Travel News

BY  Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha 

Mesfin Tasew, the group chief executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines, has said that the East African carrier never had any plan to set up an airline in Nigeria but was invited by the Federal Government to partner with it to establish a national carrier – Nigeria Air.

Tasew, who spoke to select journalists from Nigeria in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, disclosed that because of the pedigree of Ethiopian Airlines, it was invited by the Nigerian government to help it set up a national carrier in a partnership arrangement and because of the airline’s engagements, it at first resisted the invitation but later agreed due to long relationship it has with Nigeria.

But while Ethiopian Airlines and the Nigerian government were preparing the shareholding, it received a message that some companies and airlines in Nigeria were defaming Ethiopian Airlines and the Federal Government, and had gone to court and obtained a court order to stop the establishment of Nigeria Air. This prompted Ethiopian Airlines to want to withdraw, but the Nigerian government insisted that it should continue the process of establishing the national carrier for the most populous nation in Africa.

The Ethiopian Airlines group CEO further said that until now, the airline has not decided whether to continue the process to establish Nigeria Air but the Federal Government said it should continue with the groundwork until the court vacated the order and some concerns addressed. He noted, however, that the airline was not cancelling the project.

Tasew emphasised that Nigeria Air was already established before Ethiopian Airlines was invited to partner with it. He also noted that Nigerians would benefit hugely from the national carrier if eventually established because the Nigeria government said that the country did not have dependable airlines in the domestic and international market.

This, he said, has led to foreign airlines charging high fares on the Nigerian route and exploiting Nigerian travellers; so, the government wanted strong, dependable airline with capacity.

BY Chinedu Eze 

There were excitement and optimism on Thursday night at the new terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos when Uganda Airlines inaugural flight touched down to mark the beginning of direct flight between Nigeria and East African nation.

The elated delegation from Uganda said direct flight between both countries would deepen economic ties and social relationship between the two countries.

Direct flight from Uganda to Nigeria is three and half hours, but in the past anyone travelling from Nigeria to Uganda would have to connect flight from another country, which took about 10 hours, a factor that discouraged robust economic interaction between the two nations.

Speaking during a press conference in Lagos on arrival, the Chief Executive Officer, Uganda Airlines, Jennifer Bamuturaki, said the flight service would be three times a week and would cut travel time from 10 hours to three and half hours.

She stated that the launch of flight services to Lagos by Uganda’s national carrier would help to close the gap for travellers shuttling to the West and East African countries.

Also speaking, the Uganda High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Nelson Ocherger, expressed joy over the inaugural flight of Uganda Airlines to Lagos, saying the approval by the Nigerian government would open a vista of business opportunities to both nations.

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another to settle in a new location. Migration can be voluntary or involuntary and can occur for a variety of different reasons, including economic, environmental and social issues.

Nowadays, many Nigerians decide to migrate to have a better life. A survey by a consulting firm shows that 52 percent of Nigerian professionals are planning to move abroad to countries like United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Canada and the United States.

With half of Nigerian elites seeking to migrate, here are some of the motivating reasons:

For Better Economic conditions

BY  Iheanyi Nwachukwu

Stanley Tobechukwu (not real name) was to attend a global event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After going through the hassle of getting his business travel document (visa) into the UAE, he could not find a direct flight from Nigeria to join his other 1,800 start-up owners from over 100 countries to woo investors.

The cheaper options the Lagos-based tech founder had were to fly to Accra in Ghana, and then to Dubai; to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Dubai; or to Addis Ababa, before he heads to Dubai.

He could also have gone to Dubai through Cairo, Egypt.

Tobechukwu, who finally chose to go through Accra, did not envisage the struggles and transit time while making a connecting flight.

It takes an average of seven hours to take direct flight from Nigeria to Dubai and between 12 hours and 20 hours to connect flights to Dubai, depending on the airline and waiting hours before making a connecting flight.

