Travel News

The Government of America has said it will impose visa restrictions on anyone who promotes violence as Nigeria holds its general elections in 2023.

America’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Mr Michael Gonzales, gave the warning at an international conference with the theme: “United States Policy and Nigeria’s National Decisions in the 2023 Elections”, held at Johns Hopkins University, United States.https://www.tvcnews.tv/purplegold/post.php?post=197443&action=edit#

The conference, which held at the School of Advanced International Studies, SAIS, in Washington DC , virtually, brought together Nigerian and American policy communities to discuss issues around the 2023 general elections.

It was organised by policy research center – Nextier Nigeria, in partnership with SAIS at Johns Hopkins University; the School of International Service at the American University: and the Centre for Peace, Democracy and Development at the University of Massachusetts also in America. Gonzales said the United States government “will continue to use our messaging, as well as other diplomatic channels at our disposal, including visa restrictions, where warranted, to dissuade those who may be tempted to use violence to undermine Nigeria’s democratic process.”

According to him, America remains committed to working with Nigeria to uphold its conventions toward ensuring a peaceful power transition in 2023. The conference, moderated by Dr Ndubuisi Nwokolo, a partner at Nextier and Honorary Research Fellow, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, U.K.), among other global scholars, therefore, stated that Nigeria should maintain existing political conventions that guaranteed peace.https://www.tvcnews.tv/purplegold/post.php?post=197443&action=edit#

Other event moderators at the conference were Dr Carl LeVan, (Professor, School of International Service, American University and Chair, Comparative and Regional Studies), and Dr. Darren Kew (Professor of Conflict Resolution, University of Massachusetts, Boston and Executive Director of Centre for Peace, Democracy and Development). Patrick Okigbo, Nextier’s Founding Partner, clarified that the reason for hosting the conference in the United States was to elevate the election issues and conversations to the international stage.

He reiterated the need for Nigeria’s international partners to assist in upholding her democratic process, even as he pointed out that ‘’democracy is not an end state but a project that requires continuous nurturing.’’ Okigbo said: “Insecurity in Nigeria and recent occurrences in West Africa and Sahel regions should cause Nigeria’s elite to use the 2023 elections to douse the tensions and set the country on a growth path.’’ He further cautioned that the failure to address the issues raised at the conference could have devastating consequences, whilst attention to the recommendations could yield a bountiful harvest.

Other panelists highlighted the insecurity risks and the need to manage the 2023 elections properly, in addition to other points raised at the conference. Among these points were the issue of faltering political developments as they concerned elitism and Nigeria’s progress, as it was observed that since 1999, the Nigerian elite had found a way to maintain a modicum of stability for elections and “eventually share the dividends of the election outcomes.” In his contribution, retired Brig.-Gen. Saleh Bala, observed that “security challenges in Nigeria are true, present and tangible but what is consistent is the lurking shadow of elite interests and how they serve their interests.”

On insecurity threats to Nigeria’s democracy, the conference found that poor management of the elections, especially the rotational presidency convention, could threaten Nigeria’s democracy against the backdrop of pervasive insecurity, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, rise of self-help groups, and increased secessionist agitations in southern Nigeria.

Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, Ms. Idayat Hassan, noted that ‘political parties during the Anambra governorship election cycle could not campaign due to insecurity’, and that worse scenarios could happen in 2023.

Hassan asserted that “the zoning of the presidency to the south, particularly the Southeast, will give the region a sense of belonging in Nigeria.”

America has been a major partner in Democratic development in Nigeria  since the return of Democratic rule in 1999.

(Bloomberg) --

British Airways owner IAG SA said it reached a deal with Boeing Co. for 50 737 Max jets, which will be delivered starting next year. 

London-based IAG said the Boeing jets, 25 of which will be the high capacity Max 200 and 25 as-yet-uncertified Max 10s, can be used by any airline in the group for fleet replacement.

The order is a big boost for the new version of Boeing’s workhorse single-aisle jetliner, which was grounded for almost two years following two fatal crashes. 

The order, which IAG said it had negotiated a “substantial discount” on, also includes options for another 100 planes, which would be available between 2025 and 2028.

Aplaneload of Qatar Airways passengers spent three days in hotels after their flight was mysteriously cancelled on Sunday - once they’d arrived at the gate to board.

Passengers had checked in smoothly for flight QR915 at Auckland Airport, which was due to leave for Doha, via Adelaide at 6.25pm on 15 May.

However, once at the gate they were told their flight had been cancelled and to make their way back through security to the Qatar check-in desk.

Jeff Howell, who was headed to Europe via Doha for a bike ride through France, told Stuff New Zealand that no information was given as to why the flight had been cancelled.

