Travel News

BY  Adepeju Adenuga

Kenya Airways and South African Airways have struck a preliminary co-operation deal with a longer-term view of launching a pan-African airline group.

According to FlightGlobal, the two African carriers signed the memorandum in Johannesburg on Tuesday, in a move which they hope will assist the operators’ post-Covid recovery but also longer-term co-operation plans.

SAA interim chief executive Thomas Kgokolo says the next step is to set up a joint working group to further discuss the memorandum and to put in place systems to achieve their stated objectives. The agreement is not exclusive, meaning both carriers can also pursue further co-operation deals.

Both SkyTeam carrier Kenya Airways and Star Alliance operator SAA have faced financial struggles in recent years, compounded by the Covid crisis. Kenya Airways is still awaiting finalisation of plans to nationalise the carrier while SAA only resumed fights earlier this month after a year-long absence while it completed a major restructuring

Kgokolo says collaboration will assist both airlines in the current and post-pandemic business and travel environment. This, he says, involves joint recovery strategies and other “cost-containment” strategies that will aid the recovery of both carriers.

Kgokolo said, “As well as being a strong local carrier, part of our broader growth strategy is to become a major player in regional travel and this joint memorandum with Kenya Airways, one of the continent’s strongest and most respected carriers, will do just that.

“It will also enhance related Kenya and South Africa tourism circuits, sectors which account for significant portions of respective country growth domestic product, benefiting from at least two attractive hubs in Johannesburg, Nairobi and possibly Cape Town.

“KQ and SAA, as iconic airline brands of Africa’s biggest and vibrant economies, in East Africa and Southern Africa respectively, are at the precipice of what could be Africa’s formidable Pan African airline.’’

Kenya Airways chief executive Allan Kilavuka said, “The future of aviation and its long-term sustenance is hinged on partnership and collaboration. Kenya Airways and South African Airways collaboration will enhance customer benefits by availing a larger combined passenger and cargo network.”

He added that the link-up will help improve the customer experience by offering a wider range of destinations, as well as helping to standardise product and service offerings.

By Olusegun Koiki 

Capt. Musa Nuhu, Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in this interview with OLUSEGUN KOIKI, speaks on the recertification of Lagos and Abuja airports and challenges in remittance of the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge/Cargo Sales Charge (TSA/CSC) by airlines and the plans of the regulatory authority to tackle it, among others. Excerpts:

 Sir, how far has the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) gone with the recertification of Lagos and Abuja international airports? 

Lagos and Abuja international airports were certified a few years ago and presently, they are going through recertification. 

There has been some progress. We have a few gaps that are to be closed. Some have been closed, others, we are in the process of closing them and new gaps have come. 

So, we are working closely with the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to close those gaps so that the recertification process can be completed as soon as possible. 

Some of the projects they have to do are quite capital intensive, but we are working on them and I think we are getting some assistance from the Ministry of Aviation to give them the support on those heavy items that they need to do. 

Apart from that, we are also talking on initial certification for Port Harcourt, Enugu and Kano international airports. All the international airports have to be certified. It is quite a big project to certify five airports; two initials and three recertifications. 

It is quite a heavy load to be done, but hopefully, we will get them by as soon as possible. 

As we all know, the handling rates are deregulated, but the NCAA had to intervene in this recently, why did the regulatory agency get involved in this? 

The new handling rates were done after consultations with the foreign, domestic airlines and ground handling companies. 

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) did not just wake up and put figures together. We had consultative meetings with all the parties involved. 

Why should I be charging $300 in Nigeria and neighbouring countries are charging $4,000 and you expect the ground handlers to give you the same service? That is not possible. Those charges are a reflection of what is in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. 

So, the NCAA did not just wake up to come out with the charges, but significant consultative meetings with everyone like the Aviation Ground Handling Association of Nigeria (AGHAN), Airline Operators Committee (AOC), Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the Ministry of Aviation. It was agreed by everyone and we implemented the figures as agreed by all the parties involved. 

