Travel News

(Bloomberg) -- The value of mergers and acquisitions in the cryptocurrency industry jumped 4,846% in 2021, PwC said in a report.

The average deal size reached $179.7 million from $52.7 million, driven partly by special-purpose acquisition company -- or SPAC -- deals. Crypto fundraising deal value rose 645%. The top five investors by deal count were AU21, Genesis Block Ventures, Genblock Capital, Coinbase Ventures and Moonwhale.

There’s no sign of crypto fundraising slowing anytime soon, Henri Arslanian, PwC crypto leader, said in emailed comments Thursday, while adding some valuations have hit levels “that are often difficult to justify.”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized about two billion naira worth of codeine weighing about 40,250 kilograms imported in two 40 feet containers from India.

This comes barely a week after operatives of the agency seized 14,080kg of Codeine-based syrup and 4,352.43kg cold caps used to conceal it in a 40 feet container also imported from India, on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi says the latest consignments intercepted on Tuesday 8th February were brought into the country in two containers marked HLBU 2239792 with 1,125 cartons of the drug and HLBU 1067338 with 1,751 cartons, with a market value of N2, 012, 500, 000 (Two Billion, Twelve Million and Five Hundred Thousand Naira).

Mr. Babafemi said that the consignments were seized at the Port Express Bonded Terminal, Berger-Apapa after they were discovered concealed behind cartons of hypergra 200mg and deluxe chilly cutters, after which the Agency’s sniffer dogs were brought in to identify the illegal substance.

Reacting to the latest seizure, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the Agency remains poised to deal decisive blows to drug cartels this year by ensuring that no gram of illicit drug is allowed to come into or pass through Nigeria to other countries.

While commending the officers and men of the Apapa Port Special Area Command of the Agency for their vigilance, he expressed gratitude to foreign partners for sharing timely intelligence and other port stakeholders for their cooperation.

Air Peace has concluded plans to resume direct scheduled flights to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 1, 2022. 

The announcement is coming a few days after the federal government and the UAE reopened flights between the two countries after resolving a diplomatic spat over a Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

In a statement Tuesday, the airline said the Lagos-Dubai-Lagos flights would operate three days weekly from any of its domestic routes through its Lagos hub.  

“We are happy to inform the flying public that in tandem with our commitment to providing more flight connectivity and meeting the air travel needs of Nigerians, we are restarting our UAE operations, but with Dubai as the destination and not Sharjah.

“We abundantly appreciate the vital role played by the Nigerian government in making this possible,” Air Peace stated.

Air Peace, which has been operating scheduled commercial flights into the UAE since July, 2019, added that it would continue to scale up its service delivery to surpass the expectations of air travellers, especially with the activation of its ambitious fleet modernisation scheme and a renewed commitment to unequalled customer experience.

About five months ago, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria took firm decision to stamp out extortion and touting at the major airports in the country. Chinedu Eze writes that despite avowed determination to cleanse the airports of such ills, obnoxious acts still go on at the Lagos airport

When the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said it was determined to end extortion at the airports in the country, especially the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the major gateway of the nation, many industry observers expressed doubt because extortion has become entrenched phenomenon at the airport. But FAAN went ahead and arrested some airline officials who were extorting money from passengers. The first known culprit was a staff of Arik Air who was arrested at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

FAAN in a statement said it was determined to stamp out the illicit acts and had taken steps to address the situation, which had soiled the name of the country in the international community. Few weeks later the agency announced that it had stepped up efforts to clear aerodromes of touts with the arrest of 90 persons over alleged touting and other nefarious conducts at Lagos and Abuja airports.

Among those arrested, according to FAAN, were workers of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc, Patovilki Nigeria Limited, Lakewood Services, and other airport workers. FAAN said 89 out of the 90 culprits had been handed over to the police for prosecution and disclosed that the raid came after cases of car vandalisation; thefts and extortion were reported at the MurtalaMuhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The federal government lent its support to what FAAN was doing when it threatened to sanction security agencies including heads of military and paramilitary organisations at the Lagos airport over alleged extortion. This was in response to the report on December 8 last year; that no fewer than six officials of various security agencies were caught on camera extorting air travellers by CCTV installed by FAAN.

