JUNE 08, 2023

Canada has excluded Nigeria as two African nations have been added to the country’s visa-free travel list. 

The Canadian authorities announced visa-free travel for visitors from 13 different countries across Asia, Africa, Central and South America.

The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the Canadian government, the visa-free travel is extended to Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts-Nevis, Panama, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Morocco, Seychelles, st. Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand and the Philippines.

While north Africa’s Morocco and east Africa’s Seychelles joined the list, Nigeria the most populous African nation didn’t make the cut.

“An expansion of the electronic travel authorization better known as the eTA programs makes it easier for “known travellers” from those countries to come here for fun and business. 

He said the expansion not only enhances convenience for travellers, it will also increase travel, tourism and economic benefits, as well as strengthen global bonds with these 13 countries.

“The known travellers from these countries can save a lot of money as a result of the visa exemptions.”

A visitor visa currently costs $100 per person and $500 for a family of five or more, but an eTA only costs seven dollars per person and is valid for as long as five years.

According to the government, introducing visa-free air travel will make it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of travellers to visit Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure.

JUNE 08, 2023

According to the plan, the airline will acquire two Embraer-190 aircraft, which will be delivered by the fourth quarter of the year 2023

BY   Shola Adekola, Nigerian Tribune

UNITED Nigeria Airlines has announced plans to increase its fleet size and expand operations to more cities across Nigeria and the African region.

According to the plan, the airline will acquire two Embraer-190 aircraft, which will be delivered by the fourth quarter of the year 2023 as well as introduce 10 brand new Embraer-175 aircraft in batches within 24 months afterwards.

Unveiling these plans, the Chief Operating Officer of the airline, Mazi Osita Okonkwo, said United Nigeria Airlines is not relenting in its effort to sustain its presence in the aviation sector and further serve Nigerians better.

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His words: “We are desirous of expanding our operations. So, the acquisition of more aircraft is in accord with our business development and growth plan. We are bringing in Embrarer-190 aircraft. We expect them to be in Nigeria by the end of the fourth quarter of year 2023. We are also expecting another set of 10 brand new Embraer-17 thereafter. These will help us increase our capacity for national and regional operations.”

Okonkwo used the opportunity to hint of arrangements by the airline to commence operations to Ghana, Angola, South Africa, Niger Republic, Coted’Ivoire, and Senegal among other African countries.

The airlines which started operations in February 2021 with four Embraer 145 aircraft effectively, presently services nine cities in the country, with plans to connect more Nigerian cities within the 2023 fiscal year and in line with its mantra of flying to unite.

The multiple award-winning airline was recently certified by the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for its operational and safety standards.

JUNE 09, 2023

(Bloomberg) -- Uber Technologies Inc. will make it possible to rent out your car on its app, with a peer-to-peer car-sharing service aimed at making its ride-hailing business more sustainable.

Through Uber Carshare, people will have the option to list their vehicle and make money when others rent it via the Uber app. The service launches in Boston and Toronto in the coming months, expanding on Uber’s first foray into car-sharing that began with the acquisition of Car Next Door in Australia last year.

Uber Carshare is one of a slate of new features the company unveiled on Thursday at its Go-Get Zero sustainability event in London. Car-sharing is part of Uber’s plan to become a zero-emissions platform by 2040. “By turning any car into a shared car, you’re increasing efficiency and contributing to more livable neighborhoods,” Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi wrote in a blog post.

Uber’s service will compete with companies like Turo and GetAround, which operate car-sharing marketplaces in the US.

JUNE 10, 2023

…say there’s conspiracy of silence against Hadi Sirika

The accusation of alleged widespread corruption in the Aviation Ministry, especially over the National Carrier- the “Nigeria Air” levied against the former Minister, Hadi Sirika, has been described as skewed by critics, going by the fact that some key officers of the Ministry, cannot be absolved from mention.

A reliable source who hinted our correspondent disclosed that the former Minister could not have been involved in the controversy if he was well guided by the Permanent secretary who has the responsibility to clear the way for the Minister.

The source insisted that the Minister cannot execute any proposal without the express input of the Permanent Secretary who is a career civil servant and conversant with the rules and procedures..

Our source was quoted as saying that it was surprising that the conspiracy of silence was going on in the Ministry with officials who were anchor men involved in the alleged financial heist.