READ ALSO...

ASKY Takes Delivery Of 10th Aircraft, Increases Abuja Flights To…

4:29 pm

Forex Scarcity Impeding Growth Of Airline Industry – Air…

4:23 pm

Some years ago, the NCAA directed all airlines to move to its portal for the remittance of the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge/Cargo Sales Charge (TSA/CSC). How far have you gone with this integration? 

Almost all the airlines have integrated. What we have done now is that if you come in, you won’t be given an Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC) until you sign the tripartite agreement on the integration to the portal. 

This will save us a lot of challenges we are facing at the moment on the debt. Also, if you are renewing your AOC, too, we ensure that you must have signed that. 

What we do now is that we have stopped the growth of the debt. There is a legacy debt. We are working with airlines to come out with their plans and a lot of them have come out with their plans and very soon we are going to be talking to them one by one on how they are going to settle their old debts. 

We know, we are all facing a difficult time, but also, you must have a visible plan on how to settle this debt. Maybe one or two airlines are in the process of integrating into the portal, and I think that should not be an issue. 

Can you shed more light on the Legacy debts and is there any possibility that the regulatory agency would right off the debts? 

I don’t want to give you a wrong figure. Even with legacy debt, when you say something, the airlines will disagree with you on the figures you sent out. 

We need to sit down, do reconciliation with them. There is this reconciliation meeting that is ongoing with the airlines and that is why I don’t want to give a figure that I won’t be able to substantiate. The President and the Vice President of AON met with us on the debt issue and we are working on it. 

I cannot write off any debt; I do not have the authority to write off a Federal Government’s debt without the approval of the appropriate authorities. 

You see, we have to keep doing the reconciliation once the debts keep growing, but now, we have to stop the debts from growing. If we did reconciliation in 2020 and the debts are still growing, I have to do reconciliation, but now, we have drawn a line by insisting everyone has to come in newly. Some are paying and some have given us the timetable for payment. 

If we say they should come and pay, all the airlines will close shop, but what have we achieved with that at the end of the day? Don’t forget, we are to also help to promote the growth of the industry inasmuch as we want our money and we want the airlines to pay back the government money. 

What is the true position of Port Harcourt International Airport? 

What were the reasons given for the airport to be shut down? This is a report from my Regional Manager in Port Harcourt. 

Yes, there are some issues there, but a lot of the issues that were mentioned have been addressed. Some of the people were talking of the Instrument Landing System (ILS); the mandatory flight calibration and navigation were carried out on August 29, 2021. It is unfortunate and I wish people will clarify certain information before going to the public. 

Some of the information you have maybe outdated, but we do appreciate people talking and raising those issues. Sometimes, they show you something you don’t see and you need to work on them. 

They also said we have issues of cows straying into the airport regularly, but the last issue of cows we had at the airport was about 16 years ago. Since then, officially, the NCAA has never had any such issue. 

Like I said earlier, Port Harcourt Airport is one of the airports we want to carry out certification on and one of the issues raised is on the fences there. 

The fences at Port Harcourt Airport are porous and it is one of the things we are working on for the certification of the airport. It is an ongoing project and we are working with FAAN on that and it is one of the things that must be done before the certification. There is still a risk of wildlife coming into the runway and the risk assessment has been done and sent to the airport operator. 

Another issue they raised is the unclear markings at the airside; runway markings are almost 95 per cent complete as at September 4, 2021, yes; there is an issue of runway central light. It is one of the issues we are also discussing on the certification of the airport. 

Also, they said that there are several incidents of aircraft skidding off the runway at the airport, I don’t know which of the incidents they are referring to, but I know we had one in 2018. Runway friction test was conducted on the runway on July 21, 2021 at the airport. 

Also, they said too much water on the surface of the runway, which leads to aircraft losing balance and skidding off the runway. When did an aircraft lose balance and skid off the runway? The derubberisation of the runway is done regularly. The runway was last derubberised on the 25th and 26th June, 2021. 

