Travel News

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa plans to try and resolve its chronic power shortage by making it easier for private companies to build plants and paying households and businesses to produce electricity from solar panels.

The urgent need to fix the country’s 14-year electricity crisis has been laid bare by five weeks of power outages that ended last week, the worst since the near-collapse of the grid in 2008. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ruling African National Congress have been heavily criticized over their inability to resolve the problem, despite repeated promises to do so.

We need to “open the floodgates for private investment in new generation capacity,” the presidency said in a presentation to opposition parties on Monday that has been seen by Bloomberg. “Our overriding priority is to add as much new capacity to the grid as possible, as quickly as possible.”

With South Africa’s national power utility, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., saddled with 396 billion rand ($24 billion) of debt and unable to meet demand from its fleet of aging and poorly maintained coal-fired plants, the country is turning toward renewables and the private sector for power provision. That’s met an ideological backlash from powerful interests within the ANC that want greater state control of the industry. 

Ramaphosa has said he will publicly announce a plan to tackle the crisis in coming days. Calls to his spokesman Vincent Magwenya weren’t immediately answered.

News 24 reported on the presentation earlier.

In addition to seeking power from private sources, the government also wants to resolve some of the issues plaguing Eskom, such as the need to repair broken units, the presidency said. The company can reliably produce about 26,000 megawatts at present, against a winter peak of 32,000 megawatts.

The presidency’s plans would add 7,165 megawatts of capacity within three months, a further 5,663 megawatts in a year and 9,770 megawatts in 18 months, meaning that the amount of available generation capacity could almost double. 

Those gains would come from Eskom units returned from outages, demand management, new generation capacity, private investment, power from solar panels on rooftops and the completion of the Medupi and Kusile coal-fired power plants. Beyond 18 months, there is scope to see a further 8,700 megawatts of new generation capacity procured, the presidency said. 

The need for investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure and “credible, confidence-boosting measures” is also part of the plan, to “assure South Africans that significant actions are being taken to address the crisis.”

The main points are as follows: 

• Boost the recruitment of skilled workers at Eskom and address sabotage and theft at the utility
• Improve logistics to ensure that diesel-fired turbines are supplied in timely fashion
• Allow Eskom to buy excess power from private producers
• Import more power from countries in the region
• Implement a program to incentivize the efficient use of power to cut demand by 600 megawatts
• Easing local content requirements so that renewable-power projects awarded in the so-called Bid Window 5 can go ahead
• Boosting the size of the sixth bid window and expediting further rounds
• Announce a plan to deal with Eskom’s debt before October

“Cabinet has decided to establish a National Energy Crisis Committee, which will involve all relevant ministers, departments and agencies, with a technical team chaired by the director general in the presidency,” the plan said. 

The Federal Ministry of Education has ordered the immediate closure of one of its colleges, the Federal Government College Kwali, located in Kwali Area...

By  Chidimma C. Okeke

The Federal Ministry of Education has ordered the immediate closure of one of its colleges, the Federal Government College Kwali, located in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

A statement signed by the Director Press and Public Relations, Ben. Bem Goong, said Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, gave the directive in the early hours of Monday.

He said the closure became necessary following security breach on Sheda and Lambata Villages, suburbs of Kwali Area Council which also threatened FGC Kwali.

According to the Minister, the timely intervention of security Agencies saved the situation.

The minister also directed that arrangements should be made for final-year students to conclude their NECO examinations.

He, however, directed Principals of Unity Colleges across the country to liaise with security Agencies within their jurisdictions in order to forestall any security breach in our schools.

Daily Trust had reported how parents trooped to the school to evacuate their children on Monday morning.

(Bloomberg) -- The US Federal Aviation Administration halted flights into Dallas Love Field after reports of a shooting at the airport near the city’s downtown.

The Dallas police also confirmed the shooting report on its Twitter account. The FAA posted the closure on its website, citing “security” for the block on arriving flights.

One person has been transported to an area hospital, according to a report from NBC 5.

Southwest Airlines Co., which operates at the airport, said on Twitter it was aware of police activity at the airport and had paused departing and arriving flights.

(Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s ground-crew union called a strike for Wednesday, escalating a crisis at Europe’s biggest airline after staffing shortages caused thousands of flights to be cancelled earlier in the summer.

The Verdi labor group called for members to take part in industrial action at Lufthansa’s German airport bases, a move that could see check-in personnel and other staff walk out over pay and conditions.

“Verdi is calling the one-day strike to raise pressure on the employer to make a much-improved and acceptable pay offer in the next round of talks,” the union said in a statement on Monday.

The move is likely to worsen the plight facing Lufthansa as it battles to cope with the twin demands of a sharp rebound in travel bookings and the impact of soaring inflation on pay packets. Passengers at airlines and airports across Europe have endured weeks of disruption as chronic worker shortages lead to delays and cancellations.

While Lufthansa had so-far avoided the industrial action snaring rivals like Ryanair Holdings Plc, its unions are starting to round on the airline’s management. Members of Lufthansa’s VC pilots union are holding a vote on whether to go on strike, a move that would inevitably lead to a further cut to scheduled flights.

Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr has pledged to boost earnings before interest and taxes to a minimum of 8% by 2024, a move he said is needed to reduce debt. Disputes with worker representatives suggest Spohr might have trouble reaching those targets, as he tries to balance the need for more staff with his desire for lower costs.

Still, the airline earlier this month said it returned to profitability in the second quarter, benefiting from surging travel demand that’s forced the sector to raise fares and limit seat availability.

By Wole Oyebade

Aviation stakeholders have reacted with boo and cheers at local airlines’ request to impose a new fuel tax of between 25 and 40 per cent on air travellers.

While a section of the industry agreed with operators that the surcharge is inevitable, others flayed the operating environment and urged them to look inwards for cost-saving measures instead of imposing additional burden on the travelling public.

Airlines, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), this week had urged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to grant waiver on its current five per cent surcharge on aviation fuel and grant operators the right to impose a new fuel tax of between 25 to 45 per cent to cope with the rising commodity cost.

President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), a think-tank group of the local sector, Dr. Gbenga Olowo, said the sector remains deregulated. Hence, operators should sell airfares in line with the prevailing market realities.

Olowo added that to do otherwise is to encourage “cutting corners to save cost”, which would be very dangerous for all.

He said: “Given these uncontrollable factors of production in the airline industry and operators selling what they buy, demand will definitely drop, but much better than cutting corners and planning an accident.

“If a trip fuel is 4000 litres for a one-hour Lagos-Abuja jet flight, for example at N800 per Iitre, which gives N3, 200, 000. At a load factor of 100 passengers, it means fuel cost per person is N32, 000. That is approximately 30 per cent of total cost. Therefore, it will translate to N107, 000 tariff for a one-way journey. Period.”

By comparison, Olowo noted that PHCN has introduced Premium Tariff on power and those who can afford it are settling for it. He added that the aviation sector would not be different.

He warned that: “This is not the time for frivolous and reckless competition nor uneconomic patriotism. Operators should intensify cooperation, collaboration, consolidation, prune schedules to minimise perishable seats and maximise load factor.

“The spirit of Spring Alliance must be strengthened. The sector must not negotiate an accident. The NCAA is encouraged to be more vigilant to watch cutting corners,” Olowo said.

Former Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Samuel Caulcrick, urged the airlines to consider alternatives to this “runaway situation.”

Caulcrick said: “Now is the time to shelve, maybe temporarily, the legacy airline model and embrace the Low-Cost Carrier model.

“Weight has an influencing component on operational costs of air travel. The airlines should lower the baggage limit to 5kg and charge any extra in consonant to fuel costs. Nigerians need to adjust their lifestyle of carrying their houses on an aeroplane while travelling. If it’s that important to move everything we have by air, we should pay for the Jet A1,” Caulcrick offered.

Aviation Security consultant, Group Capt John Ojikutu (rtd), recalled that the steady rise in fuel prices dated back to 12 or 15 years when the culture of importing Jet A1 started.

