Nigerian Newspapers
FAAN and quest for befitting airports in Nigeria
From Suleiman Idris, Lagos
The transformation agenda of the current administration has recorded varying degree of success in different sectors. One of the areas where the agenda has been quite successful is the aviation sector, with many airports wearing a modern look and air travellers having a positively different experience from what had been their lot in the past, as the airports are better, more beautiful and more efficient.
Although the transformation agenda in the sector has been championed by the Minister, Princess Stella Oduah, the driver of the process is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. George Uriesi, who has brought about many changes in the nation’s airport in just two years.
However, Uriesi’s efforts at changing the face of the aviation industry in the country have not gone unnoticed as he is to be conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award by President Goodluck Jonathan, sequel to the significant improvement he has brought into the management of Nigerian airports since his appointment as the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in October 2011.
The transformation of aviation sector has resulted in a new General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a new GAT at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, a new terminal at the Benin Airport and a re-modelled Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, among others. All of the airports had suffered absolute neglect that had made the execution of their basic functions a Herculean task.
Speaking on the rationale behind re-modelling the airports, Uriesi said many of the facilities at the airports had become obsolete with little or no effort to upgrade them despite the fact that aviation passengers had more than doubled over the years. He added that the airports were contending with severe infrastructure maintenance deficit due to a long-term breakdown in planning.
On the benefit of investing in re-modelling the airports, the FAAN CEO, who said the transformation that had happened in the sector would have been impossible without the immense support of the minister, noted that apart from making them more appealing to the users, it would also increase the revenue generation of the agency. He said by the time all the 22 airports were fully re-modelled, the agency would be earning about N126billion annually as against the N24 billion it currently earned.
According to him, “You take Enugu for example, if Enugu was making N100 a month and FAAN was spending N1000 on it, the net loss was N900. With the re-modelling, the N100 Enugu was making is going to become N800. It may become profitable as an airport simply because of the commercial offerings it has, or at least it may pay off its bills and save FAAN from subsidising it. So, as we replicate all these, the income from every airport is going to go up, in my estimation, by at least 500 percent.”
While assuring that the new facilities in the airports would be properly maintained to ensure their optimisation, Uriesi said, “We are going to set up a score-card in all the directorates of FAAN so as to monitor and appraise our performances. Everybody has a stake in the transformation. If we don’t manage FAAN well, it will go the way of Nigeria Airways. We all need to realise that is what would happen if we are not meeting our financial obligations.”
The re-modelling of the airports is intended to pave the way for aerotropolis, the idea of turning airports to destinations on their own rather than a route to another place with a view to making them an economic hub. This is hinged on the belief that since an airport is a point of convergence for manufacturers, suppliers as well as consumers, it should be provided with the infrastructure that will facilitate aviation related commercial activities within and outside its premises.
“With this, airports are able to create vast business and employment opportunities and have a profound impact on the economy of the area of location. That is what happens in other climes where airports have a business life of their own and offer other services such as luxury boutiques, restaurants, spas and gadget shops, among others.
Speaking on this, Uriesi said, “The way the airports are designed is that they do not give room for non-aeronautical revenue. The present ratio of aeronautical revenue to non-aeronautical is about 80-20; this is not ideal. We are going to offer people more investment opportunities, propping up non-aeronautical revenue. That is, we are going to make more commercial offerings with more investment opportunities, so that we will have a successful business model, and we’ll be less dependent on aeronautical revenue.
However, for those travellers using the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) for international travel have been wondering how the government’s much touted transformation agenda in the airport works. The airport, which has a “re-modeled” international terminal building majestically spread across the apron in bright red colours, has been lying in disuse.
There is equally a domestic terminal named after one of aviation’s towering giants, Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo. After its completion, it lied fallow until the Central Bank of Nigeria, through its corporate social responsibility schemes, came in to furnish its lounges.
Of recent, there have been several outcries by stakeholders, including the Kano Chamber of Commerce that the white elephant standing as the international terminal building be opened to the public for their use. After all, the government that built it said it has finished work on this airport and its attention is now on Lagos, Port Harcourt, and other airports.
In its comment on the issue, the Kano Chambers of Commerce raised a simple question: How can all those airlines desirous of landing in Kano come when the infrastructure and basic facilities for their use are unavailable?
However, in a reaction, the spokesman of the Aviation ministry, Mr. Yakubu Dati, along with some directors in the FAAN have taken turns to accuse the Kano stakeholders and the newspapers that cover their views as engaging in politics of blackmail.
Dati said, “An airport viability and utilisation is dependent on passenger movement” and added that it would be “difficult for economic activities to go on under threats to lives and property”, claiming that their attacks on the project were political:
“Attacks against the project (MAKIA) in some sections of the media are to score cheap political points” as the criticisms stemmed from “ignorance and mischief of some anti-progressive elements”.
He further said: “If the terminal or the airport is alleged to be dormant, it means there is low passenger movement and it is not the responsibility of FAAN or the Ministry of Aviation to attract passengers to the airport”.
While it will be dishonest of anyone to deny that Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria had caused much damage to Kano, it is not right for an official to blame the fortunes of the airport as regards to its non-usage to insecurity. Moreso, when for Kano and much of the North, the worst is now over.
Stakeholders have said that “to blame ‘unseen hands’ for influencing newspaper reports calling for the completion and utilisation of the Kano airport is nothing short of blackmail. They say imagined conspiracies cannot be a substitute for the political will to do things right at first and that it is unpardonable not being able to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate a worthwhile government project.
All things said, this government should take the full benefit of the suffering being visited upon international passengers using the Malam Aminu International Airport.
What Kano people do not lack is entrepreneurial and business skills but without the needed infrastructure, these alone cannot bring about the transformation the government wishes to achieve.
The post FAAN and quest for befitting airports in Nigeria appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.
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Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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