It was learnt that the Head of Service specifically deployed the Permanent secretary, Dr Meribole to give support to the Minister to realize the project and therefore should not for any reason play down his role in the allegation of fraud in the establishment of the “Nigeria Air”.

Two Permanent Secretaries, according to the source had unceremoniously left the Ministry because they refused to compromise standards and get involved in fraudulent procedures. Engr. Musa Hassan, an Aeronautics Engineer was first removed before Mr Abel Enitan, an astute Civil servant got booted out for insisting on due process.

By tradition, new or inexperienced Permanent Secretaries are usually deployed to less pressure ministries to enable them garner sufficient knowledge before being deployed to grade A Ministries like Aviation, Power, Finance, Agriculture etc.

Having not gathered enough experience as a Permanent Secretary from Head of Service where he was serving under the present Head of Service, Dr Meribole was deployed to the Aviation Ministry in the last quarter of 2022.

Information at our disposal indicate that the Ministry is riddled with a lot of financial improprieties as the Perm Sec took advantage of his closeness with the Minister to also allegedly line his pockets.

This allegation ranges from fraudulent contract on Performance Management System to misappropriation of funds for procurement of window blinds and other unnecessary supplies to the Ministry by his town Union Chairman.

It is the view of our source that as the Accounting Officer, the Permanent secretary cannot be exonerated while the Minister is made a scape goat. One would have expected that the Federal Ministry of Aviation should by now come out with a clear official statement, giving details of what really transpired in the “Nigeria Air” Project, being party in possession of all documents relating to it.

The National Carrier project is not the only area that allegation of fraud is rife. There is allegation also that some projects are paid 100% without the contractors knowing the project sites. An NGO was said to have petitioned , requesting list of recent projects awarded, amount paid and work progress report. The project vehicles for these projects included in the Bill (1) have already been shared by the Ministry with the Perm Sec allegedly getting two Hilux vans.

There are insinuations from workers of NCAA that the Perm Sec allegedly got many foreign programmes with estacodes paid but didn’t attend the programmes.

This practice is said to be common even among the Permanent secretary’s aides. It was gathered that some Management staff who are not happy with the development have threatened to petition relevant authorities on his indecent activities, although some top management of the regulatory agency are already being questioned by the EFCC for other financial malfeasance.

When contacted on the allegations of corruption over the National Carrier, an Aviation expert who prefers anonymity regretted the scandal and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to institute an investigation into the matter with the view of serving as a deterrent for other Permanent Secretaries and civil servants who may want to be reckless with public office.

He noted that it will give bad image to the nascent administration of President Bola Tinubu if the matter is swept under the carpet.

Inview of the alleged complicity of the Permanent Secretary in the Nigeria Air Project and other Financial irregularities in the Ministry and its Agencies, he has remained silent to avoid being linked with the tensed allegation against the former Minister, Hadi Sirika, thus leaving him to face the heat alone.

Though the whole issue is based on the realm of allegation, it is yet to be proved that either the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika or the Permanent secretary, Dr Meribole are guilty of the accusations.

JUNE 10, 2023

By Murtala Adewale, Kano

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has assured that pilgrims’ airlift to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj would be completed before June 20, 2023.

Besides, the commission also allayed fear on the perceived technical hitches in the issuance of pilgrims’ visas, saying there should not be any cause for alarm.

Deputy Director, Information and Publication, Mousa Ubandawaki, gave the assurance in a statement yesterday.

Ubandawaki disclosed that so far, over 35,000 Nigerians had been airlifted to the Holy Land since the commencement of the operation, adding that arrangement with the airlines to convey the remaining pilgrims in the next 10 day was intact.

On the perceived delay in the process of pilgrims’ visa, the NAHCON spokesperson, who admitted that there were technical hiccups, however, contended that all the issues had been resolved.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a news story in the Leadership newspaper of Friday, 9th June to the effect that over 45,000 Nigerian pilgrims may miss this year’s Hajj. This is as a result of non-availability of travel visas to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“This report is not only misleading but mischievous aimed at causing panic and apprehension among intending pilgrims in particular and the public in general. Truly, there was a technical problem relating to visa processing, but it has been resolved at the moment.

“Visa processing is ongoing. In the last two days, visas to state pilgrims have been steady, and no flight has been cancelled due to visa issues. It is interesting to note that out of 75,000 slots, more than 58,000 visas have been processed so far for Nigerian pilgrims.