Unfortunately, “Prices have been irregularly increased almost monthly in spite of what the government called subsidies to the fuel marketers. Within a year, it has quadrupled from N200/litre to N800/litre. 1.3 million barrels per day is what we are being told that are exported out of a production of 2.3 million barrels produced per day; what happened to the balance of one million barrels? Those in NNPC, Federation Account Committee and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should explain. NNPC should explain why four refineries are not working?”

British Airways pilots are clamouring for a ballot on strike action after airline chiefs rejected demands for a new pay deal.

Under growing pressure from members, the pilots union Balpa is preparing to threaten industrial action after a wave of ballots secured wage increases for check-in and baggage staff.

A walkout could come as soon as this summer in further blow for thousands of holidaymakers who have already endured waves of cancelled flights, as well as traffic jams at Dover.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle was warned during a meeting with pilot representatives last Tuesday that “only quantifiable actions… would be acceptable”, according to an email to its members last week seen by the Telegraph. “This did not occur," the email said.

British Airways pilots agreed to sacrifice a portion of their salaries to mitigate job losses in a pay deal agreed in July 2020. They accepted temporary pay cuts of 20pc, falling to 8pc over the following two years, allowing job cuts to be reduced from 1,255 to 270.

Pilots want a pay increase rather than a pay cut. Union sources said that there are increasing calls for a vote on strike action after witnessing the success of the Unite and GMB unions.

Ground handling crew halted planned industrial action last week after winning an 8pc pay rise. Meanwhile, staff working for refuelling companies that service rival aircraft have been offered a 10pc wage increase.

A union source said: “They did it by stomping their feet and having a ballot on strike action.

"'BA seems to ignore you until you issue a ballot,’ is the sentiment among members. Within Balpa we don’t usually like to do that. We would rather take a grown-up approach. But we are under enormous pressure. And the longer this goes on, the harder it gets.”

Tom Keeney, a veteran BT executive, was parachuted in earlier this month to lead talks on behalf of British Airways. He was hired in a new role entitled director of industrial relations.

Talks continued today after Balpa wrote to airline chiefs reasserting that the salary sacrifice scheme had to be abandoned.

Martin Chalk, Balpa general secretary, said: “We are in talks with British Airways and wish to persuade them that continuing deductions from our members’ pay is unwarranted. We should actually be talking about pay increases given the inflationary scenario.

“Unless BA is prepared to walk with us down that road then we will have to consult with members to consider our next actions.”

A spokesman for British Airways said: "We remain committed to continuing talks with the union."

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called on the federal government to remove the 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax on Automobile Gas Oil pending the supply from international is normalised.

The association also urged the government to convene a strategic meeting with key operators in the economic space in the face of the Ukraine-Russian war.

The president of MAN, Mansur Ahmed, stated this at the 37th Annual General Meeting of Ogun State branch of the association held in Abeokuta.

Ahmed, whose speech was read by the Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said the call for the meeting would help the government to identify viable options to ameliorate the impact of the disruption.

He also called for the implementation of the Eligible Customer Initiative to afford the manufacturers the opportunity of stranded electricity.

While lamenting on the challenges facing the manufacturing sector, Ahmed said the government needed to quickly intervene on the challenges.

(Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it will have to cut almost all of its flights in Frankfurt and Munich, Germany’s two busiest hubs, on Wednesday because of a strike by workers during the peak travel season of the year, exacerbating the chaos that has engulfed Europe’s aviation industry for weeks. 

The one-day strike will affect 678 flights in Frankfurt and 345 in Munich, the airline said in a statement. Any capacity to rebook passengers affected by the cancellations is very limited, Lufthansa said. Some of the chaos may linger into the weekend, when travel is due to pick up, according to the airline. 

“The early escalation of a previously constructive collective bargaining round is causing enormous damage,” Lufthansa Labor Director Michael Niggemann said in the statement. 