Apart from the time Nigerian travellers spend while making connecting flights abroad to their destinations, there are also other challenges.

He said: “When I arrived at Kotoka International Airport Accra, before transiting to my final destination, the airport officials were insisting I produce yellow fever vaccination card at the main points of exit where I was to pick my luggage. Guess what! The yellow fever vaccination card costs $150 at Kotoka International Airport Accra. At Kotoka airport, there are also louts reaping off the innocent travellers.

“The cheapest flight ticket to Accra comes at $186 or $376 for return. This is in addition to the transit time at the airport where passengers have no option than to patronise the businesses at the airport within the transit time ranging from 3 hours to 7 hours. Note that at the Lagos Airport, the airline (African World Airline) had advised transit passengers to pick up their luggage at the Kotoka International Airport Accra.”

Like Tobechukwu, other travellers who decide to connect flights to Dubai through Istanbul in recent times have discovered that their passports no longer allow them to obtain a Turkish e-visa.

Several countries have stopped granting holders of Nigerian passport visas on arrival or e-visas, making travel options difficult for tourists and travellers from Nigeria.

Last year, Ethiopia, which some Nigerians pass through to get to various destinations including Dubai, stopped issuing visa-on-arrival to Nigerian citizens.

“The last time I tried to travel through Istanbul to Dubai, I was very surprised to discover my passport no longer allows me to obtain a Turkish e-visa. I had to travel back to Nigeria and cancel the business trip I had to Dubai. It was a traumatic experience for me,” Uche Maxwell, a business traveller, told BusinessDay.

Nigerians had expressed excitement when the Federal Government recently said talks were at the very top level to lift the visa ban on Nigerians and ensure the resumption of direct flights to UAE. They are still awaiting these to materialise.

The UAE had imposed the visa ban on Nigerians in connection with a number of diplomatic disputes. Dubai’s Emirates also suspended flight operations to Nigeria over its inability to repatriate funds.

“While the visa ban continues, a few Nigerians still get visas to Dubai, especially those travelling for business purpose or those attending conferences for few days. The visa ban really affects those travelling for vacation or tourism and these constitute over 80 percent of travellers to Dubai,” Chika said.

She said the few people being granted visas to UAE have to pay more to connect flights and also face challenges accessing visas and yellow cards to countries to pass through connecting routes.

The UAE has discontinued the issuance of three-month visit visas. Visitors to the UAE now opt for either 30-day or 60-day visas.

According to travel agents, Nigerians love to travel and Dubai continues to be one of the top destinations visited by Nigerians for summer, holidays, medical and recreational tourism and to see family and friends.

According to the latest inbound tourism data for Dubai, 144,000 Nigerians visited the Emirate between January and August 2019, marking a year-on-year rise of 33 percent and making Nigeria Dubai’s fastest-growing visitor source market that year.

Travel experts say this number must have doubled after airlines increased flights and frequencies to the UAE.

Susan Akporiaye, president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, said travel agents and tour operators are eager to sell tickets to Dubai again.

“Travel agents and tour operators have expectations that these airlines sell the lower fares but if that is not the case, then selling Dubai will be too expensive for clients to afford,” she said.

Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, Etihad, Rwanda and Air Peace fly directly or connect passengers to Dubai.

BusinessDay’s findings show that before the ban, Emirates operated a daily return flight from Dubai to Lagos and Abuja, processing an average of 600 arriving passengers and 600 departing passengers on Lagos and Abuja routes.

Seyi Adewale, chief executive officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, said Nigerians spend a lot of money in Dubai.

He said: “Dubai is also a transit point for thousands of travellers from Nigeria weekly but there are alternatives for Nigerians as they can transit from Addis Ababa, Egypt, Kenya and other African destinations to Europe and United States.

“Nigerians who were affected by the visa ban were the rich who always love to shop in Dubai, and the political juggernauts who hold frequent meetings in Dubai.”