But on February 3, 2022, a Nigerian man resident in Canada, who identified himself only as Chris, revealed how Immigration and airline officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, frustrated and tried to truncate his return to the North American country after visiting home in January 2022 with his four-month-old daughter. So the extortion and harassment of passengers has not stopped.

Immigration THISDAY Investigation revealed that although significant effort is being made by FAAN to sanitise the airports but the security agencies at the airport, especially the Nigeria Immigration Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Customs Service, Quaratine and sometimes Aviation Security (AVSEC) officials of FAAN still extort air travellers at the international terminal of the Lagos airport.

It was learnt that most Nigerians who are travelling for the first time are harassed and made to pay money to Immigration officials, an act they term to ‘dis-virgin’ their passports. A source told THISDAY that Immigration officials have hawkish eyes towards virgin passports, which are passports that were procured newly without visa or immigration stamps, indicating that the person has not travelled abroad before.

Some Immigration officials are alleged to take advantage of such passengers’ ignorance and are intimidated into paying money to these officially and the currency is always dollars.

“Once you have a virgin passport when you present it to them they will ask you to go and see their supervisor. They will motion you to the inner office. When you get there they tell you that you won’t travel unless you “sort them out.”

“I was once a victim. When they asked me to go and see their supervisor, I refused. He wanted to bypass me and attend to the person behind me; I stopped him and insisted he must attend to me first. We pushed it until I brought my other passports from my bag. They knew then that it was not my first time.

“There was this lady who was travelling to the US to meet her husband. She was travelling on Emirates. They stopped her and insisted that she settled them. Luckily she was able to get my number. I asked her to give the phone to Immigration officer attending to her. The officer refused to take the phone. I asked her to put it on Speaker. While it was on speaker I told the officer that if the lady missed her flight I would make sure he was removed from that airport. He said I would not do anything. After about 10 minutes, he left the lady.

“Many passengers have missed their flight because Immigration has refused to allow them to go. The Immigration officials are not afraid because they know that the places you will go and report them are aware of what they do at the airport. But the most annoying is the one they do to students. They stop students who are travelling alone and extort the money given to them by their parents. This is said,” the source who is a senior airline official and who has worked many years at the Lagos airport, told THISDAY.

But reacting to the allegation, a senior Immigration official told THISDAY that the allegation that Immigration officials extort passengers at the airport is not true. He went on to explain that there was a classified circular from the federal government that directed Immigration at the airport not to allow young Nigerians, especially the girls not to leave the country, except there is convincing evidence that there is concrete purpose for the trip. “Many of those girls destroy the image of Nigeria by what they do when they travel abroad. Many of them go into prostitution, including newly married women. They travel overseas, engage in prostitution, earn some money and use the money to buy things and return to the country.

“This was confirmed when there were undercover investigations by some Nigerian embassies abroad. Sometimes we have reasons why we should not allow some people to travel but they are usually very desperate and that is when they could do anything so that they should be allowed to go. That is when what they call extortion takes place,” the official said.

However he admitted that many Immigration officials at the Lagos airport currently do not have the requisite experience and exposure because those who have the experience “have been transferred out of the airport and replaced with inexperienced and unexposed persons who will tell you point blank that they came to make money.” The Immigration official also alleged that those who act without tact are the officials of NDLEA and FAAN officials, adding, “The officials of FAAN scamper everywhere impersonating other security operatives and harass passengers.”

FAAN Officials THISDAY learnt from official of FAAN at the international terminal that FAAN officials don’t have interface with passengers, except aviation Security personnel (AVSEC), noting that FAAN has succeeded to a large extent in instilling discipline among officials who work at the airport but admitted that such corrupt acts have persisted because the agency does not have control of the other agency workers and that none of them had been caught by CCTV and FAAN had not received call from passengers to level accusation against such officials.

This has been confirmed by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the agency, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu. “It is wrong to say that FAAN officials impersonate officials of security agencies at the airport. It is not possible because we don’t interface with passengers, except AVSEC. We have telephone numbers plastered everywhere at the airport, directing passengers to send message or call the numbers if they have anyone asking them for money or if there is any other kind of infraction. If we get such information we arrest the person involved.