By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Joke Falaju, Kanayo Umeh, Ernest Nzor (Abuja), Lawrence Njoku (Enugu), Saxone Akhaine, Abdulganiyu Alabi (Kaduna), Danjuma Michael (Katsina) and Eniola Daniel (Lagos)

• After 120 days in captivity, four train victims regain freedom
• Lead speaker in viral video paid N100m ransom for release, brother claims
• Families of train victims block Transportation ministry, condemn Aisha Buhari’s silence, demand release of loved ones
• Give me time to get briefings, Minister pleads
• Government, others benefiting from insecurity, bandit kingpin tells BBC
• Ortom: There’s no government in Nigeria
• 18,000 killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022, PDP laments
• NNPP calls for state of emergency in five states
• Northern youths threaten to disrupt 2023 general elections if insecurity persists

Barely 24 hours after terrorists, who hijacked the Kaduna-bound train released a video, where they threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, insecurity fears heightened at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), leading to the immediate closure of all unity schools in Abuja.

This was after three soldiers sustained injuries in an ambush by Boko Haram terrorists in Bwari Area Council of the FCT. The soldiers from the elite Guards Brigade guarding the FCT as well as the presidential seat of government were ambushed along Bwari Kubwa road, while on patrol of Bwari Area where the Nigerian Law School and the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) is located.

The Guards Brigade is in charge of the security of the President, his entire family, the Vice President, Very Important Personalities (VIP), the Federal Capital Territory and its surrounding states. This would be the first direct encounter between terrorists and the Brigade of Guards in Abuja.

The soldiers from 7 Guards Battalion, who have been carrying out patrol in the town following intelligence report of an impending attack on the Nigerian Law School, came under heavy fire around the Kubwa-Bwari road.

The wounded soldiers have been moved to the 7 Guards Medical centre, where they are currently receiving treatment and are in stable condition.

The signal message on the attack reads: “Troops on routine patrol along Kubwa-Bwari were ambushed by suspected terrorists. Three soldiers were injured during the attack. The soldiers have been evacuated for medical attention. Details on the extent of their injuries are still under confirmation. The ambush attack happening within the general area of Bwari shows that the terrorists are actually within the location and possibly preparing to carry out their plans to attack the law school in Bwari as earlier reported.”

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Guards, Captain Godfrey Anebi Abakpa, confirmed the attack but declined further comments.

It was earlier reported that while responding to potential terror attacks in the nation’s capital following a security alert by the FCT command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) that the insurgents were planning to attack schools, churches and public infrastructure, the Brigade of Guards had deployed troops at the entry and exit points in Abuja, for a more effective security of the seat of power, with soldiers intensifying stop and search operations at increased checkpoints.

YESTERDAY, the Federal Ministry of Education, taking a cue from intelligence reports, directed the immediate closure of all unity schools domiciled in the FCT, while ordering immediate evacuation of students.

While some schools had directed students to vacate latest on Wednesday, July 27, other schools disseminated messages to parents asking them to come pick their children, yesterday, without a fail, due to rising fear and anxiety emanating from reported threats.

On Sunday night, unconfirmed reports trended on social media indicating that there was heavy shootings around Federal Government College (FGC) Kwali, Abuja, and parents had rushed to the school to ascertain the safety of their children and possibly return home with them until calm is restored.

Confirming the report, the Director Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Ben. Bem Goong, noted that the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, gave the directive in the early hours of Monday.

According to him, “the closure became necessary following a security breach on Sheda and Lambata villages, suburbs of Kwali Area Council, which also threatened FGC Kwali. According to the Minister, the timely intervention of security agencies saved the situation.”

Adamu Adamu also directed that arrangements should be made for final year students to conclude their NECO examinations.

ABDUCTORS of Kaduna-Abuja train victims have released four from the remaining 43 victims in their custody. The terrorists had, on Sunday, flogged the 43 victims. The victims, who consist of two males and two females, secured their freedom around 11:00a.m. yesterday with their relatives picking them up at a location inside the forest along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

Terrorists had taken hostage 62 passengers of the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28.

Security operatives and the Kaduna State government are yet to issue any statement regarding the development.

The publisher of Desert Herald, Tukur Mamu, gave the names of the released victims as Gladys Brumen, Oluwa Toyin Ojo, Hassan Usman Lawal and Pastor Ayodeji Oyewumi.

Lawal was the lead speaker in Sunday’s viral video, pleading with the international community to secure their freedom. It was gathered that his release was effected yesterday after N100 million was paid by his family members. He has since joined his family at Unguwar Rimi area of Kaduna metropolis.