The group of passengers had to go through New Zealand immigration as if arriving in the country.

“It was a very unusual experience,” said Mr Howell.

Once through, airline staff directed them out of the terminal for a bus to overnight hotel accommodation. Mr Howell ended up at Auckland’s Airedale Boutique Suites.

“No one had any idea what was going on,” he told reporters.

“I guess the other passengers were doing what I was doing most of the night, which was trying to get hold of Qatar Airways to see what was going on.”

Several passengers took to social media saying they could not get hold of Qatar Airways representatives during the first 24 hours, with some saying they had not received any compensation or assistance with food and drink.

“Sister was given NZ$50 (£26) of food vouchers for two days at the Cordis (so can’t afford a sandwich),” tweeted James Brock, whose sister was one of the passengers stranded in Auckland, referring to the city’s five-star Cordis Hotel.

On Monday, Mr Howell says his hotel told passengers they must check out and await another bus, which he assumed would be taking them to the airport.

Holiday makers TUI have cancelled all holidays to a tourist hotspot up to and including May 31 2022, following updates from the Foreign Office - urging Brits not to travel to the country unless completely necessary.

The change in advice comes following erupting protests across Sri Lanka, with the country currently facing an economic crisis. Medicine shortages are in place, as well as a lack of fuel and food - with widespread power cuts due to rationing in electricity.

The MEN reports that protests have been ongoing since March 31, with a state of emergency being declared this month. An island-wide curfew has also been put in place alongside it - following violence against those peacefully protesting. The Foreign Office has also in-turn updated their travel advice, warning UK travellers against visiting to the destination unless essential.

TUI has released a statement regarding the decision to stop all flights to Sri Lanka. A spokesperson wrote: “Due to the ongoing political and economic instability in Sri Lanka, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have advised against all but essential travel.

“As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel all holidays to Sri Lanka departing up to and including 31 May 2022. We will be proactively contacting all impacted customers in departure date order to discuss their options.

"Please note this advice does not apply to customers transiting through Sri Lanka’s international airport and customers currently in resort can continue to enjoy their holiday as planned.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and update customers should there be any further updates. We would like to thank our customers for their understanding at this time.”

The Foreign Office warns that "several incidents took place on 9 May involving violence against peaceful protesters" including areas in Colombo and Kandy, and that "further incidents could take place.”

If you have a holiday or trip booked to Sri Lanka, you'll need to get in touch with your tour operator and airline directly.

When the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel, travel firms such as TUI, will usually cancel any trips they are operating and offer customers options such as rebooking to a later date, or receiving a full refund. They may also offer you an alternative holiday for the same dates you were due to travel on, which you can also choose if you wish.

If you have booked your flights and hotel separately, you'll need to get in touch with your airline and accommodation directly. As flights to Sri Lanka aren't banned, it could be that your flight is still scheduled to go ahead - in which case receiving a refund isn't guaranteed.

In this case, you may need to compromise such as accepting vouchers, rebooking to a later date, or switching flights to a different destination (although you may need to pay a difference in fare if this applies). As for your accommodation, this will depend on the terms and conditions of your booking policy - again, you may need to compromise with a rebooking instead of a refund.

It's worth noting that if you choose to travel against Foreign Office advice, your travel insurance will be void - so if anything goes wrong such as lost luggage or illness, you could end up facing some hefty bills.

The government says currently it has no reason to ban the platform.

By Ayodeji Adegboyega

The Nigerian government has said it currently has no plan to ban Facebook in the country.

This comes after the government asked Facebook and other social media platforms to stop allowing the pro-Biafra separatist group (IPOB) to operate on the social media platform.

While receiving a team from Facebook in Abuja on Monday, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said since IPOB had been proscribed and classified as a terrorist organisation by the government, Facebook has no justification for yielding its platform to the organisation.

Speaking with journalists after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the minister said its meeting with Facebook was robust and promising.

“We had a very robust discussion with Facebook. Facebook saw our point and they said they’re going to do much more than what they are doing,” he said.

“So if they do that, why would we ban them? We don’t ban for banning sake. We ban or we only suspend operations if for any reason, lives are threatened and they do not listen. But this is an engagement.”

He said the posts made by the IPOB supporters do result in the loss of innocent lives.

“Over this weekend in Anambra State policemen were killed, military barracks were attacked. And we did warn Facebook to please do more than what they are doing now. And I must say that their response was quite encouraging. They said they’re going to do much more.”

The Nigerian government on June 4, 2021 suspended Twitter’s operation in Nigeria indefinitely after the microblogging platform deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari which it deemed as inciting violence.