“We have CCTV installed at strategic places. We have sniffer dogs and we have security operatives. Just call or send us messages to the advertised numbers. We work with ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission). We have directed that the badges on officials are made bold so that a passenger can easily see the name of the officer you are dealing with. If you get us the name we investigate it. Even at the car parks we have CCTV. Most of the extortion happens at the screening area while going to the boarding area and FAAN officials are not there after the screening point,” Yakubu said.

Evaluation and Recommendation The CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult and also former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd) told THISDAY that he has doubts that FAAN would succeed in the effort to stamp out corrupt practices at the airport.

“I will commend FAAN if it succeeds or if its efforts are sustained; can the efforts be sustained? I doubt it; it can only be for a while. The National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) designates FAAN to coordinate the security agencies working at the airports. Before now, how effective has its coordination been on over six government security agencies working at the airports? The over six government security agencies have more personnel than all the FAAN AVSEC personnel in any of the airports and each has head of their operations at the airports. The question I ask always is, does FAAN still have airport security committees for each of the airports? How then would the Customs Federal Units come into the airport without the knowledge of the Committee or the Customs Airport Comptroller? If he were aware of the invasion, did he inform the committee and therefore the airport manager who is the chairman of the airport security committee?” he asked.

Ojikutu was referring to the recent incident where Nigeria Customs Service official breached airport security by forcefully opening security gate at the Cargo Terminal of the airport. He reinforces the fact that FAAN does not have full control of the activities of other security agencies, which is against the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). THIDSAY learnt that at many occasions these security agencies had rebuffed FAAN’s directives and unilaterally taken actions that suit their whims and against international recommended practices Ojikutu also said that as long as there is a disconnect between the government security agencies working at the airports, FAAN’s efforts to sanitise the airport extortion and touting among government security agencies staff cannot work well without the serious intervention of the National Security Council that would consider the airport security as a function of the national security.

“Annex 17, 3.1.5 (ICAO recommendations) is very clear about what each member state must do to harness the airport security. We need to establish a national aviation security committee as against the established national civil aviation security committee and therefrom, an aviation security agency that should have a unified control and administration over all the government security agencies working at the airports,” Ojikutu said. He emphasised that “the situation where the government security agencies working at the airports carry guns and are under different command and control is a trend that can bring disaster one day to the airport and cause embarrassment to the nation.”

THISDAY learnt that sometimes FAAN expresses the hopelessness of the situation, knowing that some of the security agency officials extort money and harass passengers and lacking the power to intervene, “is frustrating and at the end of the day, it is the airport and FAAN that are called out by the travellers,” FAAN official lamented.

BY  Okechukwu Nnodim and Tunde Oyekola

• Marketers still struggling to return adulterated petrol to NNPC

Residents of Abuja and neighbouring states of Niger and Nasarawa are still facing tough times sourcing for Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, with the commodity selling for as high as N400/litre by black marketers.

The development came almost one week after the import of millions of dirty PMS from Europe into Nigeria disrupted the fuel supply system of the country, leading to long queues nationwide.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has ordered the recall of the contaminated fuel but oil marketers have been battling various challenges, ranging from PMS supply shortage to complaints by consumers who claimed the bad product has damaged their vehicles.

However, finding show on Sunday that black marketers who sell petrol in jerry-cans are now the easily accessible suppliers of PMS in Abuja and neighbouring states.

A significant percentage of filling stations in Nigeria’s capital city do not currently have petrol to dispense.

Oil marketers told our correspondent that a few other outlets that had products were still trying to return the adulterated petrol supplied to them since last week.

This, they said, had prevented the affected stations from taking in uncontaminated products, as they currently lacked space to store new consignments.

Heavy queues greeted the limited number of filling stations that dispensed petrol on Sunday. Motorists spent several hours under the scorchy sun waiting to be served petrol.

The NNPC filling station on Arab Road in Kubwa, Abuja had hundreds of motorists who formed long queues that blocked the road and caused severe traffic in the area.

The Nipco filling station on the Kubwa end of the Abuja-Zuba Expressway also had a large number of PMS seekers. In Zuba, Niger State, it was observed that several outlets were closed.

Our correspondent also gathered that many filling stations in Nyanya, Mararaba in Nasarawa State were closed on Sunday.

This led to a worrisome level of scarcity in Abuja, Nasarawa and Niger, a situation that had kept dragging for weeks, even before the advent of the contaminated fuel imports.