According to a family member, “my elder brother paid N50 million, while friends and sympathisers paid the remaining balance. We are happy to see him back after four months. On behalf of our family, we thank Nigerians for their prayers and support during this most difficult times.

“We never envisaged we will see him alive, especially when we saw him on the video yesterday. We couldn’t sleep. We were all awake praying fervently for their release. We will pray for the release of the remaining ones who are still in their captivity.

“Right now, we are on our way to hospital so that he will be properly be examined,” he added.

EARLIER, families of the train attack victims, yesterday, laid siege at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, blocking staff from accessing the office complex.

The protesters, who arrived the ministry as early as 7:00a.m. lamented the prolonged silence of the government despite their outcry.

The renewed protest was sparked by the viral video where the victims were been flogged, while the women and children were watching and crying.

One of the family members said they got a voice note from the bandits demanding N100 million to be paid for the release of their loved ones, but unfortunately, the negotiator said he had hands off from the matter due to insincerity on the part of the government.

They demanded to know why wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, who is considered to be the mother of the nation, has not commented on the unfortunate incident since it happened.

They condemned her prolonged silence, saying when Chibok girls were kidnapped in Borno State, the then first lady came out and cried for the release of the girls.

Hajiya Hadiza, said: “What is the first lady doing? Is she not a mother or even grandmother and she has not for once come out to speak on this matter, rather she is canvassing for women to come out to contest.”

The Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani, initially said she felt their pain, because her sister was also kidnapped in the ill-fated train, but she was, however, countered by the victims’ families that her sister had since been released

She, however, pointed out that the ministry is in constant talks with the security agents and the negotiators have been busy for the past three weeks.

She urged families of the victims to channel their demand to the security agencies who are in the right position to give them the information they need.

The Minister, Sambo Mua’zu, in his response, said he is just resuming and was yet to get briefing on the matter. He said before he resumed, he had asked the Permanent Secretary to dialogue with the families.

“But I want to beg you one thing. I have just resumed and I’m going to receive the necessary briefings this morning. I want you to give me some time. In the meantime, I want contact names and addresses with telephone numbers that I can reach. I assure you that we’re going to be in constant engagement until this matter is sorted out and until every single person in captivity goes back home.”

BANDIT kingpin, Abu Sanni, in a documentary released, yesterday, by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa Eye, said insecurity in Nigeria has become a business everyone, including the government benefits from.

Yusuf Anka, a journalist, who crisscrossed remote bandit enclaves in the state, undertook the 50 minutes documentary titled The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara.

The BBC documentary sheds light on the mindset of bandit leaders, the booming nature of the kidnap-for-ransom business and how insecurity in Zamfara State may have been triggered by ethnic conflict between Hausa and Fulani groups.

The bandits who spoke with the BBC team accused the government of neglecting them and giving priority to the Hausa community.

Sanni said the 279 schoolgirls who were kidnapped on February 27, 2021 in Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Council area of Zamfara State by his gang was done to disgrace the government as revenge for sending the military after them.

He said his gang demanded N300 million from government for the release of the schoolgirls but N60 million was paid.

“When the rainy season ended, they sent the military after us. We decided to show the government they should not interfere in our problems. We went to Jangebe and took the students. We wanted to get the government angry,” he said.

“We demanded N300 million but after negotiations, N60 million was paid for their release.”

When asked what the money for the ransom was used for, he said the proceed was spent on buying riffles.
“Everyone is benefiting from terrorism in Nigeria, including the government, from top to bottom. The government get money, though, for our money, blood spill.”

BENUE State governor, Samuel Ortom, on Monday, said the insecurity situation in the country has reached its peak with the threat by bandits to kidnap the President, adding that there was no government in the country.

The governor, who briefed journalists at the new banquet hall of the Government House, Makurdi, further decried the insecurity in the country, saying that the President Buhari regime had left Nigerians digging their graves.

He said: “Things are getting worse. You know I said this before I travelled out, that very soon, with the manner bandits are operating without proactive steps from the Federal Government, they will soon enter Aso Rock.