(Bloomberg) -- British Airways’ long-haul and business-class flying will take years to return to pre-Covid levels, after the UK’s flagship carrier retired some of its biggest jetliners during the pandemic. 

BA is also falling behind because corporate travel is taking longer to recover than other segments, Chief Executive Officer Sean Doyle said Friday. The airline relies on corporate customers to fill planes on transatlantic routes — the most profitable in aviation. 

Historically, business travelers make up a higher percentage of the North Atlantic trade than on routes to the South Atlantic or Asia Pacific regions, Doyle said on a conference call after parent IAG SA reported third-quarter results. “With BA’s weighting towards that market, I think that probably explains the slower recovery.”

BA won’t reach its full pre-Covid capacity for long-haul services until 2025, and for business class until 2026, said IAG CEO Luis Gallego. The other airlines in the group will reach those levels by year-end, he said. 

IAG shares slipped 0.6% as of 4:01 p.m. in London, after the group reported record third quarter earnings but sounded a note of caution on geopolitical risks going forward. 

Read more: Airlines Caution Israel-Hamas War Clouds Travel Outlook

Overall, BA operated at 89.6% of 2019 capacity in the first nine months of the year, IAG said in a statement. That compares with 100.9% for Iberia, 106.2% for Vueling and 103.4% for Aer Lingus. 

BA retired all 31 of its 747s jumbo jets during the pandemic, but now faces a long wait for replacement aircraft because the 777X jets on order from Boeing Co. are delayed. With travel returning faster than expected, the airline now faces a mismatch between the level of demand and available aircraft. 

Bloomberg reported this month that IAG is in discussions with Boeing and Airbus SE for a potential widebody order, with some jets destined to replace older 777s at BA. 

BA’s business class capacity is down around 11% this year, Doyle said. The airline is flying less to Asia, meaning shorter trips as it does more Middle East and North Atlantic flying. BA has yet to resume flying direct to Asian cities like Bangkok and Osaka.

The airline said it has also seen a reduction in day trips out of London. That sector is slower to recover, Doyle said. 

(Adds shares in fifth paragraph.)

Mike Cohen and Paul Vecchiatto, Bloomberg News

Patricia De Lille. , Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s tourism minister is pushing for visa requirements to be eased or waived for Chinese and Indian nationals to boost visitor numbers from the world’s most populous nations. 

“Visas are a problem,” Patricia de Lille, who was appointed to her post in March, said in an interview in Bloomberg’s Cape Town office on Thursday. “I see my role as dealing with regulations, the visa issues, regulations around tour operating licenses and then, air access, getting more flights to come to South Africa.”

The government has identified the development of the tourism industry as key to reducing a 33% unemployment rate, but has long faced criticism that it makes it too difficult to enter the country. 

The visa system is overseen by Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, who acknowledges its deficiencies, but complains that he lacks the staff and budget to fix it. An online visa system that’s available in about 34 countries doesn’t work properly and while some qualification requirements have been dropped, including the submission of bank statements, security screening continues to result in delays. 

De Lille was tasked with attracting at least 10 million visitors in the year through March, the same as before the global pandemic struck, and is targeting 15 million by 2030. That’s down from a previous goal of 21 million, a revision necessitated by changing global travel patterns.  

De Lille said she intends to meet with Motsoaledi ahead of a visit to Beijing next month to discuss whether visas can be waived for Chinese and Indian visitors for limited-duration stays, a concession already extended to those from Brazil, Russia, the US and UK. 

The US, UK and Germany account for the largest number of non-African visitors to South Africa, but arrivals from China and India are surging and can rise further if visa rules are eased, the minister said.

“It’s work in progress, but you have to consider the mandate” of other government departments and ministries in dealing with the visa issue, she said. 

Safety Measures

De Lille’s department is also working to ensure visitors remain safe following a series of attacks that have scarred the country’s international reputation. It has allocated 174 million rand ($9.2 million) to train 2,300 safety monitors, who will be deployed from December to help secure 59 key locations, including national parks and airports.  

