.m. nationwide curfew, except in the Canary Islands.

Spain’s 19 regional leaders will have authority to set different hours for the curfew as long as they are stricter, close regional borders to travel and limit gatherings to six people who don’t live together, the prime minister said.

“The reality is that Europe and Spain are immersed in a second wave of the pandemic,” Sánchez said after meeting with his Cabinet.

The leader added that he would ask Parliament this week to extend the state of emergency for six months, until May.

Sánchez’s government said Saturday night that a majority of Spain’s regional leaders have agreed to a new state of emergency and the meeting Sunday was to study its terms.

The state of emergency gives the national government extraordinary powers, including the ability to temporarily restrict basic freedoms guaranteed in Spain’s Constitution such as the right to free movement.

Spain’s government has already declared two state of emergencies during the pandemic. The first was declared in March to apply a strict home confinement across the nation, close stores and recruit private industry for the national public health fight. It was lifted in June after reigning in the contagion rate and saving hospitals from collapse.

The second went into effect for two weeks in Madrid to force the capital's reluctant regional leaders to impose travel limits on residents to slow down an outbreak in which new infections were growing exponentially. It lasted until Saturday.

Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa has said his agency and regional health officials were studying how to apply nightly curfews, perhaps like the 9 p.m. ones already in place in France's major cities.

The state of emergency would make it easier for authorities to take swift action, avoiding having to get many of the restrictions approved by a judge. Some judges have rejected efforts to limit movement in certain regions, causing confusion among the public.

Government officials on all levels were reticent to impose another complete home lockdown and industry shutdown, given the weakened state of Spain's economy, which has plunged into a recession and seen its unemployment rolls skyrocket in recent months.

Spain this week became the first European country to surpass 1 million officially recorded COVID-19 cases. But Sánchez admitted Friday in a nationally televised address that the true figure could be more than 3 million, due to gaps in testing and other factors.

Spain on Friday reported almost 20,000 new daily cases and 231 more deaths, taking the country’s death toll in the pandemic to 34,752.

OCTOBER 27, 2020

Hampshire Police has announced the arrest of seven men from Nigeria “who attempted to hijack” an oil tanker on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom.  

The stowaways, whose names are withheld, were said to have “illegally boarded” the ship in Lagos, Nigeria.

According to the BBC, the men were detained when 16 members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) military forces stormed the Nave Andromeda ship on Sunday night, ending a 10-hour stand-off with the crew members which started when the stowaways reportedly became violent.

The SBS forces arrived the ship by rope from four Royal Navy helicopters after nightfall when the 22 crew members locked themselves in a room known as “the citadel” to call for assistance from a secure space.

Hampshire police spokesperson said the seven men were held on suspicion of “seizing or exercising control of a ship by use of threats or force under Sections 9(1) and (3) of the Aviation and Maritime and Security Act 1990”, adding that “all 22 crew members are safe and well and the vessel is now alongside in the port of Southampton”.

Chris Parry, former Royal Navy officer,  said the operation to hijack the vessel was over in “under nine minutes” when the heavily armed officers stormed the vessel.

“From the time the helicopters went in and the SBS roped on to the ship, they rounded up the people pretty quickly. I think the stowaways themselves accepted this was probably the end of the journey for them and there probably wasn’t any point in resisting heavily armed men approaching them,” he said.

Ben Wallace, defence secretary, who said there was a “clear threat to life” on the ship, added that it is a crime the state cannot tolerate.

“What was emerging was a clear threat to life on the ship and at that point the police made representation to the Ministry of Defence that they didn’t have the capability to do what was needed in these challenging circumstances,” Wallace said.

“We were under the awareness that the suspects were also threatening to do something with the ship. If they were threatening to take control of the ship then, of course, that is a hijack and the threat to the environment and, more importantly, to the lives of people on the ship is something the state can’t tolerate.”

In a statement, Navios tanker management, operator of the crude oil tanker, thanked the UK authorities for their “timely and professional response”.

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OCTOBER 27, 2020

Air Peace, has announced that it will be commencing regular commercial flight operations from its Lagos hub into the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, soon, in keeping with its vision to provide seamless connectivity across cities.

The airline says it has made huge progress in meeting the stipulated requirements of the aviation authorities in both South Africa and Nigeria to enable it to launch flight operations into the country before the year runs out.

In a press release issued by the Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, the airline hinted that South Africa is one of the destinations which the Federal Government had designated Air Peace to operate into, adding that Lagos-Johannesburg-Lagos will be operated thrice a week.

Olisa stated that South Africa has always been on the radar of Air Peace as the airline is constantly reviewing its route network and looking at strategic ways of expanding it to provide immense value to Nigerians first, and other Africans.

He added that this focused route planning and expansion is driven by the airline’s ‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative, an ambition to interconnect various cities through the provision of safe, comfortable, and cost-effective flights.

Reiterating the commitment of the airline to continuously add more connections to its route network, Olisa noted that apart from South Africa, Air Peace has also been designated to operate commercial flights into Mumbai, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, with other destinations still in the works.

“We shall continue to strategically increase existing connections to give our customers more network options while also creating more employment opportunities for Nigerians”, he said.

Air Peace, in a historic feat, had kicked off international flight operations with United Arab Emirates in July 2019 and has consistently shown vibrancy and reliability by operating several evacuation flights to and from China, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Israel, India and Turkey during the COVID-19 lockdown as well as the free airlift of 503 Nigerians from South Africa amidst the xenophobic onslaught last year.

OCTOBER 27, 2020

• Air Peace to begin flights to Johannesburg

BY  Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

Domestic flights have resumed at Nigeria’s busiest airport, the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, but on a slow start.

The Lagos State Government had placed a three-day curfew in the state in a bid to address the violent protests that erupted in the country’s commercial city following the recent #EndSARS demonstrations.

The curfew warranted the halt of domestic flight operations into and out of the busiest airport in the country, a development that led to less traffic in other airports across the country.

Airline operators told our correspondent on Monday that since the curfew was lifted by the state government, passengers had been cautious about flying, particularly because of the tense situation in many parts of the country.

This came as Air Peace, an indigenous airline on domestic and international routes, announced on Monday that it would commence regular commercial flights from its Lagos hub into Johannesburg, South Africa, before the end of the year.

Officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria as well as those of domestic and international airlines confirmed that domestic passenger volume had been on a slow start despite full flight resumption.

The spokesperson, Dana Air, Okwudili Ezenwa, said, “We are hoping that by next week, everything should have settled down because right now, people are still trying to be sure of their movements.

“Passengers are being cautious before they come out. So, things have not balanced. People are not leaving Lagos as such from the airport now; rather, they are being careful.”

He added, “In locations where no curfew was announced, other places will still have to feed such locations. So since we have curfews here and there, ultimately it affects areas where we don’t have curfew.

“But we hope everything settles down well before next week.”

Also, the spokesperson for Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, stated that although domestic flights had resumed, passengers were still cautious of flying.

“Yes domestic flights have resumed out of the Lagos airport but it is something that is only picking up gradually,” he said.

On Air Peace’s move to connect Johannesburg, Olisa said the airline had made huge progress in meeting the stipulated requirements of the aviation authorities in both South Africa and Nigeria.

This, he said, would enable the carrier begin flight operations into South Africa before the year runs out.