The main issue I know we have at Port Harcourt is the issue of the backup generators for the runway lighting, the ones they have there had some problems. 

I think they got burnt or damaged. To my understanding, FAAN has been notified and I think they are in the process of replacing those ones. 

Yes, we have issues in Port Harcourt, like every other airport across the world, it could be better. There are issues we are working on to rectify them, but I won’t classify the airport as unsafe. 

When is the next International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit coming up and how far have you gone with your preparations? 

We are working on it and I think airport certification is a major issue for us all. We are in discussion with ICAO as to when the audit will take place. Certainly, it is going to be in 2022. 

How many private jets do we have in the country at the moment? 

I think in the last five years, the number of private jets we have has reduced. We all can understand why – the economy has not been buoyant. It takes a lot of money to run a private jet, depending the type of jets you have. 

20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, how have we fared? 

The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States has really changed the security apparatus in the aviation industry, a lot of security measures have been put in place. 

Pre-9/11, you could virtually go to any airport, get approval to go in, but now, you are almost stripped naked for security checks. 

It may sound inconvenience, but I will rather be stripped naked, than go and be blown to pieces up there. It is one of the things that we just have to live with. Security is very critical. 

(Bloomberg) -- One year after the pandemic forced a delay, Dubai is set to open its $7 billion Expo on a desert site the size of 600 football fields.

Having spent years preparing for the event, the city hopes that an exhibition featuring autonomous vehicles, a pavilion shaped like falcons and one with an original Pharaoh coffin will attract enough tourists to help solidify a nascent economic recovery.

Starting Friday, diplomats, dealmakers, artists and musicians will fly in from around the world. The city has stuck to its target of 25 million visits -- both virtually and in person -- and at a time when travel restrictions have slowed business across financial centers, the six-month long exhibition may even help to create a template for others to follow.  

What’s It Like to Visit Dubai Now? Covid Comfort as Expo Arrives

Dubai has shunned lockdowns since emerging from one last year, keeping its economy open and embarking on an ambitious vaccination drive. The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, has inoculated more than 80% of its population and infections rates have dropped. The country is now placed sixth on Bloomberg’s Resilience Rankings.

“There’s a good balance between keeping the city open for business and managing the public health issue,” said Nabil Alyousuf, a former senior UAE official who is the CEO of Dubai-based International Advisory Group. 

Read More: Dubai Bets on Vaccines to Keep Economy Open 

An influx of tourists will benefit the city, given that a third of its economy is made up of sectors like hospitality and wholesale and retail trade. Dubai government employees will even get six days off to visit the event. Capital Economics economist James Swanston, however, cautioned long-term effects may “fail to live up to policymakers’ hopes.”

For now, employment numbers at least are looking up. The city’s flagship airline is planning to recruit thousands over the next six months and hoteliers are adding jobs.

Emirates Goes on Hiring Spree for Dubai Hub as Travel Curbs Ease

The event may also help lay a platform to reverse last year’s steep population decline, which the government is trying to address through programs to lure foreigners. Alyousuf of IAG said the Expo will encourage more high-net worth individuals to either move to the city or establish a second base.

“Although footfall is the most visible and easy to measure sign of success, there are other benefits that are harder to visualize and accrue over a number of years,” said Scott Livermore, chief economist for Oxford Economics Middle East in Dubai. “Benefits also accrue through marketing Dubai and a successful Expo can create and help sustain a perception about Dubai as a place to live, work and invest.”

And as the skyscraper-studded emirate looks to defend its status as the Middle East’s leading business hub amid growing competition from Riyadh, it can now lay claim to having hosted the Arab world’s first expo.

By Vincent Nwanma

Most Nigerians are used to queuing up to see their medical doctors. That of course refers to the majority of our countrymen and women who pay out of their pocket for every medical expense. Usually the doctor sits in his/her consulting room to attend to the patients, one after the other. Recently some of these patients watched on television screens, perhaps with bewilderment, as their doctors joined long queues to attend job interviews.