“Of these, 20,000 visas were issued between yesterday and today while the remainder will be processed by tomorrow. Despite the hiccup, the Commission is committed to concluding the airlift operation to Saudi Arabia before the 20th of this month.”

He added: “As a matter of fact, all the states that are scheduled to fly are on course to do so without any disruption related to visa procurement. Moreover, considering our resolve to airlift all our pilgrims to visit Madina before Arafat and the need to synchronise the airlift with the available accommodation in the city and not to overcrowd the place, the commission was cautious of pushing more pilgrims out.

“We want to urge our partners in the media that while it is critical for them to push the interest of Nigerian pilgrims, they also be conscious of the fact that they might be indirectly creating worry and anxiety for the hapless pilgrims.

“We therefore urge the public and the pilgrims to disregard the news report which is meant to cause disaffection, panic and anxiety among Nigerians. We want to reiterate our commitment to airlift every eligible Nigerian pilgrim to the Holy Land not only in good time but also in comfort and best welfare service.”

JUNE 10, 2023

United Nigeria Airlines has unveiled plans to increase its fleet size and expand operations to more cities across Nigeria and the...

JUNE 10, 2023

The recently approved Snake Island Port will attract about $1 billion in private investment and will be a significant milestone for the Nigerian maritime and shipping industry.

The chairman/CEO of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, said the investment, which is to be executed through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, is with a new 45-year concession agreement for Snake Island Port with the Federal Government that allows for an expanded operational scope and will attract about $1 billion in private investment.

Daily Trust recalled that Nigerdock was originally awarded Free Zone and Port Development Status by the Presidency in 2005, leading to the establishment of Snake Island Integrated Free Zone (SIIFZ) in the same year. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigeria Customs Service also approved direct shipping for the facility in 2017, with the NPA green-lighting cargo handling operations in 2021.

Jarmakani said the Snake Island Port, which  will sit on 85-hectare and will be a multipurpose port facility comprising three terminals located within Snake Island Integrated Free Zone, will boost job creations among others.

“This Public Private Partnership with the government will also facilitate job creation and develop critical infrastructure vital for the nation’s growth. In addition to its operations in ship repair, logistics, and free zone solutions, Nigerdock had already been in terminal operations following approval from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),” he said.

In a statement issued yesterday, the company said the PPP project, which has been in the works for some years, will see Snake Island Port immediately commence operations as an expansion to Nigerdock’s existing operations, while the shipyard and Free Zone remain core parts of the business. 

 

From Abiodun Alade & Euegne Agha, Lagos

JUNE 10, 2023

Universities in Nigeria now 264 — NUC

9th June 2023

By Deborah Tolu-Kolawole

The National Universities Commission revealed Friday that Nigeria now has 264 universities. The number includes universities owned by federal and state governments as well as private individuals and corporations.

The Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, revealed this while presenting provisional licences to some newly established private universities in Abuja.

Rasheed also noted that, despite the high demand for tertiary education, it is grossly inadequate compared to the number of institutions. Rasheed also charged the proprietors of the newly established universities to ensure that the motive for creating the universities was not for money but for a higher and nobler goal.

”In establishing universities, you don’t expect to get financial rewards. If your main motive is to make money, then you are in the wrong place. You are here to pay back to humanity.

”The establishment of private universities is in dire need of passion from people so that passion should drive you,” he added.

While charging the proprietors of quality assurance in the universities, the NUC boss assured them of the commission’s support and cooperation to grow the university system.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, said the Federal Government was committed to public-private partnerships, especially in the education sector, which gave rise to the new universities.

Adejo said this was in a bid to increase access to the university education system.

According to him, the gross total enrollment ratio stands at 12 percent so there is a gap between demand and supply, and as long as this gap exists, the government will continue to welcome proposals for university’s enrollment by credible groups.

JUNE 12, 2023

BY  Ifeoma Okeke

Hadi Sirika, former minister of aviation says the controversial launch of Nigeria Air and the aircraft used for the launch was part of the marketing strategies Ethiopian Airlines deployed to showcase the airline.

Sirika who had disclosed this on Arise TV/Thisdaylive on Sunday said Ethiopian Airlines which owns 49 percent of the airline shares did not want to wait till they are issued Airline Operating Certificate (AOC) before the launch of the airline takes place.

He said aircraft used for the launch and the decision to carry out the launch a day before the handover was solely the decision of the owners of the airline, especially Ethiopian Airlines.