The scarcity of petrol in filling stations created a business for black marketers, as they surfaced on major roads in Abuja displaying and selling their wares.

While some of them priced their petrol for as high as N6,000 for a 10-litre jerry-can, others sold theirs at N4,000 for 10 litres of PMS, translating to N400/litre.

The high cost of petrol by black marketers forced motorists to stay in lengthy queues, while those who could not wait in the queues had to part with the costly sum for petrol.

Providing an explanation as to why many filling stations were still not selling petrol, the National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, said some retailers who purchased the adulterated products were still struggling to return them.

He explained that the contaminated products were still occupying spaces in the underground tanks of the affected filling stations, adding that this had prevented the outlets from accessing new stocks.

“Where will you discharge your new stock when your underground tanks still have contaminated products that have not been returned? Many of those who bought the contaminated products are still struggling to have them returned to NNPC,” the marketer stated.

He added, “I told you that a marketer currently has about 100,000 litres still in his tanks underground and as we speak, it will take him close to N700,000 to evacuate it. And not just that, the product is occupying space.”

Ukadike had earlier called on the government to provide a clear directive on how marketers would return the contaminated products, as this would create space for new uncontaminated stock.

“We also want the government to come out with clear cut directives and procedures on how products that are contaminated should be returned,” the IPMAN official had stated.

He added, “Some marketers are still having the contaminated products in their stations and are not selling because of this. The products have not been returned yet due to lack of clear cut directives on how it should be returned.

“Also, you need documents to enable you to move the tankers from your filling station back to the place where the product is to be returned because if the police get you without the necessary accompanying documents, they will say you are involved in bunkering.”

NNPC calls for patience, says normalcy’ll return soon

When contacted on Sunday on what the NNPC was doing as regards the severe scarcity, the spokesperson of the oil firm, Garba-Deen Muhammad, called for patience.

He said, “Every possible measure that is to be taken is being taken. Our top management and other staff are (working) round the clock to ensure the return to normalcy. Be patient. The queues will abate very soon.”

Muhammad had told our correspondent that a technical committee had been set up to look into the recall of the contaminated products and how it would be managed.

He said, “The first thing is to ensure that it is recalled and not in circulation. There are various ways of handling this kind of product, we will leave that to the technical committee that has been set up.

“This committee is drawn from MOMAN, DAPPMAN, downstream regulator, NNPC, and all stakeholders. They all have technical people and know the best way to handle this kind of product.”

The imports of adulterated petrol into Nigeria had triggered widespread concerns among government officials and players in the downstream oil sector, as it resulted in PMS scarcity across the country.

NSCDC boss warns petrol stations against hoarding

As the scarcity of fuel bites harder in parts of the country, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has warned oil marketers not to exploit the situation to cause artificial scarcity of fuel in the country.

The Kwara State Commandant, NSCDC, Makinde Iskil, who gave the warning during an assessment of petrol stations in Ilorin, the state capital, on Sunday, also warned dealers not to use the opportunity to hike the price.

Makinde said the corps would not hesitate to seal any erring filling station and prosecute the owners if found to be involved in any of the criminal activities.

Represented by the Head, Kwara State NSCDC Anti Vandal Unit, Yusuf Ayinde, the commandant read the riot act to stations who reportedly refuse to sell PMS or were selling the product above the recommended pump price of N165.

“Based on intelligence reports made available to us, some filling stations have been alleged of selling PMS as high as N175 and  N250 per litre which is above the recommended pump price of N165 per litre and that is why the commandant ordered the on the spot assessment of the situation at some stations.

The spokesman for NSCDC in the state, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed in a statement that “some petrol stations were caught selling fuel over the approved price; they were ordered to revert to normal price.”

Afolabi said some of the filling stations visited by the team included the NNPC filling station at Surulere area, Topland and Demo filling stations at Amilegbe, Total Comfort Oilfield at Ita Amon, among others in the Ilorin metropolis. He said that the exercise would continue on Monday.

…Black market soars to N400/litre in Abuja, N200 in Lagos

Petroleum marketers, yesterday, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited is yet to evacuate adulterated petroleum from fuel stations as motorists jostle to purchase premium motor spirit. It is feared the situation may take a bad turn if it lingers.
   
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), whose members retail over 90 per cent of the products used in the country, told The Guardian that petrol marketers are running at a loss, while consultants are working to determine the volume of the dirty fuels still in tanks.
   