“You have seen happenings in the country; the Kuje prison break and the threat to kidnap the President. God forbid, but this is what I saw long time ago.

“I feel pains that this is happening in my generation. There is no government in Nigeria today. Those who are surrounding the President are criminals.

“Mr President, you are not doing well, you have violated the oath of office you took, Nigerians are in pains,  they are suffering, the socio economic lives of the people have gone down the abyss. You have left us digging our graves, we need a true change, not the change from top to bottom you promised us in 2015.”

The governor, who explained the reasons he visited United Kingdom and the United States of America during his two weeks vacation, said it was to correct the wrong narratives of the Federal Government that the herders attacks on Benue was beyond climate change but as an occupation force.

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the seeming helplessness of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government in rescuing the victims of Kaduna-Abuja train terrorist attack.

The opposition party said it is sad that even when the figure of people killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022 had risen to 18,000, no serious effort was being made by government to address the tragic issue of kidnapping, and terrorism.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, PDP’s national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said: “The party is deeply saddened, alarmed and distressed by the video of terrorists mercilessly flogging, inflicting grievous bodily harm and threatening to sell into slavery and kill traumatised victims of the bloody Abuja-Kaduna train attack, who have been held in captivity since March 28, exactly 120 days today.”

“It is indeed heartbreaking to watch fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, helpless children; compatriots and citizens of Nigeria in captivity and being tortured, brutalized, humiliated and crying in pain, agony and anguish just because we have the misfortune of being under the APC government that has proven to be derelict, irresponsible, unconcerned and completely numb to the pains and sufferings of our citizens,” the party lamented.

According to the opposition party, “between 2020 and 2022, about 18,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists who continue to be emboldened by the failures and obvious complicity of the APC and to which the PDP had always drawn attention.”

ALSO, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Katsina State has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in five Northern states to enable security operatives tackle the situation facing them.

At a press conference on Monday, chairman of the party, Sani Liti, identified the states where state of emergency should be declared to include Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara.

Liti lamented that more than 50,000 people that include women and children, have lost their lives to terrorists from 2015 till date, while several trillions of naira have been paid in ransom to terrorists.

He lamented that the ransom monies collected by the terrorists was being used to further purchase weapons, and they use same to perpetuate heinous acts against Nigerians.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to hire mercenaries for six months, that would help tackle the rising security situation in the country.

In addition, he called for the recruitment of at least one million young Nigerians to be trained as special forces to protect and secure the country when the mercenaries leave.

NORTHERN youths, under the umbrella of Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) have threatened to disrupt the conduct of the 2023 general elections if the victims of the Kaduna-Abuja train attack are not released, and the Federal Government also fails to an end to the protracted killings and kidnapping by terrorists in the country.

Besides, the Arewa group urged President Buhari to sack the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, for incompetence in handling the current situation of insecurity in Nigeria.

The members of AYA said that “as the victims of the ill-fated train marked 120 days in captivity, which was celebrated by the terrorists through a released video depicting how they are being molested, we share in the pain and agony of the immediate families and friends of those in captivity, and pray God to intervene through His supernatural power and set them free.”

In the statement signed by Muhammed Salihu Danlami, yesterday, the group noted that “the growing audacity of non-state actors, which led to the invasion of Kuje Maximum Prison, Abuja shows that even Mr President in the Presidential Villa is not safe.

THE youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Monday, expressed worry over the latest threat from one of the terrorists’ groups operating in the Northern part of the country. The National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said the audacity of the terrorists in the viral video was worrisome.

He said: “How else can we explain the fact that mass abductions go on under this government daily, yet none of such victims have ever been rescued, except when ransom is paid. Not long ago, these daring terrorists attacked the President’s convoy. As if that was not enough, Kuje Prison was breached.

“When we thought we had heard the last, they have now threatened to abduct a sitting President. As usual, this threat will be treated with levity by the government in power. This situation intensifies the fear that there could be a grand plan to Islamise this country by simply handing it over to terrorists.

“The time had come for Mr. President to prove otherwise to Nigerians. Security agencies should not be busy pursuing Biafra agitators when the real threats to individual and national security are walking the streets free, receiving chieftaincy titles.”

