Nigerian Newspapers
Succour at last for air travellers
…As Lagos international airport wears fresh look
By TOPE ADEBOBOYE
For long, they groaned and grumbled, wondering why they should be perpetually subjected to such untold physical and emotional stress.
Hardly could they comprehend why facilities at the nation’s busiest airport should be grossly substandard, a far cry from what obtains in other climes. But now, things are changing for the better. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the federal government has hearkened to the cries of air travellers and is taking quick steps to fix the problems.
Until recently, many were the cries and complaints, emanating from the frustrated souls of millions of passengers, arriving or exiting Nigeria through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Over the years, the airport has been abandoned by successive federal administrations, its structures and facilities left to rot and moulder by those tasked with their maintenance.
Indeed, an experience at the airport could leave a genial, usually good-natured fellow, brimming with a bountiful dose of irritation. Just as you ventured out of the aircraft into the airport, a humid air welcomed you. And right from that moment, your eyes were greeted with the grinding decay.
An aged, decrepit escalator that might just refuse to work; immigration officers with little passion for their jobs; a disorderly, clammy crowd at the baggage area, waiting impatiently for luggage that might take a few hours to arrive; security officers that would always beseech you for a few dollar bills, and trolleys that should have been retired decades back.
These were the memories that reverberated in the mind after a visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. And when you eventually moved out of the facility, an ineffective car hire service and lack of lodging within the airport would compound your woes.
Then a motley crowd of corporate beggars, touts offering assorted services and illegal forex dealers, harassing the newly-arrived traveller, would leave him shaking his head in sheer frustration.
But now, such complaints might not persist for too long. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the federal government, through the Aviation Ministry, is working hard to bring facilities at the airport at par with internationally acceptable standards.
And, according to FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Yakubu Datti, it won’t be long before the airport gets fully transformed. Datti, during an inspection of ongoing work at the international wing of the airport, explained to journalists that a new day is gradually dawning at the facility.
In his words, the current Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, is totally committed to implementing President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda in all the federal airports in the country. Datti informed that all the airports were being remodelled, with several already commissioned. He admitted that ongoing works at the airport would cause some discomfort for the passengers.
“We are appealing for understanding and support of the air travellers and other members of the public using the airport at this time. We have made adequate arrangements that would lessen the pain of passengers, but we are appealing to them to bear with us,” he explained.
“We will be doing much more in the coming weeks at the MMIA to ensure greater comfort for air travellers,” he explained. “Travellers now want an airport where they can feel at home, where they can feel relaxed. They want airports that offer more than check-in-counters and boarding pass. Our airports need to become a destination in itself, a place worthy of stopping off for a while for a little shopping and pampering.
That is the global phenomenon and we have showcased that in the remodelled GAT and other domestic terminals. We are looking forward to an impressive change at Murtala Mohammed International Airports too.”
Even now at the Lagos airport, a long stretch of vehicles seeking to pass through the toll gate is a daily spectacle. Many motorists sweat and swear as they labour to navigate through the gate while paying the toll. But that will soon become a thing of the past, says FAAN.
The organisation asserts that the toll system would, before long, be automated in a bid to ease the pains of the road users. Another major work that would soon commence at the airport, Datti asserted, is the aerotropolis project which entails, among others, the construction of a six-storey car park, a hotel and a shopping centre.
The present car park, affirmed Datti , has become grossly inadequate for the traffic at the MMIA. But passengers would not be left to their fate.
The authorities would put up a temporary car park close to the airport church and mosque while the construction of the aeroplast lasts. “The car park will take between 3000 and 5000 cars when completed and the hotel will have an international conference centre. The initiative is part of the aviation road map driven by the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah,” Datti noted.
“But while we are working on all these things, normal operations would continue at the airport. We cannot afford to shut down operations. Aviation is a global business, and the standards are the same from country to country. We want to be among the best in the world.
That is why the minister is determined to create a world class infrastructure that would ensure comfort and safety to airport users, as part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.” Inside the airport itself, old things are passing away, and many things are becoming new.
For instance, the ‘D’ Wing of the airport, which has been abandoned for long, and the ‘E’ Wing, are being expanded and rebuilt, with several new facilities being added. When on-going works at the ‘D’ Wing and ‘E’ Wing are completed, shopping outlets, eateries, pharmacies, banking halls, bureau-de-change operations and many other innovations would have been put in place.
“We are not just thinking of providing the best comfort for the travellers, we are also thinking of boosting the economy through the airport. We don’t just want you to pass through the airport, we want you to relax, do some shopping, have some meal, and so on. We want you to spend some money at the airport so that we also boost the nation’s economy even through the airport,” Datti said. The ‘D’ Wing, the reporter was told, is currently being equipped with an arrival hall that would have about 40 counters.
The counters would ensure that more immigration officers and personnel of other security agencies, including the State Security Service (SSS) are deployed in the arrival hall for a faster and more efficient clearance of passengers. At the ‘E’ Wing, a set of three new carousels has been installed, just like the ‘D’ Wing is also being similarly equipped.
With the installation, it is farewell to endless wait for luggage at the airport. Mr. Sanya Noah, FAAN’s Head of Engineering said passengers’ luggage would now be loaded directly from the aircraft onto the fast-moving carousels.
Until now, the baggage travels about 120 metres before getting to the carousel. He said with the new regime, the luggage won’t take longer than three minutes from the aircraft to the carousel. He also explained that each conveyor belt can handle two aircraft at a time. What that means is that the three conveyor belts can handle six planes at a time.
No longer will angry passengers, tired and spent after a long flight, would be made to linger by the carousel for hours on end, frantically searching for his luggage. “With the new arrangement, before a passenger is through with the immigration, the luggage is already waiting,” Datti further explained. But that is not all. Construction work is also ongoing at the new routes now designated for departing passengers. The new departure lounge formerly housed the air conditioner service hall.
A 19-room hotel will be put in place for transit passengers at the upper floor of the departure lounge, it was learnt. But you cannot but wonder that, with the irregular power system in the country, wouldn’t all these initiatives become frustrated at the end of the day? Datti affirms otherwise.
He explained that six giant power-generating sets, each with a 4, 850 KVA capacity, have been procured to ensure that electricity remains constant at the airport.
The existing generators, installed in 1979, are being retired. Datti also explained that passengers departing Nigeria through the Lagos airport will no longer use the same route as passengers arriving into the country. “We want to ensure there is no rowdiness and we also take into account security issues. There are now two departure areas located at the top level with provision for escalator and ramp.
“All these works will definitely put some pressure on the passengers, but we are appealing to them to exercise some patience. We are determined to bring utmost comfort to all airport users. And we will not rest until we have achieved that.”
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•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
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
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
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
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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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