The government later claimed it banned the social media platform for allowing IPOB to propagate divisive and hateful messages.

It however lifted the ban after seven months.

BY Sami Olatunji and Funmi Fabunmi

Domestic airlines under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria have said that rising operational costs occasioned by aviation fuel price hikes, foreign exchange shortage, among others may push the base economy flight ticket to N100,000.

The spokesperson for local airlines/Chairman, United Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, made the disclosure during an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday in Abuja.

Aside from the lingering aviation price hike crisis, the airline chief said local operators were being compelled to source foreign exchange from the parallel market at high rates due to a lack of adequate supply from the Central bank of Nigeria via the commercial banks.

Consequently, he said an increase in the base economy flight ticket to at least N100,000 might be inevitable for all domestic airline operators if the current situation persists.

Okonkwo said, “Obviously, it is inevitable. I can tell you that all the airline operators, in the last three months, have been losing money, a huge amount of money. There is too much stress on the operational fronts for them to break even. Even if the aviation fuel is made available, there must be a review to reflect the minimal operational cost. We are offering patriotic services to the nation and understand the essential part of it. We are part of this economic development process in Nigeria but it is coming at a very huge sacrifice.”

He added, “Nothing less than N100,000, between N100,000 and N120,000 base price, even with Jet A1 fuel at N400 – N500. That is what it is.”

In this regard, he added that meetings with the CBN ad yet to yield any positive result in the provision of adequate forex.

He further stressed the need for the aviation industry to be seen as an essential service that should have special consideration in financial matters.

Okonkwo clarified that the operators have no joy in increasing fares but it has become necessary for them to avoid shutting down and running out of business.

He added, “In the industry, it is expected that you will gain some here and lose some here but the biggest challenge indigenous operators are having is that the cost of everything is high. You source money from the commercial bank rates. You source money from the black market. No moratorium for your loans and the banks and AMCON are quick to jump on you.”

Corroborating this view, the Chief Operating Officer, Ibom Air, Mr. George Uriesi, said local airlines had reached a point in their operational cost whereby “something has to give in.”

Uriesi said, “Something has to give in. It’s either the prices of fuel that come down or the prices of airfares go up from where they are. So far, the airlines have tried very much to work within the airfares as they are. All sides of the divide are aware that the airlines have done the best that they can do.

“I don’t know what tomorrow holds but at some point, if the airline doesn’t survive, it goes down, to the detriment of everybody-the people who work for the airline, the people who fly on the airline, the country’s economy, everything goes down. So, airlines are just trying to be stable and patriotic. That’s where we are.

Uriesi, a former managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, said it was difficult to tell how long the local carriers would be able to continue with the high operational cost.

“It’s very hard to say, we are watching the business every day, we’re watching a number of parameters. We’re watching the load factor, we’re watching the yield per passenger, we are watching the cost of operating at the price we’re paying every day which keeps going up every few days. So, the truth from this is that, when it becomes clear that you will not be able to sustain yourself, then you’ll have to adjust some of your indices, always taking into consideration the ability of the passenger to pay because you can’t just raise prices just because fuel has gone up. If you issue what they can’t pay, then you will not carry anybody, you would have committed suicide.”

However, industry experts said the unfolding development would not augur well for the local airline industry, saying it could make its outlook bleaker.

The Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Aviation Safety and Consult, Group Captain John Ojikutu, (retd), said, “This is not a good sign for the domestic airline industry. We should ask ourselves why the four refineries have not been working for the past 20 years. If you have refineries and crude oil, and you are refining, there should be no reason for the type of increase in aviation fuel price we’re having.

‘Even when this fuel gets back to this country, we transport them by fuel tankers when in other countries they transfer them through pipelines.”

According to a former Managing Director of Associated Airlines, Mr Alex Nwuba, foresee a reduction in passenger traffic if airfares become too high.

He said, “We didn’t die when flights couldn’t operate during the COVID-19, people adapted so people will adapt. They may just have to forfeit some trips that are not important and focus on trips that are important. They could also decide to choose alternative methods of travel when the fares are too high.”

A former Director of Operations, IRS Airlines, Kenneth Wemambu, said, “Airlines have been losing money. A business person, if the cost of operation increases by over 200 per cent, you will need to avoid running the business. This is why the possibility of an airfare hike can’t be ruled out.

by   Oyetunji Abioye

The international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, was temporarily shut in the early hours of Thursday after the mangled body of a dead man was found on Runway 18R of the nation’s flagship airport.

The identity of the corpse could not be ascertained as of press time. Also, it could not be established whether the dead man was knocked down by an aircraft taking off or landing on the runway.

