OCTOBER 27, 2020

BY  Peter Dada, Akure

Flights were grounded in Akure Airport, Ondo State, on Monday as a crater was discovered dug on the runway on the airport.

The crater was allegedly dug on the runway by some unknown persons suspected to be hoodlums.

The development was said to have forced the management of the airport to close the runway, preventing flight from taking off or landing in the airport.

To this end, many passengers who wanted to travel by air through the Akure Airports were unable to do so.

An airport source said officials of the airport authority discovered the crater in the night and consequently closed the runway.

The source said, “The hole was discovered during the early morning check by the security of the airport. We are yet to know those behind it. I think the intention of the miscreants was to cause plane crash in the airport.

“The security operatives have been invited to see the place. The government has to deploy the security agents to the airport so as not to allow the miscreants cause havoc there.”

Spokesperson of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Henrietta Yakubu, stated that cracks were discovered on the runway during the routine checks on Monday morning.

She said the cracks had not affected flight operations in the airport.

Yakubu added that repair works had commenced on the cracked portions of the runway.

OCTOBER 27, 2020

A January immigration ruling didn’t cause as much of a stir as the 2017 Muslim ban. But it upended countless families’ plans.

BY  KOVIE BIAKOLO

When Donald Trump took the oath of office on a gray January morning in 2017, he laid out his vision for the United States under his leadership. “We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease,” he said. “A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.”

The gulf between how liberals and conservatives imagined this vision would play out was wide. Nearly four years later, the divide in how we view the consequences of his first term remains large. But the nation is undeniably changed: Children have been separated from their parents at the border. Major American cities, roiled by protests, have been labeled “anarchist jurisdictions” by the Department of Justice. The stock market reached record highs just months after unemployment grew to levels not seen since the Great Depression. 

A global pandemic is hitting the U.S.—home to 4 percent of the world’s population but about 20 percent of its coronavirus deaths—particularly hard. Whether he’s reelected or not, President Trump will leave behind a legacy, one that includes normalizing corruption and misinformation, directing government offices and resources to serve his reelection campaign and settle personal scores, gutting nonpartisan federal agencies of expertise, and undermining some of the most basic principles of American democracy.

And the decisions of this president and his administration have transformed countless lives. We are telling the stories of seven individuals—a mother of five young kids navigating virtual schooling, a young judge given a lifetime appointment, and a survivor of white-supremacist violence in Charlottesville, among others—living with the consequences of Trump’s first term. 

In February 2017, Tayo left Nigeria for the United States. (I am calling Tayo by her nickname because she feared that using her full name could threaten her green-card petition.) Two years earlier, a cousin who lived in New York had introduced her over the phone to a man he worked with; the two began a friendship that soon turned into a long-distance romance. The man, a Black American, told Tayo about his desire to visit Nigeria someday. He was a saving grace during a turbulent period of her life—her marriage was ending, and she was working long hours to open a school. He encouraged her work, and in the process, became an important source of emotional support. Tayo had only planned to come to New York City for a visit—to see family and to get a sense of the country’s education system. But when Tayo met the man in person, they fell in love and decided to get married. They wed in September, seven months after she had arrived in the country.

Her new husband filed for her permanent residency. Three years later, she is still in limbo, as her petition awaits review by U.S. immigration services. Tayo has three children, aged 20, 11, and 10. Initially, she and her husband planned to save up money and bring them all to the United States, once she had sorted out custody with her ex-husband and secured her own permanent residency.

Then, on January 31, 2020, the Trump administration announced a ban on immigration from six new countries, including Nigeria, citing security concerns and a lack of information sharing with U.S. authorities to help combat terrorism. Coming three years after the first executive order restricting immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations, the second ban didn’t inspire the same level of protests at airports across the United States. But it upended Tayo’s plans and countless others’. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, and it has the largest diaspora population in the United States of any African country. Before the ban, the United States issued a number of green cards to Nigerians, and thousands of Nigerian students traveled to the U.S. each year to pursue higher education. Advocates noted that Nigerians were among the most highly educated immigrant groups in the United States—and that Trump said in a 2017 meeting that Nigerians would never “go back to their huts,” according to The New York Times—leading many to refer to the new measure as the “African ban.”

“I felt so bad,” Tayo said. “I knew it was going to affect me.”

Born in Ilorin, in the Kwara state in western Nigeria, Tayo grew up the daughter of a civil-servant father and a homemaker mother who had a small trading business, as is typical of many women in the country who don’t work in professional occupations. Tayo left her hometown to attend Ekiti State University at Ado-Ekiti in Nigeria’s southwest region, where she studied computer science.