The tourism industry has meanwhile invested in a mobile-phone application that will enable visitors to summon help from private security companies and the police at the push of a button if they are attacked. Companies are also helping patrol roads leading to the Kruger National Park, the country’s biggest wildlife reserve, because the police don’t have the capacity.  

“Let me assure you that 99% of tourists that come to South Africa go back home safely,” De Lille said. “You can never really stop these crooks, they are always one step ahead of you, so it’s best to warn people” which areas to avoid and ensure they are well informed about potential dangers, she said.  

De Lille heads the Good party, and is the only opposition leader in the cabinet. While she said she serves at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pleasure, she’s willing to be reappointed after next year’s election if asked. 

She declined to say whether her party would consider entering into an alliance with the ruling African National Congress should its support drop below 50%, as some polls suggest, saying a decision will likely only be taken after the vote.  

--With assistance from Jacqueline Simmons.

By Abdullateef Aliyu

A recent visit to the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was a beehive of activities with thousands of Nigerians leaving the country. From findings, majority of them were going with a one-way ticket, which means that they have no intention of coming back soon, if at all they would return.

This is the reality of the moment as the japa syndrome that has hit the country’s fabric has continued unabated, with thousands of Nigerians leaving the country on a daily basis in search of what is usually known as the greener pastures in Europe, America and other countries, where they believe there are opportunities.

The founder of a medical facility in Lagos recently complained how he lost virtually all his personnel (doctors and nurses) to the Japa syndrome, leaving him virtually stranded and unable to cope with the number of patients trooping to his clinic. This is the case in other sectors as citizens flee the country while the country’s human resource is badly depleted.

In the first half of 2023, the United Kingdom, which is unarguably the first country of destination by many Nigerians, especially those going for further studies with their dependents, said it issued some 132,000 visas to Nigerians.

According to Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, “In the first half of the year we granted approximately 132,000 visas, which include visit, work and study.

“In the previous full year before that, we issued about 324,000. In that year, the United Kingdom issued about three million visas, and of the number, 324,000 were issued to Nigerians, which is about 10 per cent.”

Apart from the United Kingdom, those going on irregular migration through the Sahara desert are also in thousands despite the risk involved as shown in the figure of evacuation. In the first half of 2023, no fewer than 4,000 Nigerians were stranded in different countries, especially the Middle East and were evacuated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in different exercises.

The IOM, through its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme, also repatriated over 3,000 Nigerians from Libya alone in 2023, with majority of the returnees languishing in Libyan detention camps before the help of the IOM came. They were arrested after failed attempts to cross to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea.

While this migration, whether regularly or irregularly, otherwise known as Japa, has continued, some foreigners are not seeing an entirely hopeless situation in Nigeria as many of them also troop to the country on a daily basis for businesses.

In most cases, they are filling vacancies in management and technical positions, especially where the expertise is lacking in Nigeria. But many Nigerians have also raised questions about the abuse of expatriate quota.

Daily Trust on Sunday reports that expatriate quota policy enables foreign companies to recruit foreign employees to work legitimately in Nigeria.

“In Nigeria, we have about 60,000 Indians who have made Nigeria their home for the last three to four decades. There are more than 135 Indian companies manufacturing and working here in Nigeria for the past three to four decades, just to mention a little more about Indians in Nigeria,” the Higher Commissioner said in an interview earlier this year.

Recently, there was a report alleging that Dangote Refinery neglected Nigerians and other African youths and employed more foreigners, especially Indians and Chinese, to build the complex.

Refuting the report, the management of the refinery clarified that over 30,000 Nigerians were employed while 11,000 foreigners worked on the site.

In justifying the large presence of foreigners at the site, the spokesperson of Dangote, Anthony Chiejina, explained that the magnitude of the project required a specialised skilled workforce from all over the world. He said over 30,000 Nigerians were engaged among the skilled workforce at the peak of construction in the refinery complex. He added that they were engaged along with 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese workers.