For filling stations dispensing products, there are deliberate attempts to frustrate consumers by creating artificial scarcity through long queues and, in many cases, products are only sold in the evening, creating brisk business for the black market.

   
Already, in many parts of Lagos, the product is being dispensed at N200 a litre and N400 in Abuja. Vice President of IPMAN, Abubakar Shettima, told The Guardian yesterday that most tankers have now diverted to Nipco depot to load the right speculation of premium products, adding that the current scarcity would abate before mid-week.
  
NNPC Limited had admitted that four PMS cargoes imported by four consortia of its direct sale, direct purchase (DSDP) had imported adulterated fuel into the country, leading to petrol scarcity across the country. The importers are MRS, who imported through vessel MT Bow Pioneer and loaded at Litasco Terminal, Antwerp -Belgium, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, which used vessel MT Tom Hilde and loaded from the same terminal, Oando loaded through MT Elka Apollon from the same terminal as well as NNPC’s subsidiary, Duke Oil used MT Nord Gainer and also loaded the vessel from the same terminal.
   
Shettima noted that the marketers, who have dirty fuel in their tanks, are stuck because the products have not been removed for them to run their operations.
   
According to him, the government may need to consider bearing the burden of their losses.

   
“There are slight challenges already. We are expecting more products by Tuesday. There was a gap in supply so it will take time for supply to normalise. The products have to be delivered via road and you know the associated challenges.
  
“Our consultants are working on the dirty fuel. The products have not been returned to NNPC. We need to know the quantity.”
   
Although more petrol stations opened late yesterday in Abuja, the development led to long queues as motorists struggled to make a purchase.
   
On the busy Kubwa expressway, Nipco, which was shut in the early hours of the day was dispensing at about 5pm. Mega stations like A.A. Rano and A.Y. Shafa and NNPC were also dispensing, while others like Shema, MRS, Oando were shut.
   
On the airport road, most stations were shut but Dan Oil, one of the mega stations on the route, was dispensing with a long queue of motorists.

At the black market, a litre, which was selling for about N250 per litre, has now moved to N400 per litre as a-10 litre gallon now sells for N4,000.

BY  Chinedu Eze

With the cost of operation hitting the roof and many domestic airlines facing liquidation, it has emerged the airlines are being ripped off by regulators via landing charges.

Local operators who spoke to THISDAY said the development has further heightened their fears of not being able to continue in business calling on the federal government to urgently intervene.

Nigerian airlines are charged by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to be allowed to land at airports that have airfield lighting but are not designated for night services.

Beyond the charges by these agencies, airlines lose huge resources when they are forced to cancel flights or made to return to the airport of departure because these airports refuse to receive the airlines’ flight, which insiders say happen often.

Called daylight airports, these refer to airports that do not have landing facilities so airlines can only operate there in the night, but there are some of them, including the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the Margret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar and Benin Airport, where night facilities were installed, including airfield lighting but FAAN has not allowed flights to operate there in the night.

So whenever airlines scheduled to land at such airports after 6:30 pm FAAN and NAMA insist they pay charges for it. THISDAY learnt that there have been many occasions flights were forced to return to airport of departure because the airlines operating the flights did not pay the charges or there is disagreement between the airline and the personnel in charge of the airport.

Addressing aviation correspondents on Wednesday at the MurtalaMuhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, lamented that one of the major challenges of the daylight airport is that it forces airlines to limit their operations to those airports to 6:30 pm.

He said that in the struggle to meet the 6:30 timeline, sometimes it leads to flight cancellation if flights scheduled to those airports encounter any delay on ground or in the air in the course of the flight service.

He said that airlines lose huge resources besides the charges they pay to the agencies, adding that even the domestic runway at MMIA is for daylight operation so when flights are coming into Lagos after 6:30 pmthey land at the international runway, but they could encounter delays because it is the period when many international flights arrive the country.

Okonkwo also explained that when the aircraft lands at the international runway it would taxi for 15 minutes to the domestic terminal, MMA2 or the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) burning many gallons of aviation fuel. He therefore called on the government to step up action to provide night landing facilities at these runways and also to designate the airports that have night landing facilities so that flights can land after 6:30 pm.