As Nigerians of all walks of life have known, those who interviewed our doctors were recruiters or headhunters who came from abroad, some from Saudi Arabia. Yes, Saudi Arabia is one of the many countries that have discovered value in our doctors that our dear country does not seem to have seen. So, these countries are offering them jobs at much higher wage. Being rational economic entities, these doctors obviously prefer higher wages to less, given also that the general conditions of service in the new places are expected to be better than they have had here.

Consequently, the doctors are leaving in droves. So are the nurses, the other professionals that complement the work of doctors.

Besides Saudi Arabia, other known destinations of the fleeing medical personnel include the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, among others.

Not all the departures of these professionals are marked with drama, as some choose to leave quietly. So estimates of the number of doctors that leave Nigeria each year vary, but one estimate says that as many as 2,000 trained doctors depart Nigeria annually in search of something better elsewhere.

Other professionals are also leaving, in some informal ways. These days, there is hardly anyone that does not know someone who knows someone whose relation has left the country recently.

Effectively, all these professionals are simply transferring Nigeria's social benefits to other nations, for obviously no fault of theirs.

Nothing makes migration bad, especially in this era of globalisation. Just as our people move from the rural areas into the urban centres, so do people from one corner of the globe to the other. Migration has become an economic diversification policy designed to enable countries' nationals to earn foreign currency, part of which they can remit home.

This is the origin of the concept of Remittance, which has become a key element in developing countries' earnings tables. There are countries that deliberately encourage migration by their citizens. Cuba is an example. It has a state policy of training medical doctors and exporting them to the rest of the world, including the United States. Such doctors are nationalists who believe in remitting money back home. Other countries in this category include India and the Philippines, both of which boast of large numbers of their citizens living abroad and remitting billions of dollars home every year.

For Nigeria, remittances by our professional out there have been recognised as one of the highest among African countries, rising by more than three times from about $5.66b in 2010 to $17.57b in 2019.

Even so, there appears to be a difference between those who emigrated long ago who still remit funds back home. For them, the movement out of the country was more of a natural course of action in pursuit of higher dreams than an escape from a choking enclave, which Nigeria has become to many.

That has changed with the current batch of our compatriots leaving now. For them, leaving the shores of Nigeria is a protest ostensibly against a system that they feel has treated them unjustly and unfairly. For many, it is a protest against a system that threw them into the streets, without jobs and with no sense of belonging. When they leave, some of them tend to burn the bridge. So they do not want to have anything to do with the country again. From those people, remittances are not rising as they used to.

The amazing thing however is that once these Nigerians arrive at their destinations, whether the UK, United States, Canada, or wherever, they become productive, displaying their creativity. This explains some of the shifts in immigration policies that some of these countries have announced in recent times, all aimed at attracting more immigrants from Nigeria.

So, Nigeria continues to lose some of its social benefits. Meanwhile, at home here, it is becoming more difficult for companies to get good hands to work because the country is losing some of its best. On the other hand, if the stories making the rounds in the media are true, it means that Nigeria is actually receiving foreign bandits who are contributing to the brigandage in the country. The stories are everywhere that the bandits terrorising our nation are foreigners.

So, what we have as a country is a situation where we are losing some of our best and brightest in the medical and other fields, to other countries, and at the same time, we are attracting people who come into our country to kill, maim, steal, and pillage the land.

Indeed, if the above is true, it is also possible that the people we have mistakenly allowed in have become part of the challenges facing our forex market. If those who kidnap our people, demand and receive millions of naira in ransom are foreigners, it stands to reason that they must be finding ways to change the naira into foreign currencies which they in turn ferry out of the country to wherever they came from.

The government faces a confidence challenge. It needs to build people's confidence in this economy, but confidence takes time to grow. It grows like a coconut tree but falls like a coconut. The government must show people reasons to believe in the country and that there is something in it for them.