(Bloomberg) -- If luggage could talk, it would tell a pretty interesting story this summer.

Mishandled luggage incidents in the US were up 60% from April 2021 through March 2022, compared to the year-earlier period; in Europe, insurers are reporting a 30% spike in lost luggage claims compared to summer 2019. But those statistics fail to fully paint a picture of the chaos that has descended on airports. More telling are the images of thousands of bags piled up unclaimed in airport storehouses, or airlines filling planes not with humans but with suitcases that needed to be reunited with their owners. 

And that’s just the bags. There are roughly 20,000 delayed and canceled flights every day, not to mention hours-long security and immigration queues, missed connections, and inflated prices. 

“This is a time where none of the usual logic—and certainly none of the usual travel hacks—apply,” explains Michael Holtz, founder and chief executive officer of SmartFlyer, a luxury travel agency. “I wish there were such thing as a silver bullet, but there just isn’t.”

This doesn’t mean travelers are powerless in the face of mounting obstacles. Here are seven tips to get through your next trip unscathed—or as close to it as possible.

Know How Luggage Protection Works

Travel insurance policies can cover lost bags, but usually there’s no payout if a suitcase eventually turns up. This means that claims can sit around gathering dust for so long that you’ve already returned from your trip—perhaps with a new wardrobe.

What’s more, policies often require travelers to maintain itemized lists of what was packed, including receipts to prove the costs of the lost belongings. It’s a time-consuming exercise that will discourage most claims.

One company that travel agents are currently recommending is Blue Ribbon Bags, which guarantees up to $2,000 in reimbursement for each piece of luggage that’s gone missing for at least four days. The amounts depend on the exact policy; travelers can insure bags for $5, $7.50, or $10 each, netting respective payouts of $1,000, $1,500, or $2,000.

The policy’s only fine print is that travelers must file a report of missing luggage with their airline within 24 hours and collect the correct documentation to prove and process the claim. And while you can insure luggage at any time until departure—even covering bags that are checked at the gate in the last moments—you can’t decide to make the investment in the middle of a connection that already appears to be going haywire.

Ship Your Luggage or Rent Locally

Not everyone can manage to carry all the luggage they need on board, Holtz concedes. If you’re traveling with a gaggle of kids to a wedding, or are moving across international lines, consider using a specialized shipping service such as Luggage Forward. It is not cheap, however, and requires planning.

Let’s use a real-life situation as an example: Some friends of mine who were trying to get their two toddlers through a tight connection from New York to Harare, Zimbabwe, via Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo airport, would have had to pay $694 for each of their standard-size suitcases and $389 for each small bag—and pack them all 12 days before departure. That’s a steep price, if perhaps less than the cost to their sanity of wondering whether irreplaceable wedding attire would get lost in transit. (Miraculously, it didn’t, though their au pair’s anti-malarial drugs remain stuck in a suitcase in Edinburgh.)

A more conventional trip may be less expensive. Shipping bags from New York to Amsterdam—where Schiphol airport is so burdened that it has at times stopped accepting checked luggage on certain connecting flights—costs $359 for a standard suitcase that will arrive within seven business days.

There’s also the option of renting what you need wherever you are going, rather than taking it with you. Rent the Runway is one convenient, well-known option, and it has recently started partnering with hotels.

BabyQuip is more specialized but perhaps even more useful: It will deliver bulky and such hard-to-pack items as cribs, strollers, diapers, and other infant-related gear to your hotel or Airbnb, so that you don’t have to waste your precious overhead compartment space on that portable pack ‘n’ play. It serves 900 destinations around the world, but works a bit like home-sharing sites; the gear is loaned by local businesses that list with the website, which makes availability spotty, especially outside the US.

Don’t Expect an AirTag to Save You

Many travelers have resorted to putting tracking devices, such as  AirTags, in their luggage as a precautionary measure should they become separated from their belongings. Brooke Lavery, a partner with bespoke travel consultancy Local Foreigner says that they have at times proved helpful.