With the growing Indian and Chinese companies, job opportunities for foreigners have grown, especially in areas where their technical skills are required.

Visas-on-arrival doubled

Checks by our correspondent revealed that the number of visas-on- arrival (VoA) issued at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos has doubled since the policy was implemented in line with the ease of doing business policy of the federal government.

From 38,000 VoAs issued at the busiest airport alone in 2018, the number grew to 53,644 in 2022. While efforts to get this year’s figure were futile as the immigration declined to release it, our correspondent learnt that more people are coming into the country for businesses.

The Nigeria Immigration Service also introduced the Business Trust Visa to enhance foreign investments in Nigeria and eliminate concerns about fraudulent business partners.

It was gathered that with more foreigners showing interest in investing in Nigeria, the Business Trust Visa was designed to facilitate businesses by foreigners. According to a recent data, the number of foreigners in Nigeria as at 2020 stood at 1.3m with more trooping to the country.

Opportunities abound in Nigeria – Foreigners

Some foreigners who spoke with our correspondent said opportunities still abounded in Nigeria despite the Japa syndrome.

An Indian who has made Nigeria his home said there were opportunities for the people to explore, especially in the technology and start-up ecosystem.

The Indian businessman, Anil Rai, who resides at Ilupeju, Lagos said, “Nigeria is known for having many different cultures and lots of good things to offer. One important thing is that there are various opportunities for both people and the environment. People in Nigeria are friendly to one another and show a lot of respect to their bosses at work. They are also eager to learn new things and use new technology.

“Nigeria offers numerous avenues for business, entrepreneurship and investment. With a substantial and expanding population, it stands as one of Africa’s largest consumer markets, providing prospects across multiple industries.

“The tech and start-up landscape in cities such as Lagos is thriving, attracting an increasing number of tech innovators and investors keen on the African market. Additionally, Nigeria’s demand for infrastructure enhancement, encompassing roads, transportation and energy creates attractive investment opportunities.

“In my view, therefore, Nigeria is in a phase of development and is shifting towards enhancing its core sectors like manufacturing that would help the country grow.

“Nigerians have a reputation for their genuine warmth and hospitality, frequently extending a heartfelt welcome to guests and making concerted efforts to ensure their comfort and sense of belonging.

“Nigeria boasts of a dynamic music and entertainment sector, with genres like Afrobeat gaining global acclaim. Nigerians frequently exhibit a deep enthusiasm for music, dance and entertainment.”

The consul-general of Netherlands in Lagos, Michel Deelen, has been in Nigeria for over 15 years. He believes there are opportunities in the country but the youths must be galvanised through training and skills development to be able to harness them.

He made reference to the recent close-out event for the Work in Progress (WiP) project, which supported 120 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and 138 start-ups in Nigeria.

The project, implemented by Oxfam, is aimed at improving the economic prospects of young people in Nigeria, Egypt and Somalia by building their skills to find a job and stimulate entrepreneurship.

Since 2016 when the project started in three states – Lagos, Nasarawa and Edo – no fewer than 3,135 young women and men have been trained, while 60 per cent of them were linked with employment opportunities.

In a chat with Daily Trust on Sunday, the Netherlands envoy said when there were opportunities and deliberate efforts to improve the economy and tackle the challenges of inflation, high interest rate and unemployment that come with it, Nigerians would want to stay back.

He said, “There is a huge young Nigerian population looking for jobs or how to set up businesses. Every country needs to invest in human capital because it builds your future. We are looking at the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. You need to invest in that to ensure that the quality of people you have got to run your country and enterprises is actually good. That is a matter of education, but it can also be a matter of this specific tailor made training (the WiP programme). It is a combination; you go to school, learn, do extra training and learn more.

“Seventy per cent of Nigerians can be defined as youths. Those are a huge group, and there are lots of potentials in them. If you are a Nigerian man or woman, you want to do something positive. You want to get a job and take care of your family, and for that, you need revenue. So, if there are no jobs and training, you might end up in the streets, and that is what nobody wants.”