The coconut tree takes about five years to grow, but its nut falls within seconds to the ground. That's what confidence is like.

The government must embark on policies that boost people's confidence in the system. This will require consistency and focus on building an economy that has a space for all.

People on their part should appreciate the fact that confidence in the economy will take time to grow.

(Bloomberg) -- Canadian population growth is recovering from the pandemic, but travel restrictions continue to hold back migration into the country.

Canada’s population grew by 0.2%, or 92,897, in the three months ending June 30, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday in Ottawa, bringing the total to 38.2 million. That’s the third consecutive quarterly gain after curbs on movement meant to blunt the rise in Covid-19 cases caused the population to shrink in third quarter of 2020.

The increase is partially driven by a stabilizing flow of international migration as the Canadian government begins easing some travel restrictions for those coming to the country for work, school or family reunification. That translated into 75,084 net newcomers in the second quarter, little changed from the previous three months. It’s also well below the rate in two years before the pandemic, when an average of 115,600 individuals arrived on net each quarter.

“Overall migration into the country continues to fall short,” Andrew Agopsowicz, an economist at Royal Bank of Canada, said by email. “The growth in non-permanent resident, while still positive, was much lower than previous years.”

Canada relies heavily on international migration as an economic driver. Like other nations, it suffers from an aging population and relatively low fertility rates. But immigration may see a pick up in the third quarter driven by international students coming back for school. “The early data is promising,” Agopsowicz said.

On an annual basis, the population was up by 156,503 as of July 1 -- an increase of 0.5%. That’s less than half the rate of growth from the same period a year prior. 

Air Peace airline Wednesday explained the circumstances that led to the arrest of two passengers who were billed to board its flight at Muritala Muhammed Airport, Lagos by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, security officials.

According to the management of the airline, the FAAN security officials arrested the passengers when they became unruly and tried to breach security protocol because their flight was delayed.

According to the airline’s management, ” We have noticed a certain video portraying Air Peace in a bad light on social media and it has become imperative that we clear the air and correct the impressions created”.

” The passengers in the video were supposed to be on a 19:20 Lagos-Abuja flight(September 28) but consequent upon tenable unforeseen operational concerns, the flight was delayed. We put 46 of them on a flight that departed at 19:16, leaving behind 46 passengers. The delay was professionally communicated to the passengers and we apologised for the delay and inconveniences.”

” However, a certain male passenger, Paul Samuel, who suddenly became uncontrollably irate, assaulted our Boarding Officer. This was clearly unnecessary and despicable. We were about distributing refreshments in consonance with NCAA Regulations but Paul’s action disrupted the process and noise erupted from different quarters while he incited other passengers against the airline.”

” FAAN Security was notified as the passengers were now trying to gain entrance to the airfield even when the aircraft was not yet on ground. FAAN Security was compelled to lock the Boarding Gate to prevent the passengers from going to the airfield, a highly regulated part of the airport.”

“At 22:35, we called for boarding for the remaining 46 passengers. Due to his violent behaviour, Paul was arrested by FAAN Security. The action was taken in the best interest of the passengers and the airline. 

“Also, the lady, Okoroafor Rita, who recorded the video being circulated, without the consent of those being recorded, was arrested by FAAN Security. FAAN Security repeatedly told her to stop recording but she did not. These arrests made some other passengers become unruly but with reinforcement from FAAN Security, the situation was managed, and the remaining passengers were able to board.”

“The arrests of Paul and Rita were done by FAAN Security in line with their standard procedures.,” the airline explained

“Again, we sincerely apologise for the inconveniences experienced by the passengers last night as a result of the flight delay as it was caused by unavoidable operational factors. Air Peace is committed to providing Nigerians safe and seamless connectivity across cities and will not deliberately delay flights.”

The House mandated its committees on customs, finance, aviation, and agricultural services to investigate the impact of extortion on the export of local products.

By Bakare Majeed

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the reports of cargo flights leaving Nigeria empty because of alleged extortion by government officials at the airports.