“Someone on my team had boarded [her flight] and realized, via her AirTags, that her bag was not onboard the plane,” Lavery tells Bloomberg. When the passenger alerted the flight attendant, the airline was able to address its mistake and get the bag properly loaded on the cargo hold. “If you have the technology to solve the problem, it can result in an expedited solution,” she concludes.

That may have been a best-case scenario. “It doesn’t help to know where your luggage is if you can’t get to it,” explains Holtz, outlining a much more common outcome. “The only reliable way to land with your belongings is to carry them on.”

One way to make do with less stuff, he says, is to rely on hotel laundry services. “Every four- or five-star hotel will have laundry options,” he notes.

Invest in Airport Greeters

Lavery’s company has starting requiring all of its Europe-bound travelers to sign up for airport VIP services. Paul Tumpowsky, founder of digital travel agency Skylark, also schedules them for his clients as soon as possible after buying their flights. “These services need to be booked well in advance these days,” he says, citing demand, “so we just get it done as soon as possible.”

Pricing has surged for these services, too. In Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, for instance, greeters have been in especially high demand. It used to be common to pay $250 or so per group, but one company we priced out was charging $475 to welcome an arriving family of four; a second company had no availability remaining for the rest of this summer. It was asking $769 for two people in September.

Still, the cost can be worthwhile. In one success story, Lavery says a VIP airport representative in Athens took the client “to the front of a 250-person queue of passengers logging baggage claims. The rep knew everyone at the desk, was able to go behind the counter, file a claim on her behalf, and expedite it.” The bag arrived two days later.

They can also offer back-door entry to airport lounges. Even if you’re sitting in business class and have already guaranteed access, your designated lounge may be full; the one next door may not be. And airport greeters will also offer expedited access through security, customs, and immigration, where staff shortages and undertrained hires are causing hours-long delays that can cause you to miss connections.

Book Morning Flights

About those overcrowded lounges: In US hubs, at least, lounges are at their worst in evenings, when passengers are getting ready to depart on overnight transatlantic flights. It’s one reason travel advisers are recommending that you book daytime and morning flights. (Those flights also tend to have better on-time performance.)

You’re less likely to hit backed-up airport operations—those long lines—earlier in the day. “It’s the same concept as not driving to the Hamptons at 3 p.m. on a Friday,” Holtz jokes.

Use Your Credit Card Perks

Some of the airport conveniences you’re willing to pay for may already be taken care of by your credit card—assuming that you have premium plastic in your wallet such as American Express Platinum and Centurion cards or Chase Sapphire and Reserve cards.

Before you leave, see if your card includes a free signup for Clear, the biometric airport security service that’s often much faster than TSA PreCheck. Even if your card doesn’t cover the $189 annual fee, you may want to consider joining the program. Registration is practically instantaneous: On a recent flight I took from Newark Airport, Clear agents were processing applications from passengers stuck in a longer-than-typical PreCheck line. 

The same is true for Priority Pass, a network of independent airport lounges with 1,300 locations around the world. Its lounges are often smaller and less plush than, say, the American Express Centurion ones, but they’re relatively under-utilized. If your card offers free access, that could be worth considering.

Reroute (or Reschedule) Your Travels

Tumpowsky says airlines have been giving agents such as him special dispensation, in some circumstances, to proactively change schedules that look doubtful. Some carriers, for instance, have been letting him reroute clients from distressed airports, or have offered additional flexibility in making changes to itineraries with tight connections. It’s one reason you may consider booking any remaining summer travel  through an agent.

Even if it costs a fee, Lavery recommends that you consider rebooking to avoid the most overburdened airports. The online travel agency Hopper helped Bloomberg crunch data as to which airports in Europe are struggling most with delays and which are relatively painless. Lavery adds that “wherever possible, we are avoiding Schiphol, Charles de Gaulle, and Heathrow.”

Seek any possible way to avoid a connecting flight. “If you must travel somewhere that requires a connection, consider only flying on one of the legs,” advises Holtz. In other words: Nix your second flight and rent a car or take the train the rest of the way. “Think of it as disaster prevention,” he says, warning, “this is not the time to be scheduling connecting flights.”

And trust that the summer travel rush will lighten up soon. “It’ll all get better after Labor Day,” Holtz promises.