He explained that Nigeria Air is 95 percent private sector driven with 49 percent shares owned by Ethiopian Airlines, 15 percent owned by SAHCO, 31 percent owned by others and just five percent owned by the federal government.

He said if the new government decides that it is no longer interested in running the airline, that will just be five percent, 95 percent of the airline will continue.

He said there is no stopping of the national carrier, adding that if any shareholder decides to pull out, others will continue.

He said Ethiopian Airlines will be investing 49 percent of 200 million dollars into the project as the main investor.

“The Unveiling of Nigeria Air was done by the owners of the airline and not the federal government. The owners led by Ethiopian Airlines will be ready to fly when the AOC is ready. The unveiling of Nigeria Air was just to showcase the brand,” Sirika said.

He said Ethiopian Airlines is permitted by law to operate into Nigeria as scheduled flight, chartered flight or cargo flight.

The former minister said Ethiopian Airlines chose to operate Nigeria Air as charted flight and government did not pay any money for them to bring in the aircraft or brand the aircraft.

“Government did not pay any money for Ethiopian Airlines to bring in the aircraft. It is the airline’s marketing strategy as a partner. No penny was paid to Ethiopian airlines. There is no iota of truth in reports indicating that federal government paid money to bring in the aircraft.

“Ethiopian Airlines took back the aircraft after the unveil since the AOC is not ready. Ethiopian Airlines are masters at the game. They will not keep an aircraft on ground to be accumulating debts. So, when the AOC is ready, the airline would be ready to fly,” Sirika explained.

Speaking on the court issue with Airline Operators of Nigeria, (AON), Sirika said he is aware there is a court order and a motion to vacate the court order.

He said there were plans that when Nigeria Air starts to operate, it would be given tax incentives in a bid to contribute maximally to the country’s Gross Domestic Product but this has been reviewed and there would no longer be any tax incentive given to the airline and the airline will be treated like every other airline.

On not carrying stakeholders along in the project, Sirika said this was not true as the airline was advertised during the documentation stage and airline operators participated in business conferences on airline.

“People bided and even asked for extension of time and some people won. We held six stakeholders meeting where we discussed Nigeria Air project. We discussed our business case. The bidding was transparently carried out. Every single stakeholder was carried along in the process,” he said.

Sirika during the live interview hinted that the against data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Compilation of Budgetary Allocations alleging that N85 billion was spent on the national carrier in eight years, he said less than three billion has been spent so far.

“Between 2016 to 2023, all the money that was approved was five billion naira and only three billion naira was released and not all has been spent. The money spent so far was spent on transaction advisory, salaries, office in Abuja, consultancy and Air Operating Certificate (AOC) processes,” he said.

JUNE 12, 2023

BY ONCHE ODEH

On July 18, 1964 history was made in Nigeria as Miss Theresia Chidiac of No 16A, Manchester Road in Kano became the first

foreigner ever to be conferred with Nigerian Citizenship by the then Ministry of Internal Affairs. Miss Chidiac could be described as the guinea pig used to activate Section 7 (1) of the 1963 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states: “Every person who, having been born in the former colony or protectorate of Nigeria, was on the thirtieth day of September, 1960, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies or a British protected person shall become a citizen of Nigeria on the first day of October, 1960.”

The proviso to this eligibility condition is, however, that such a person shall not become a citizen of Nigeria by virtue of this subjection if neither of his parents nor any of his grandparents was born in the former colony or Protectorate of Nigeria.

The essence of providing opportunities for foreigners to take up Nigerian citizenship, as re-echoed by successive governments that have offered such over time is to move Nigeria into the league of top-performing economies by attracting foreigners in the mould of investors, resourceful individuals and talented people with boundless energy quotient into the country.

Currently, a foreigner can acquire Nige- rian citizenship either by birth, registration or naturalisation. Acquiring Nigerian citizenship by birth as enshrined in Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution entails that individuals that are born in the territory of Nigeria after October 1, 1960 that have at least a parent or grandparent who belongs or be- longed to a community indigenous to the geographical location known as Nigeria. This means that you must have blood ties to Nigeria.

Nigerian citizenship by registration, as captured under Section 26 of the Nigerian Constitution can be granted to a woman who is married to a man from Nigeria. The Constitution does not state the same for a man who is married to a woman from Nigeria. However, a foreigner can be granted Nigerian citizenship by naturalisation as stated under Section 27 of the Constitution if, among other criteria, the person have lived in Nigeria continuously for a period of 15 years preceding the application date.