In 2008, Tayo married her first husband, and together they had two children. (Her eldest child was from a teenage pregnancy.) In 2015, after her husband got another woman pregnant and asked for a polygamous marriage—which is legal in much of Nigeria—she filed for divorce. Initially, she shared custody with her ex-husband. 

Because of the custody arrangement, she wasn’t allowed to bring her children with her to the United States. When she and her new husband married, she decided to wait in the U.S. while her permanent residency processed—a common practice for immigrants. During that time, her ex-husband petitioned for, and was awarded, full custody of her two younger children. But Tayo said the kids complained about living with their father, which spurred her to consult an attorney from an ocean away. They now live with her parents.

Still, Tayo has not seen them in three years and seven months. Under the Trump administration’s immigration ban, she doesn’t know when she’ll see them again. If she leaves the country before her residency is processed, she fears, she may not easily be allowed to return.

Because Tayo applied years before the ban, she is still eligible for a green card. She was scheduled for an interview with immigration officials in March, but a week prior, New York State shut down due to the coronavirus. She hasn’t received a rescheduled interview date yet, and with the new ban looming over her plans, everything is uncertain for her and for her children.

Still, she remains hopeful that she’ll see her kids again. “I know very soon, by God’s grace, they will be here,” she said. “It’s not easy not having your children with you as a mother. I wouldn’t have left them in the first place.”

KOVIE BIAKOLO is a writer who covers culture and identity.

OCTOBER 27, 2020

BY Sunday Aborisade, Abuja

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government would construct 10 new airports across the country to boost civil aviation.

Sirika stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation to defend his Ministry’s 2021 budget proposals.

He said the regime of President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the Assembly have done justice to the civil Aviation sector since 2015 through the development of a roadmap, currently being implemented.

The Minister said the Federal Government would build new airports in Anambra, Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, and Gombe states.

He also said that Kebbi, Osubi, and Dutse airports have been taken over by the Federal Government for redevelopment.

He said the Gombe State Government had also written the federal authorities, asking it to take over the Gombe Airport.

Sirika said, “Consequent upon that roadmap, we have seen aviation grow in 2018 to become the second-fastest-growing sector of the economy.

“Also and by 2019, it became the fastest-growing sector of the economy and increased its GDP contribution.

“From 2015 till now, we’ve seen a lot of growth in civil aviation, the number of airports is increasing.

“So far, about seven airports have been added to the map, some of them completed, some of them under construction.

“There are airports coming up in Benue, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Lafia, Damaturu, Anambra and so on.

“All these show that civil aviation is growing during this administration.

“So, we have about 10 new airports coming up, that is almost half the number of airports we used to have in Nigeria.

“We are adding 50 per cent of the number of airports,” the minister added.

The Minister also hinted that the national carrier, Nigeria Air, was part of the Aviation sector roadmap, which would be delivered before 2023.

He said, “We are on it. The transaction adviser has brought in the outline business case.

“It is being reviewed by Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Soon after it finishes, it will go to the Federal Executive Council and it will be approved.

“We will not leave this government without having it in place.”

He justified the need to site another airport in Lokoja, Kogi State as an alternate to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

He said, “Lokoja is an important northern town. It is a cosmopolitan town, it’s a mini Nigeria and it is extremely very important in growth and development of our country.

“We have a lot of agricultural activities there. There is fishery, there is perishable item production and so on.

“So, establishing an airport there is quite apt. For me, it is is something we should have done long ago for its importance.”

OCTOBER 28, 2020

BY  Sodiq Oyeleke

The United Kingdom High Commission has announced the reopening of its visa application centres in Nigeria.

This is coming barely one week after it shut down its visa application centres in Victoria Island, Abuja and Lagos over the crisis arising from #EndSARS protests in the country.

The UK made this known in a statement on its Twitter.

It noted, however, that its centres would not open on Thursday due to the public holiday in Nigeria for Maolud Nabbiyy.

The notice was titled ‘update on UK visa application centres in Nigeria’.

Part of the notice read, “Our TLS contact visa application centres are now open in Nigeria. Following the recent closures, we are working hard to process all outstanding applications.

“We thank you for your continued patience and understanding. Please note Thursday, October 29, is a public holiday in Nigeria and our Visa application centres will be closed.”