How to reduce the Japa syndrome

On the Japa syndrome, he said that while there are opportunities in Nigeria, there are also challenges.

“The problem is the economic situation, interest rate and inflation. When I talk to people who actually engage in the Japa syndrome, they talk about their children, the education system in the country and other practical things. There are lots of elements but that is up to the new Nigerian government to make sure that these things are tweaked and the economy would be growing again.”

He said if the economy of Nigeria grew, jobs would be created and the Japa syndrome would reduce.

A foremost human resource practitioner, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, also said the seeming hopelessness in Nigeria was driving out the youth in search of greener pastures, and warned this is depleting the country’s human resource base. He said one of the best ways to retain the country’s human resources was for political leaders to change their mindset from materialism.

He said the professionals would find it hard to remain in the country when they see the kind of humongous salaries and allowances by political leaders.

“I always wonder why our political class would get to the system and continue to do what would be inimical to the progress and economic survival of the country. For example, if we have money that could cover about 30 projects and we decide to give the jobs to those we know, not those who have the ability to deliver but those who would give kickbacks, the contracts would be more than doubled and the kickback would come back to those who have given the contracts and the country would suffer for it,” he said.

The fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) said that corruption, which has eaten deep into the country’s ecosystem, made it extremely difficult for professionals to earn decent wages, while politicians live in opulence.

“There should be a holistic anti-corruption crusade that would ensure that those who are guilty of corruption are greatly punished. I can tell you that our laws are too weak to deal with corruption.

“In Nigeria today, Japa will continue as long as those in public offices are looting the treasury and the law is permitting them to walk freely through plea bargaining. Anybody that steals up to N100 million, if he is in the detention of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission  (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the court of law, by the time he is able to release N30m, they would write that he could go. As long as corruption festers in Nigeria, Japa will continue, except the government has the political will to tackle it,” he said.

He said corruption and uneven distribution of resources had put a lot of Nigerians in a hopeless situation and asked the present administration to address the challenges.

“Yes, politicians are living large because they are the best paid, from councillors to the president, and citizens of the country are suffering. Those in public offices, especially in the National Assembly, are overpaid, though they denied it. But you all know that the denial is not correct. It is true that their salary is not up to N2m or N3m, but it is a fact that 11 other allowances have been worked to their advantage,” he added.

An activist, Comrade Achike Jude, also said the Japa syndrome in Nigeria was essentially about economic migration.

According to him, there is a lot of hopelessness in Nigeria and “that is why it is not only the young people that are leaving, even people who are established in their professions and businesses leave.”

He said, “People coming into Nigeria are from Niger, and they are coming to beg, not for opportunities.

“If you are talking of foreigners that are coming here to do business or invest, definitely there is business in societies that are prone to conflict, poverty and the rest. Depending on the nature of their businesses, once they feel that there is an enabling environment for them, they would naturally come here to create wealth. That is not to say that Nigeria’s environment is generally conducive for manufacturing and businesses from abroad. It is not.”

How foreigners are navigating the business environment – Expert

The Lagos State chairman of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Prof Aadebayo Adams, said the local environment was not conducive for investment, noting that the foreigners are not also finding it easy to operate.

He said that insecurity, high cost of energy, multiple taxation were some of the challenges facing businesses operating in Nigeria.

According to him, many Nigerians, especially the youth, would continue to leave the country in search of greener pastures because the opportunities are not there for them to excel.

He said the few entrepreneurs in the country were being frustrated by lack of patronage.

He said, “The environment isn’t conducive for investment. Anywhere you are and there is security threat, the business will not thrive. Our ease of doing business ranking is going down. We are going backward now and that is bad. We are supposed to be moving forward.

“You see the expatriates coming into the country using security operatives to move around. All this is added into the prices of whatever they are producing. When you are also being given unnecessary taxes, your business will not grow.