The House mandated its committees on customs, finance, aviation, and agricultural services to investigate the impact of extortion on the export of local products.

This resolution was sequel to a motion moved by the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu), on Wednesday during plenary.

Mr Okechukwu said his motion is based on a report on the Guardian newspaper, which said that foreign cargo airlines were departing Nigeria empty due to extortion and multiple charges.

He informed his colleagues that “export is supposed to be free in Nigeria under extant laws and regulations, except for the airline’s charges and payments to ground handlers.”

Citing the report further, he said “11 out of 16 sundry charges lined up against air cargo are illegal and that official bottlenecks, extortion, exorbitant and multiple charges are discouraging cargo airlines from operating in Nigeria as they prefer cargos from other African countries which offer them more favourable conditions.”

He said Nigeria is losing $250 billion of its agro-allied market potential due to import-to-export airfreight ratio imbalance. According to him, the import-to-export ratio stands at 87:13.

Meanwhile, Shamsudeen Bello (APC, Kano) called for the involvement of the Independent Corrupt and other Related offences Commission (ICPC) in the investigation.

Henry Nwawuba (APC, Imo), stated that extortion was used in the context of multiple charges, not an act of corruption.

Also, Mr Okechuckwu prayed that the House condemn the multiple charges.

However, the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved an amendment that the prayer should be deleted until the investigation is conducted by the committees.

The committee was mandated to report back to the House within two weeks.

BY  Leke Baiyewu

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the delay frustrating air freighting of cargoes occasioned by extortions and multiple charges at the airports.

This is sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion moved by the Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu, and other lawmakers, which was titled ‘Need to investigate alleged extortions and sundry charges on air freighting and agro-export businesses in Nigeria.’

Following the adoption, the House mandated its committees on finance; aviation; Customs and Excise; and agricultural production and services to ‘investigate the issues adversely affecting air cargo freighting in Nigeria and report back within two weeks for further legislative action’.

Moving the motion, Okechukwu noted the Federal Government’s interest in economic diversification and promotion of non-oil exports, adding that Nigeria was a signatory to various regional, continental and global trade arrangements such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.

He said, “The House is cognisant of Nigeria’s huge agro-export potential, with 22 non-oil products worth over $150bn in export value yearly already pencilled in the new export promotion programme of the Federal Government.

Also on Wednesday, the House mandated the Committee on Aviation to investigate the claims and counterclaims regarding issues of debts in the aviation sector within six weeks and report back for further legislative action.

A member of the House, Adeyemi Alli, who moved a motion titled ‘Need to look into the debt crisis in the aviation industry’, noted that the aviation industry played a pivotal role in providing a rapid worldwide transportation network, which made it essential for global activities.

Alli also noted that the industry generated economic growth, created employment and facilitated international trade and tourism and other essential services like defence.

By Wole Oyebade

Another Arik’s aircraft change livery in Ethiopia The move by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to birth a new airline, NG Eagle, from the assets of Arik Air has stirred a controversy among various aviation unions.

While a faction of the unions, which has the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Union of Pensioners (NUP), warned the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) against granting the Air Operating Certificate (AOC) to the new airlines, the other divide that has the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN), National Association of Nigeria Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), faulted the stance.

On Tuesday, The Guardian found another Arik Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft being repainted into NG Eagle at the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In April, two aircraft erstwhile operated by Arik, were rebranded in the colours of NG Eagle and parked at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, ahead of take-off of operations.

Recall that AMCON, a special purpose vehicle of the Federal Government for the recovery of debts, took over Arik Air in February 2017. The rationale was to save the airline from imminent collapse, citing gross mismanagement by the owners and debt in excess of N300 billion-plus.

About five years down the line, it was learnt that the airline remains a hard sell, given the level of rot, debt and hard-to-recover liquidity pumped in to keep it on life support.