Meanwhile, a judicial panel in Lagos on Tuesday began an inquiry into the shooting of peaceful protesters last week and broader police brutality that had sparked demonstrations and unrest.   

The state had been rocked by violence since demonstrators were gunned down in the economic hub on October 20, sparking international outrage and rioting.

Amnesty International says 12 people were shot dead by the police and army at two locations, in assaults shared widely on social media.  

The #EndSARS protests in the state drew support from celebrities around the globe and turned into one of the biggest challenges to the governing elite in years. 

Overall, Amnesty International says 56 people have died nationwide since the demonstrations began. 

The situation has calmed in Lagos since days of rioting but looting and violence rumbles on in pockets around the country. 

OCTOBER 28, 2020

BY  Ifeoma Okeke 

The federal has disclosed plans to take over 10 airports from State governments to help boost the aviation sector.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who disclosed this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation for the 2021 budget defence, said the decision is to further boost the aviation industry, having realised that it was the fastest-growing sector of the nation’s economy.

The minister listed the airports to be taken over to include those of Anambra, Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kebbi, Osubi, Dutse airports.

The Federal Government also gave an indication to float a new national carrier next year as part of its roadmap for the aviation sector in the 2021 budget.

Sirika said the roadmap to be implemented through Public-Private Partnership, PPP has the establishment of the national carrier as a top priority.

“In 2021, the sum of N78.960billion is being proposed for capital expenditure at the headquarters in the Aviation Ministry and the emphasis will focus on the implementation of the Aviation Roadmap.

“The roadmap would be implemented through Public-Private Partnership, topmost of which will be the establishment of the national carrier,” he said.

Other projects to be executed as spelt out in the roadmap, according to him, are the establishment of Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul, MRC facility, development of agro-allied cargo infrastructure, the establishment of the Aviation Leasing Company, Search and Rescue Unit, and Aerospace University with the support of International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO.

The national carrier, the minister stressed that all required agreements and arrangements with other partners have been worked out, making 2021 the year the plan that has been in the pipeline will get practical actualization.

“This government right from inception in 2015, has been planning and strategizing on how to resuscitate the national carrier for Nigeria as far as global air transportation is concerned, the plan going by what is on the ground now, will be actualised next year through the PPP arrangement.”

The minister added that aviation is the fastest-growing sector of the Nigerian economy despite the set back suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indications to this effect, he said, are that 10 new airports are coming up in the country in states like Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Yobe, etc, apart from other ones taken over by the federal government as those of Gombe, Kebbi, Dutse and Zuru Airports.

He, however, said that safety and security are more important issues to them in the aviation sector than the establishment of new airports.

OCTOBER 28, 2020

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government has announced total closure of the Adekunle to Adeniji section of the Third Mainland Bridge for the second time from midnight of Friday 30th October to Sunday 1st November, 2020.

According to a Statement signed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, the second phase closure of the repair works was necessary to prevent vibrations on the bridge during the casting-in-place of the newly installed expansion joints which in turn would allow the special concrete achieve its required compressive strength.

The Commissioner had earlier explained that the casting of the expansion joints would be in two phases due to the number of expansion joints that would be casted and to effectively manage the attendant traffic, hence, repair works slated for weekends to minimize inconveniences that may arise from the total closure.

Appreciating the patience exhibited by Lagosians from the commencement date of the project, Oladeinde hinted that the previous alternative routes remain the same for road users to utilize during the closure period, while LASTMA and other Traffic Management Agencies would be on ground to direct traffic for easy vehicular movement.

The Commissioner also assured that the section of the bridge between Adekunle and Iyana–Oworo still remained open, as well as Ebute Metta outbound section into Iyana-Oworo.

“The State Government is hereby appealing to residents of the State, especially motorists that ply these corridors to stay calm and cooperate with the interventions put in place in order to achieve the January 2021 deadline for the completion of the project,” he said.

OCTOBER 28, 2020

By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - London’s Heathrow is no longer Europe’s busiest airport, ceding its long-held crown to Paris during the pandemic and blaming government inaction for its passenger numbers plunging even more than rivals.

Heathrow said Paris Charles de Gaulle had overtaken it as Europe’s busiest airport, dealing a blow to Britain’s global trade ambitions as the country’s current relationship with the European Union is due to end in two-months time.

The airport criticised the UK government for being slow to introduce an airport testing regime to replace 14-day quarantine rules, and said the delays were causing additional harm to the economy.