However, airport officials told our correspondent that the runway was temporarily shut down while a team of officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Police Force evacuated the corpse from the runway.

During the temporary shutdown of the runway, international flights were prevented from landing and taking off from the airport’s international terminal.

Among the flights that could not land due to the shutdown was an Ethiopian Airlines flight 3907, a Boeing 77F aircraft with registration number ETAVN, which was coming from Lome, Togo to Lagos, Nigeria.

The flight was later diverted back to Lome after holding for a while.

Airport officials said the corpse was suddenly found on Runway 18R during a routine runway inspection by FAAN personnel.

The officials were said to have reported a corpse on the runway around the cargo area.

The spokesperson for FAAN, Mrs. Faithful Avokerie Hope-Ivbaz, could not immediately confirm the incident, saying she had yet to be briefed on the development.

Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, Airport Command, Mr Olayinka Ojelade, said he had yet to get the requited signal on the incident.

He promised to get back. As of the time of filing this report, he had yet to do so. However, a top police official at the MMIA confirmed the development.

He said the command was called upon in the early hours of Thursday to evacuate the corpse from Runway 18R.

According to him, the police are still investigating the identity of the dead man and how he got to the security area of the international airport.

However, an aviation security expert and former Military Commandant of the MMIA, Group Captain John Ojikutu,retd, said there was a need to investigate how the unidentified man found his way into the sensitive area of the airport, describing the incident as a major security breach.

According to him, the perimeter fence of the MMIA is not a security fence, adding that this has exposed the airport to various security breaches.

Ojikutu said, “The authorities need to investigate how the man got to the airport. Nobody can say much now; but he may have been knocked down by the wingspan or undercarriage of a jumbo jet but it is too early to say anything like that now.  But we need to examine the issue of houses that have been built too close to the Lagos airport. The rule says no building should be situated less than six metres to the airport structure or fence. However, we have seen cases of people crossing the runway before.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and FAAN need to investigate this to ascertain what really happened. They need to find out the flights that landed before that incident. The current airport perimeter fence is not a security fence and we need to do something about it.”

Meanwhile, there have been a couple of airport security breaches in recent times.

A mishap was averted at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos some months ago when a speeding vehicle had a near collision with a Dana Air plane taxiing to take off on Runway 18L of the airport.

The unfortunate incident, which happened on December 21, 2021, occurred barely one week after a landing Max Air jet almost rammed into a malfunctioning car being tested on  Runway 18L.

Also, there was pandemonium at the airside of the Lagos airport on December 27, 2019 when an unidentified man found his way into the airside mysteriously and mounted a moving Air Peace plane.

The man was later arrested by security operatives who were notified by the pilot of a private jet coming behind the Air Peace plane.

The incident happened barely six months after a man found his way into the Lagos airport and climbed a Port Harcourt-bound Azman Airlines plane.

The man, believed to be mentally ill, was later identified as Usman Adamu from the Republic of Niger.

The Police said the Nigerien could not speak or understand English Language.

The authorities said then that investigation was still ongoing to ascertain how Adamu gained access to the restricted area at the airport.

Many London areas near stations on the new Elizabeth line have seen a surge in prices and interest from buyers and renters as they become better connected, according to Rightmove (RMV.L).

Maryland Station in Newham, which also has the extra option for people commuting near well-connected Stratford, has seen the biggest jump in asking prices. Prices have more than doubled compared to 10 years ago, a rise of 108% from £233,480 to £486,235.

This is almost twice the average increase in property values in London over the past decade of 55%.

Twyford, at the western end of the line and the next stop along from better connected Reading, has experienced the biggest rise in the number of buyers contacting estate agents. This has more than tripled compared to 10 years ago with a rise of 245%.

Abbey Wood station, at the end of the South East section of the line, is one of the most popular areas. Househunters looking to buy in this area face the stiffest competition from other buyers as competition, measured by the number of people enquiring about each available property in an area, has skyrocketed by 869%. Asking prices have risen by 103% to £356,801.

Other hotspots on the Elizabeth Line include well-connected Stratford where the average asking price has risen 102% to £480,271, Manor Park where prices have risen 98% to £456,276 and Chadwell Heath at £385,828, a 94% jump.

While total buyer demand has risen the most in areas around stations on the western part of the Elizabeth Line, prices and competition have increased most in eastern areas.

Areas around Elizabeth Line stations have also drawn more interest from renters. Southall has seen the biggest jump in the number of tenants contacting letting agents compared to 10 years ago, more than quadrupling with a rise of 372%.