“The cost of energy to run your factory is humongous. Government should look into this by creating an enabling environment. Let there be energy to assist the manufacturers.

“The environment also affects the foreigners, but let me tell you how they are doing it. You see policemen in their offices and other logistics. So government needs to encourage the patronage of made in Nigeria products to provide opportunities for our citizens to remain in the country. Also, we must eliminate multiple taxation and make the roads motorable because our roads are bad.”

By Abdullateef Aliyu

Ethiopian Airlines has finally broken its silence over its involvement in the controversial Nigeria Air project launched by the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The largest airline in Africa through its Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mesfin Tasew disclosed that the airline was almost withdrawing from the deal but it was prevailed upon by the federal government.

This was in spite of the pending court case instituted by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), which had got an injunction stopping the project.

Former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had floated the airline on May 27, which did not see the light of the day as it was later discovered that an aircraft belonging to ET was used to conduct a demonstration flight against the dictate of the process for the establishment of a new airline.

But in an interview with some Nigerian journalists in Addis Ababa with the transcript sent to our correspondent, the Airline’s CEO stated that the East African carrier never had any plan to set up an airline in Nigeria but was invited by the federal government to partner with it to establish a national carrier, Nigeria Air.

By Biodun Busari

The Canadian Government is billed to announce its annual immigration plan on Wednesday in non-election years under the Immigration and Refugees Protection Act (IRPA), which is Canada’s main immigration law.

This was disclosed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on its website adding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will announce the Immigration Levels Plan for 2024 – 2026.

According to CIC news, the Immigration Levels Plan acts as the guideline for the number of new permanent residents who will be admitted into Canada over the next three years under each of the three immigration classes: economic, family, and humanitarian.

The plan advances the mission of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to strengthen Canada’s economy, reunite families and make Canada a safe place for those fleeing oppression or other humanitarian crises.

In 2022, Canada broke the record for new immigrants at 437,000 admissions, as the target for permanent resident admissions in 2023 increased to 465,000.

It said the Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 would be declared following Canada’s unveiling of a new strategy to improve its immigration system. 

The Canadian Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, on Tuesday, acknowledged there were inadequacies in the country’s immigration system as he outlined the pillars of a new approach to modernise the system.

The new strategy, entitled ‘An Immigration System for Canada’s Future’ has three major goals which are to create a more welcoming experience for newcomers, align immigration with labour market needs, and develop a comprehensive and coordinated growth plan.

Furthermore, IRCC is seeking to deliver a more pleasant and user-friendly experience to its clients.

IRCC would like to better align Canada’s immigration policies with its skills and labour strategy.

Also, IRCC would like to develop an integrated plan among all three of Canada’s levels of government to ensure the country can offer adequate housing, health care, and infrastructure to its growing newcomer population.

Japa: Canada unveils three-year immigration levels plan for Nigerians, others

(Bloomberg) -- A hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended Sunday afternoon with the suspect surrendering to authorities and the child he held for almost 18 hours appearing unharmed, according to police. 

The male suspect had barricaded himself in a car on the tarmac Saturday evening after driving through the gates of the airport with his young daughter. 

Preparations are underway for a rapid resumption of flight operations in close coordination with the security forces. Nevertheless, further delays and cancellations should be expected, the airport said. 

The suspect, who was armed, broke through a barrier with his vehicle Saturday and drove onto the airfield. He demanded that he and his four-year-old daughter be flown to Turkey, according to newspaper Bild. Authorities said the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a child abduction.

According to the airport, flight operations were suspended at 20:24 local time on Saturday. The airport reported 61 canceled flights in the morning. 

According to Bild, the hostage-taker drove directly to the airfield and stopped next to a Turkish Airlines passenger plane. The police assume that a custody dispute is behind the hostage-taking.

A total of 139 departures and 147 arrivals with about 34,500 passengers were planned  Sunday at Hamburg Airport, Germany’s fifth largest by passenger traffic.