Heathrow also cut its outlook for next year’s passenger numbers saying it now expected 37 million passengers, 41% lower than a June forecast, as tightening coronavirus restrictions crush hopes for a recovery in travel demand.

CEO John Holland-Kaye said Heathrow’s slide down the rankings -- Amsterdam and Frankfurt could also overtake it based on passenger numbers -- should spur the government into action.

“I hope the government will realise that if we sit on our hands then Britain will lose many of the things we take for granted like having the best connected airports in the world,” he said in a telephone interview.

Passenger numbers at Heathrow have plunged, down 84% in the three months ended September, pushing it to a 1.5 billion pound loss over the first nine months of the year.

Britain has said it will announce shorter quarantines based on COVID-19 testing to revitalise travel by the beginning of December, but Holland-Kaye said he was also hopeful that there would also soon be progress with a plan to allow quarantine-free UK-U.S. travel.

“There’s at least a 50-50 chance,” Holland-Kaye said when asked about the chances of this starting by late November.

The plan would allow pre-departure and arrival testing on some London to U.S. routes. The United States is a key market for Heathrow, accounting for 20% of its usual traffic, with London to New York accounting for 5%.

The airport is owned by Spain’s Ferrovial, the Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corp, among others.

Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Alistair Smout/Kate Holton/Jane Merriman

OCTOBER 28, 2020

Nigeria’s Air Peace (P4, Lagos) and Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) plan to launch flights to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo before the end of 2020.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Air Senegal on November 5, 2020, launches a weekly service from Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l to Johannesburg, with stops in Bamako, Mali, and Libreville, Gabon. Southbound flights leave on Thursday and return the next day.

Meanwhile, Air Peace has announced plans for three weekly services between Lagos and Johannesburg before year-end. This would be its first return to South Africa since it repatriated 503 Nigerians from that country following incidences of xenophobia in 2019.

Spokesperson Stanley Olisa in a statement said Air Peace had been designated on the route and had made progress in meeting “stipulated requirements of aviation authorities” in both countries for scheduled services.

He said South Africa has been on the airline’s radar for some time as it reviewed its route network and looked for strategic expansions in line with its "no-city-left-behind" initiative, which aims to interconnect major African cities.

Olisa added that Air Peace had also been designated to operate commercial flights to Mumbai Int'l, London Heathrow, Guangzhou, and Houston Intc'l. “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.

OCTOBER 29, 2020

The Nigeria Accident Investigation Bureau has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with France and Benin Republic on accident investigation and other air safety measures.

The Commissioner/ Chief Executive officer, Accident Investigation Bureau, Akin Olateru, stated this at a one-day sensitisation symposium on the activities of AIB in Kano Wednesday.

The AIB boss, who was represented by the General Manager, Public Affairs (AIB), Tunji Oketunbi, said the signing of the agreement would enable the agency to go and conduct investigation on aircraft involved in accidents in the countries

He said arrangements had also been concluded for signing of similar agreement with Saudi Arabia.

He said AIB had done creditably well in the area of impacting safety even to the admiration of the international community.

“We were asked to come and conduct investigation in Sao Tome and Principle and we did it which is a cross border investigation.

“AIB is playing a leadership role because it has the support of the federal government. So, because our profile is rising, that is why the agency is not even the initiator of the collaboration.

“With the signing of the MoU, if anything happens in those countries, the agency will just deploy its personnel and equipment to the place to assist them,” he said.

He stated further that the agency had so far issued no fewer than 50 accident reports since it was established, adding that between 2017 to 2020, the agency had issued 32 accident reports which represented 60 percent of accident reports.

OCTOBER 29, 2020

As part of Emirates’ commitment to continuous innovation and customer experience, the airline has launched an integrated biometric path at Dubai International airport (DXB).

The contactless airport experience is now open to Emirates passengers travelling from and through Dubai. The integrated biometric path would give passengers a seamless travel journey from specific check-in to boarding gates, improving customer flow through the airport with less document checks and less queuing. Utilising the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can now check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge, and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport.

The various touch points in the Biometric path allows for a hygienic contactless travel journey, reducing human interaction and putting emphasis on health and safety.

Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, Adel Al Redha, said: “We have always focused on providing a great customer experience at any touch point and now it is more vital than before to make use of technology and implement products, and introduce processes that focuses not only on fast tracking customers, but more importantly on health and safety during their travel journey.

“The state-of-the-art, contactless biometric path is the latest in a series of initiatives we have introduced to make sure that travelling on Emirates is a seamless journey and gives customers added peace of mind.”