Perhaps throwing a weight behind the asset-stripping, NUATE, NAAPE and ATSSSAN in Arik, have warned ANAP and NUP to stay away from the affairs of Arik Air and NG Eagle or “face the consequences of their actions.”

The trio said issues of importance to them presently are the painful circumstances that caused their colleagues to proceed on leave without pay and how to achieve transition from employees of Arik Air to NG Eagle Airlines without loss of their service years.

In a joint statement signed by the branch Chairman and Secretary of NUATE, Ogulesi Afeez and Okoloj David; and their counterparts in NAAPE, Kelechi Ifejika and Numoliya Bethen, they urged ANAP and NUP not to interfere in Arik’s Air and NG Eagle Airlines matter.

And should they fail to heed the warning and attempt to cause any disorder in airlines, “we assure them that they will have the workers of both Arik Air and NG Eagle Airlines to contend with. We are absolutely able to defend ourselves as the law grants us to do.”

ANAP and NUP had called on the NCAA to deny NG Eagle Air Operators Certificate (AOC) based on the debt Arik Air owes the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

NUATE, NAAPE and ATSSSAN, however, said there is no correlation between the legacy debt and the issuance of AOC by the regulatory body.

The unions described the call on AOC denial as not only provocative also “irresponsible for ANAP and NUP to make such a call bearing in mind that the two unions in question do not have members in both Arik Air and NG Eagle.”

“ANAP and NUP are unknown in Arik and NG Eagle. Having no membership in the two airlines, they have no stake whatsoever, and as such have neither legal nor moral right over the affairs of the two airlines. One, therefore, wonders in whose interest ANAP and NUP are acting.”

General Secretary of NUATE, Abba Ocheme, said that aviation unions would not tolerate a situation where some unions would pitch unions against each other.

Ocheme also said that NUATE would not allow a situation where workers would fight one another instead of pursuing a common goal.

He said the primary focus should be the welfare and well-being of workers, adding that Arik’s existence is threatened and no one can predict the shape it will take.

“We will support Arik Air and leave the issue of debt to the one owing and the one being owed. Presently, AMCON is not owing anybody ”

The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, had recently said that NG Eagle was among the impending new airlines currently undergoing AOC acquisition.

BY  Sami Olatunji and Temitayo Jaiyeola

The Nigerian Communications Commission says the October 31 deadline for linking their National Identity Numbers with their Subscriber Identity Modules remains sacrosanct.

It also said that Nigerians without NIN would soon be denied the opportunity of acquiring driving licences and passports.

The commission said at the NCC Digital Signature radio programme, which transmitted the second episode of Telecoms Consumer Town Hall on Radio (live on a radio station in Lagos to discuss benefits of NIN-SIM integration.

This was disclosed in a statement titled ‘NIN-SIM Integration: NCC sensitises telecom consumers on October 31 Deadline’ signed by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, on Wednesday.

The statement read, “NCC has reminded and urged telecoms consumers to link their NINs with their SIMs before the expiration of the deadline of October 31, 2021 set by the Federal Government.”

It added, “Speaking during the live programme, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, advised Nigerians to make use of the extension of the NIN-SIM integration exercise to October 31, 2021, to enrol with NIMC, get their NINs and link them to their SIMs.”

Adinde said, “Soon, people without NIN will be denied of necessary services that play vital roles in their lives including acquisition of driving licence, passport.”

The statement further said, “On the benefits of the NIN-SIM integration, Adinde said the exercise will significantly enhance national security as NIN is the primary identity for Nigerians, stressing that in line with Federal Government’s commitment to ensure that Nigeria deploys technology to improve service delivery, the NIN-SIM database will enhance citizens’ access to government services.”

Also speaking on the show, NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Efosa Idehen, said, “Those SIMs without unique identification could be used to commit crimes that remain untraceable.”

The Regional Director of NIMC in Lagos, Funmi Opesanwo, who also spoke on the programme, said that submission of NIN to a mobile network provider helped to provide a means of verifying an individual’s identity and safeguarding both identity and mobile line.