Commenting, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, told THISDAY that the agency charges flat rate of N100, 000 per flight, which NAMA charges N50, 000 per hour after 6:30 pm. Which means if the aircraft would arrive by 9:30 pm, the airline would be made to pay NAMA N150, 000 and pay FAAN, N100, 000.

But THISDAY learnt that sometimes the officers in charge could up the charges and threaten to close the airports and most often they would say they don’t have diesel in the generator.

Flights have been forced to make air return after they have made initial approach to land and when they do they reschedule the flight at huge cost to the airlines and inconvenience to the passengers. Recently the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu explained that litigation forestalled the installation of airfield lighting at the domestic runway of Lagos airport, known as Runway 18L.

“The airfield lighting contract was not given by FAAN. Remember, there was a time the lighting at airports were taken away from FAAN, but later returned to FAAN. We have spent the last few years trying to resolve the contract. There are issues with the contractor, but we are making efforts to address the challenge on the domestic runway. We are working with the ministry to ensure things are done rightly,” he said.

On why the airports that even have night landing facilities are closed by 6:30, the former Managing Director of NAMA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu explained that the major reasons include the fact that many of the airports use generators as source of electricity and there is inadequate manpower.

Akinkuotu noted that if the airlines come together and decide that they would maintain traffic on those routes late in the night, it could be arranged and the airports would adjust their operating schedule.

“A lot of these airports are run by generators. It would be a huge loss of resources if you keep operating them when there is no traffic and airlines are not coming in. So we have power and manpower issues. But if there is justified demand, adjustments can be made to accommodate that demand. The airline operators, NAMA and FAAN can meet and agree that flight time can be extended to the airports. This will have to involve all the airlines; not for one airline; so if there is a guarantee for traffic in those late hours for the airlines, the agencies can bring in the needed manpower,” he said.

Closing about 90 per cent of Nigerian airports by 6:30 pm in the night has led to the underutilisation of aircraft and loss of revenues that would have been earned from operating to some of these airports after dusk. Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART) and aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu had warned that during emergencies an aircraft might not have alternative airport to land in Nigeria in the night because most of the airports are closed. “That will be very tragic for the country,” he had said.

BY  GBENGA ADENIJI and ABIODUN SANUSI

Uneasy calm is manifesting among Nigerians studying in Ukraine following the rise of crisis at the Russian/Ukraine border.

Ukraine, a Soviet republic, was once a part of the Russian Empire before it gained independence in 1991 during the split of the United Socialist Soviet Republic.

According to Associated Press, a decision by an ex-Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, to reject an association agreement with the European Union and choosing to favour closer ties with Russia sparked a mass protest that led to the president’s impeachment.

AP noted that, in 2015, a peace agreement was brokered by France and Germany, leading to the end of large scale battles that left sporadic skirmishes in their wake. At the beginning of 2022, Ukraine lamented that over 90,000 Russian troops were stationed at a site close to the border of both countries.

The Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Friday also said that number of Russian troops near Ukraine and Crimea, an annexe of Russia, was estimated at 94,300 and warned of a large escalation.

AP further reported that Russia accused Ukraine of dishonouring the 2015 peace deal – Russia required Ukraine to grant autonomy to rebel regions and offer amnesty to rebels – and criticised the West and NATO allies for providing Ukraine with weapons.

However, Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, was quoted as saying that attempts to reclaim the east by Ukraine would lead to “grave consequences for Ukrainian statehood.”

The development had made countries to urge their citizens to leave Ukraine. The United States of America on Friday warned of an impending invasion of Russian forces on Ukraine and ordered non-essential staff members to leave the US embassy in Kyiv.

According to British Broadcasting Corporation, the invasion was predicted to start with the aerial bombing that could endanger the lives of citizens and make departures difficult.

The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania and Norway also directed their citizens to vacate Ukraine within the next 48 hours amid warnings of Russia’s imminent bombardment.

The Federal Government is also not left out as it urged Nigerians in Ukraine to remain calm and be security conscious.

One of the Nigerians studying in Ukraine, a part-three pharmacy student of the University of Pharmacy, Kharkov, Samuel Amadi-Okocha, said there was palpable fear and tension in the minds of people in his vicinity due to growing tension.

He noted that there was no arrangement by the government to evacuate Nigerians from the country.