The following Section (28) of the Constitution, however, makes it clear that a person who intends to acquire Nigerian citizenship by registration or by naturalisation must first renounce citizenship of other countries they may have acquired previously, except citizenship of a country acquired by birth.

Years down the line, many nationals have been conferred similar status, the latest happening on May 27, two days to the formal inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s President. On the day, 385 foreign national were formally conferred with Nigerian citizenship at an event hosted by the Ministry of Interior in Abuja, 317 of which were by naturalisation and 68 by registration.

All were ad- judged to have met the preliminary requirements for granting the Nigerian Citizenship as set by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS; Department of State Services, DSS; and upon evaluation by the Inter-Ministerial Committee known as Advisory Committee on Nigerian Citizenship, ACNC.

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During the occasion, the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, announced that the ministry had gotten the approval of the Federal Executive Council to execute new pathways to permanent residency for eligible foreign nationals through the issuance of Brown Card. Consequently, he said he was bestowed the power to, among others, execute and clarify existing guidelines to provide permanent residence to foreign nationals who de- sired to invest in Nigeria in line with established guidelines.

Aregbesola made pointed reference to the fact that acquiring Nigerian citizenship is currently unattractive to foreigners because of the 15-year waiting period as a major eligibility criterion. While he is happy that the country conferred citizenship status on the highest number of foreigners under his tenure as Minister of Interior, he said the figures are far too low to be celebrated. Aregbesola may be right, as only 671 foreign nationals have been conferred Nigerian citizenship since 2011.

True as his justification for the introduction of another channel of offering Nigerian citizenship and permanent resident status on foreigners may sound, such a move must be approached with utmost caution such that the introduction of a Brown Card would not amount to creating more problems that may negate the targeted result. Of more concern is the effect that the introduction of such a system of documentation could pose to the already weakened security architecture of the country.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his inaugural speech made it clear that security shall be top priority of his administration. To this effect, he said his government shall reform the country’s security doctrine and its architecture, stressing clearly that improved security interventions under him would go beyond increase in number of personnel and commodities, but targeted investments in better training, equipment, pay and firepower. Such is the approach that one expects to be employed in the management of naturalisation and residency status of foreigners in Nigeria.

Concerns are rife that the introduction of a Brown Card would provide a pathway for fraudulent foreigners who are looking for escape route from the existing systems that keep them in security check. One of the changes that Brown Card seeks to make to the process of acquiring Nigerian citizenship is to re- duce the waiting time of 15 years as part of the eligibility criteria to five years or less in comparison to what obtains in countries like the United States, among others. As a matter of fact, this could only be achieved through a constitutional amendment process, as acknowledged by Aregbesola, in his May 27 speech. What this means is that a Brown Card cannot become a bona fide document until Nigeria’s Constitution is once again amended, which may not occur soon.

Another issue that was raised as part of the reason for pitching the idea of a Brown Card is for it to serve as a means of fast-tracking citizenship for foreign husbands of Nigerian women. This is already being handled under the Special Immigration Status being handled by the Nigeria Immigration Service through its technical partners. Instead of introducing a fresh programme, the existing programme could be strengthened to close up all the loopholes that have been found.

What we may see happen with the introduction of a parallel channel of granting permanent resident status and citizenship to foreigners in Nigeria as proposed is that unscrupulous foreigners and aliens, especially those who evade paying for the services under existing programmes or enter the country for nefarious reasons, would ride on the fact that Nigeria wants to use the brown card to increase the number of foreign nationals with Nigerian citizenship to sneak their ways into the country.

A confirmation to this is already being reported by a civil society organisation under the aegis of Save Nigeria Movement. The group had in a statement by its convener, Reverend Solomon Semaka hinted that some persons masquerading as agents are already making contacts with foreigners in the country for them to pay as much as $ 5,000 with the promise that they would grant them the Brown Card. This portends a bigger drawdown for Nigeria’s image, as the country is currently battling to cleanse itself of the blemishes of corruption and other related crimes, chief among which is the internet fraud popularly known as yahoo-yahoo.

It is also pertinent to note that deploying a parallel programme that competes and possibly conflicts with operational modules of existing ones would water down the security system of the country, which has been grossly compromised by unscrupulous foreign nationals who come into the country with ulterior motives under the guise of investors.

•Odeh, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Abuja