Southall may also be a popular choice as asking rents around the station are lower than nearby Hanwell or Ealing.

"Areas further out from central London which have lower asking prices or rents, but are now more easily commutable will be attractive to new buyers and tenants in search of somewhere affordable to live near the capital," said Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of property science.

"Not only this, but new working from home patterns since the pandemic started two years ago will have many people weighing up whether they are prepared to commute from further away if they need to do so less often.”

Slough has seen the biggest rise in asking rents with prices climbing by 44% to £1,424 per calendar month (pcm). Burnham, also on the western end of the line, came in close second with asking rents increasing by 43% to £1,457.

Rising rents in London have seen average asking rents in the capital reach a new record of £2,195 pcm – a jump of 14% compared to this time last year.

Renters looking for homes near Custom House station face the most competition from other tenants with competition soaring by 3270% compared to 10 years ago. The station has been newly built for the Elizabeth and benefits from significantly lower travel times into Central London.

Bannister said: “Our unique view of the whole housing market over the last 10 years really shows how many areas near stations that are now either better connected, or have seen their journey times into central London significantly slashed, have received a lot of new attention from buyers and renters.

"As the Elizabeth Line opens, it does so with a backdrop of record rents in London, a rising cost of living and a shortage of available homes."

Building society Nationwide has warned that house prices might begin to slide later this year as budgets are put under pressure by the rising cost of living.

The firm said that while house prices have been increasing at double-digit rates so far this year, they could start falling again.

“Higher property prices and interest rates, together with steep increases in the cost of living, mean housing has become less affordable and we expect housing market activity to slow and the rate of house price growth to moderate in the coming quarters,” it said in an update on Friday.

“There is a risk of a downward movement in house prices, given the pressure on household budgets.”

Inflation reached a 40-year high in the year to April, hitting 9% as measured by the Consumer Prices Index.

There is a risk of a downward movement in house prices, given the pressure on household budgets

Nationwide

Although unemployment remains low, this is still squeezing household budgets very hard, especially among those on lower incomes who were unable to save, or saved less, during the pandemic.

“We will continue to plan for geopolitical risks and economic pressures arising directly and indirectly from the war in Ukraine, notably the rising energy bills and inflation, which are intensifying pressure on household budgets, which are already under strain,” said chairman Kevin Parry.

“Given our financial strength, we are well-positioned to manage these impacts, as well as to evolve our services to meet our members’ changing needs.”

The company said that it had nearly doubled its pre-tax profit to £1.6 billion, on underlying income of £3.9 billion, up 18%.

The company’s mortgage lending grew by £6.9 billion due to the low interest rates and strong housing market.

The business also announced that new chief executive Debbie Crosbie, who was revealed as the new boss in December, will start the role on June 2.

Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, said: “Although these results represent strong growth year-on-year, Crosbie has a difficult task on her hands as Nationwide prepares for a series of headwinds from the cost-of-living crisis, spiralling inflation, a peaking housing market and the deteriorating economic outlook.”

(Bloomberg) -- UK-based flying taxi startup Skyports Ltd. is planning to begin trials for ship-to-shore drone deliveries in Singapore over the next year as it seeks to commercialize its service.

Skyports, which operates infrastructure for flying taxis and other urban air mobility devices, signed an initial agreement with Singapore’s state-backed operator Jurong Port Pte on Friday to study the feasibility of the service, it said in a statement. 

The company will work with regulators, and private and public entities to develop a legal framework to deploy the service, it said. Skyports competes with Urban-Air Port Ltd. to develop so-called vertiports.

“Drone delivery will bring about faster delivery times, higher labor productivity and reduced emissions,” said Ng Yi Han, director of innovation, technology and talent development at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The step is an “important milestone” to commercialize maritime ship-to-shore drone deliveries, Yi Han said. 

With rising demand for fast delivery and technological advancements, the market for drone package deliveries is expected to grow to more than $15 billion by 2028 from about $500 million in 2020, according to Verified Market Research.

When deployed at scale, drone deliveries will be more cost effective and faster than via boats, said Yun Yuan Tay, head of Asia Pacific at Skyports. To account for limitations such as weight and package sizes, drones will run complementary to boats, Tay said. Maritime drone delivery services are currently focused on last-mile shipping and logistics operations, to transport essential items like medical supplies, spare parts and even cash, Tay said.

Skyports is also working to build a terminal for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in Singapore, in partnership with Electric air-taxi startup Volocopter GmbH. It also has plans to expand into Japan and Australia. 

Jurong Port operates ports and terminals handling cement, steel, containers and fuel in Singapore. The company also has overseas ventures in China and Indonesia.