Amadi-Okocha said, “For me in the city where I am, I am coping well. There is no real evacuation of Nigerians as far as I know, although some of my friends plan to leave the country soon. For now, all I know is the soldiers are at the border and a lot of countries are advising their citizens to leave the country.

The pharmacist-in-training appealed to the President, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to emulate other countries who had requested their citizens to leave the country and to make plans towards the evacuation of Nigerians as well.

He added, “So far so good all they have done is advice us against travelling and moving at night. They advised those in the Eastern part of Ukraine to be extra careful. They also gave a link where we can put our names and numbers as well as other important information about ourselves.”

Amadi-Okocha said his family in Nigeria were worried about him, adding that he assured them to keep calm,

According to him, lectures are still being held in classrooms and online.

Also, a 500 level medical student at Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Enuh Williams, said that there was fear on the faces of students, adding that despite this, online lectures and physical classes still held.

He added, “It’s different from the pattern in Nigeria. We already registered our personal details on a link the embassy provided in case there is a need for evacuation.”

William, who is also the president of Nigerian students in his city, stated that the atmosphere was tense.

Also speaking, another Nigerian student in Ukraine, Oyebisi Stephen, said there was calmness at the moment in the European country.

The fifth-year medical student at the Ivano Frankivsk National Medical University however added that the growing anxiety was because of pressure from families who had loved ones in Ukraine and that US’ order for its citizens to leave the country.

He said, “As for classes, they are ongoing online. We will know more about the situation on Monday because that is when the school will make an official statement.’’

In her contribution, a third-year computer engineering student in a university in, Amarachi Nwabia, said they had heard diverse rumours about the growing tension and seeking necessary information.

She added, “Classes are online in school. My family said I should stay safe.’’

Like other students, the parents of Haruna Gandu, a sixth-year general medicine student of Ivano- Frankivsk National Medical University, are worried.

He told Sunday PUNCH that lectures were still ongoing, adding that “Our families are panicky but we have been reassuring them. I would really appreciate if provisions are made on standby.’’

Another Nigerian studying in Ukraine, Raymond Ojima, noted that there was tension everywhere in the country, stating that it building up every day.

The 500 level medical student at Ivano Frankivsk, said, “Evacuation is a must with the level at which things are going. From my own opinion and observations, nothing much has been done by the embassy. Lectures are going on but the reality of things still stand.’’

Commenting, Acting-President of the National Association of Nigerian Students in Ukraine, Eunice Eleaka, pleaded with the Federal Government to come to their aid.

Eleaka said, “We plead that the Nigerian government comes to our rescue if the situation escalates. We wish not to experience the horror which some Nigerians experienced in 2014 in Ukraine. We hope that our beloved country would do its best to ensure our safety by making available the flight that would evacuate the students as soon as possible. We are following the news, and we know that there is tension across the world, and the tension rose to a maximum in Ukraine today (Saturday) after the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, asked US citizens who are still in Ukraine to leave within the next 48 hours.

“We are also aware that diplomatic talks with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, have not been favourable so far, and troops might invade Ukraine any moment from now. We sent a letter to the Nigerian embassy in Ukraine earlier on, but we have yet to get a response. Most countries have asked for the evacuation of their citizens so everyone believes the chances of war has risen drastically since earlier on Saturday, and the majority of the foreigners who are still in Ukraine are Africans, as others left earlier under the instruction of their governments.’’

Another Nigerian studying in Ukraine, Victoria Adebayo, told one of our correspondents that  their Indian colleagues informed them that their government sent a registration link to them to fill a form to know the number of students willing to go back home.’’

She added that though the Ukrainian government assured them that nothing was going to happen, they had tried to contact the Nigerian embassy to know their plans for them in case there was a crisis.

Adebayo added, “We hope that next week the government will put some plans in place to evacuate those who wish to leave because many of us cannot afford the flight fee back home. It costs about N400,000 to get a flight ticket to Nigeria from Ukraine. It is a lot of money and we have no choice but to rely on government evacuation, if the situation escalates. This is the time when our government needs to come through for us. The Nigerian government should put us in their plans like other countries are doing.’’

When contacted for comment on the issue, the Nigerian Ambassador to Ukraine, Shina Alege, stated that they were hoping for the best.

Alege said, “We are hoping for the best, as all sides to the conflict are well engaged in frenzied diplomatic discussions aimed at finding amicable resolutions to the crisis. We remain hopeful as we continue to monitor the developments and we are assuring our nationals resident in Ukraine of the needful as we urge them to remain calm. Be assured that we have been assuring Nigerians in Ukraine as well as their families in Nigeria of their safety.’’

He also asked Sunday PUNCH to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further clarifications.

Earlier, the Federal Government urged Nigerians in the European country to remain calm and be security conscious amid the growing tension.

The Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, spoke in a statement.

She assured that the Nigerian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, was doing all it could to ensure the safety and security of all Diaspora Nigerians in Ukraine.

The NIDCOM boss went further to urge Nigerians in that country to visit the Embassy website and follow the registration process.

In that regard, a statement from the Nigerian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, was released for necessary action relating to emergencies and concerns in the state.

The statement read in part, “In view of the current developments in Ukraine, all Nigerians resident in Ukraine and environs, including students, and their relations in Nigeria, are hereby advised to contact the Embassy of Nigeria in Kiev, Ukraine, for matters pertaining to enquiries, consular and welfare requests and emergencies on: “+380632353417; +380631954965; +380442597767; +380442581854; +380442599942; and/or [email protected]; as well as: Nigeriaklevélyahoo.com”

The statement reiterated that Nigerians in Diaspora should be vigilant and avoid unnecessary movements, especially to identified hotspots in Eastern Ukraine.

• Additional report by JANET OGUNDEPO

Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has blamed the stakeholders in the maritime sector for the country’s inability to own a national shipping line.

Mr Amaechi made the disclosure on Friday at a thanksgiving service to mark the 71st birthday celebration of the Chairman of a popular shipping company in Nigeria, Gregory Ogbeifun, in Benin, Edo State.

The transport minister said unless Nigerians provided 60% of the investment as required by law, establishing a national shipping line would not be realisable.

According to him, the law requires that 60% of the funding be provided by Nigerians while the remaining 40% be contributed by foreigners.

He said the plan has become practically impossible due to the unwillingness of major players in the maritime industry to raise the funds.

Mr Amaechi said though a foreign firm had offered to provide 100% of the money required for setting up the shipping line, he would not grant such approval as doing so would amount to flouting the law.

“For not having a national shipping line, some stakeholders in the maritime sector think that I may not have done well. The law setting up a national shipping line says that Nigerians would provide 60% of the investment and foreigners will provide 40%,” Mr Amaechi reiterated.

“So, I went to Singapore, got a company that accepted to bring the 40% but unfortunately, till today, no Nigerian has been able to provide the remaining 60%. The company had said to me that they would bring all the 100% and hire some Nigerians as stakeholders, but I disagreed because that would amount to breaking the law,” he stressed.

Adding, he said: “There is also a company in Dubai that said they would set up the national shipping line by providing the 100% but I have told them that the law only allows them (foreigners) to provide 40%.”

His job, he insisted, was to provide a conducive environment for business to thrive, which he said he was always striving to achieve.

Writing by Fubara Pepple; Editing by Abdullahi Lamino and Tony Okerafor

BY  Anozie Egole

Fourteen months after the Federal Government gave a presidential directive for the reopening of closed land borders, Kebbi State border and some other land gateways are yet to be reopened.

The Federal Government had in August 2019 announced the closure of land borders, citing high rate of smuggling and others as reasons.

In December 2020, the government approved the recommendation of a presidential committee to reopen the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfun borders in preparation for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, the Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Nasiru Manga, cited the government’s fiscal policy as the reason the command’s border amongst others were yet to be reopened.

He, however, said the government was taking actions that were in the best interest of the country and the citizens.

“If you can remember, you will recall that all the land borders in Nigeria are closed except four which are, Seme in Lagos, Elela in Sokoto, Maigatari in Jigawa and one in South-South. So it is only four land borders that are currently and officially opened. Idiroko too is yet to be opened” he said.

“This one is a matter of the government fiscal policy. You remember the reason the borders were closed, even though the borders are still closed. You know they have started opening them in bits. On whether the border closure has reduced the security risk, I am not authorised to speak on that” Manga concluded.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Customs Area Controller in charge of Kebbi State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah, has charged officers and men of the command on the need to ensure strict compliance to government fiscal policy on imports and exports of goods.