Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has promised to begin the publication of flights delayed or cancelled by local airlines next week.

“Every week, we will start publishing the list of flights that were delayed or cancelled and the reasons and action taken. We will start publishing them next week. We will name and shame erring airlines,” the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said when he featured as a guest on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

Delayed flights without explanations or compensation have been a bane in the nation’s aviation in the recent past.

The issue lingering through the tenure of past ministers was left unresolved, causing more pain to air travellers already haunted by the exorbitant prices of travel tickets.

But Keyamo speaking during the interview, said the issue was a delicate one and should handled carefully so as not to discourage potential investors.

He added the ministry is ready to enforce laws on the delay and compensation packages for customers as stipulated by international laws.

He said, “I feel the pains of Nigerians who go through the pangs of flight delays. I see a lot of messages on my phone concerning it and it is sad.

“It is difficult and you could see that all my predecessors in office could not address that issue but I am trying to get a reasonable bend on this issue. do you sanction the airlines by closing them down? That would create more chaos because we don’t have enough local airlines. how do you proceed with all of that?

“And that’s why we have to handle it delicately because what we are trying to solve should not be escalated. The most important thing is that the customers must have succour. We must take steps to alleviate that pain.

“There are flight cancellations all over the world but in other climes, they keep to the rules on how to treat customers and refunds. We have to enforce those rules and that’s what we are thinking.

“We’ve engaged a couple of insurance companies to insure passengers and their flight tickets. They will be present at every airport in the country and will swing into action whenever there is a flight delay or cancellation to ensure passengers are not stranded.

“Do not forget that it is a bit more complicated than that and to be honest, sometimes we are complicit. it is not always the fault of the airlines, weather, or bird strikes. It is the responsibility of FAAN to clear those bids because the airlines paid for parking space and utility, so we should make the atmosphere good for them. sometimes it is the lack of jet AI fuel and other times, it is the airlines’ fault.

“And I have instructed starting this year to get a weekly report on all flights delayed or cancelled and the reasons or actions taken.”

Continuing, the minister stated that there is no going back on the relocation of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the movement of the FAAN headquarters would save the government and the people of Nigeria half a billion naira wasted on air tickets by officials of the Authority who have to commute from Lagos to Abuja and back.

Keyamo said the whole issue was compounded by the fact that FAAN is not yet digitalised and so, in one year, they spend half a billion naira on flight tickets between Lagos and Abuja alone.

“You see them flying every day to and fro Abuja to get one file signed. They fly every day back and forth. In one year, they spent close to half a billion naira on flight tickets. N450m on flight tickets alone,” he said.

The Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme is yet to commence despite the assurance of the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu that the January take-off date will be achieved.

Leading reporters recalls that the minister who briefed State House Correspondents two weeks ago after the first Federal Executive Council meeting for 2024, had stated that the website for application was almost done and will be open for students soon.

“January is a reality. Already, the website is almost done. Application for beneficiaries is going to be online, and you can access your loan within 30 days,” he had said.

However, the website for the scheme is yet to be opened to Nigerian students who are eagerly waiting to apply for the loan.

President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Student Loan bill into law last year. The Act allows Nigerian students in tertiary institutions to access interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

However, President Bola Tinubu recently instructed the management of NELFUND to expand its focus area to Nigerian students interested in skills development programme.

“I am not sure if expanding this scheme to cover skill development was part of the current Act but if the Federal Government feels this scheme should cover other parts of education and not just tertiary education, then this will have to be effected and amended in the Act.

“They will have to propose this amendment and we will look at it and see how it fit in the overall objective of the student loan scheme.

“The Student Loan Act says tertiary education, skill acquisition is not a tertiary education so if we are extending this scheme to look at skill acquisition, then we might have to look at how to completely rewrite or re-do the Act.

“As it is currently written, I don’t think it is a bad idea but I think that we have to look at it holistically so that we don’t just throw in policies and ideas that may be at variance at what the student loan scheme hopes to achieve,” he said.

Ugbor however stated that arrangements are being made for the scheme to take off in March after some amendments have been made.

The Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says the Nigerian Government spends N1 billion on Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) and air tickets for Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, officers who travel back and forth from Abuja to Lagos, annually.

Keyamo disclosed this on Thursday in a statement clarifying his ‘N500 million FAAN workers’ DTA’ comment on Channels Television.

According to him, in 2023, FAAN workers spent N493,678,620.37 on DTA and N451,058,950.09 for air tickets.

“When I did my Channels TV interview yesterday, I was not briefed about the amount FAAN spent last year alone on DTA (Duty Tour Allowance) for the principal officers who travelled back and forth from Lagos to Abuja almost daily.

“The amount came up to N493,678,620.37. Aside from the air tickets, which I mentioned amounted to N451,058,950.09.

“So, in total, because of insistence on naming Abuja as the headquarters of FAAN (when there are no offices in Abuja to accommodate all the principal officers), FAAN spent close to N1 billion in one year,” he said.

Some heavily armed men have kidnapped Aondo Ver, a director at Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Abuja, in the wee hours of Thursday, February 1.

The incident occurred around 12:30am at Pambara New Extension, a stone throw from a military camp and checkpoint in Bwari Central Area of the FCT.

The kidnappers were said to have gained access through the fence after cutting the barb wires.

Details shortly…

The Abuja chapter of Association of Bureau De Change (BDC) Operators has announced the closure of their business premises indefinitely from Thursday, February 1, 2024.

The chairman of the Association, Abdulahi Dauran, said the scarcity of US Dollars was responsible for their decision while adding that online banking transactions and cryptocurrency were behind of the scarcity of dollars.

Details Later…

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest for Edison Ehie, the chief of staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Justice Emeka Nwite, who issued the arrest warrant, noted the Ehie and five others were allegedly involved in the burning of the State House of Assembly last year.

Ehie, who is the immediate past Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, was ordered to be arrested along with five other persons based in Port Harcourt for allegedly participating in some criminal activities.

Those ordered to be arrested along with the former Speaker are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter also known as Rambo.

Justice Nwite granted an order on Wednesday for their arrest while delivering ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the Inspector General of Police IGP.

The ex-parte application was predicated on sections 37, 113, 114, 84 and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and section 35 of the 1999 Constitution as well as 32 of the Police Act 2020.

In the ex-parte application argued by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Simon Lough, the six defendants were said to be at large.

The DCP who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, submitted that the defendants are involved in conspiracy, arson, terrorism, attempted murder and murder of a Superintendent of Police SP Bako Agbashim and five other police informants.

The five police informants they are alleged to have killed are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu and Saturday Edi.

Justice Nwite granted the request of the IGP to declare the defendants wanted and upon their arrest and investigation, bring them before the court for trial.

The IGP had two weeks ago put five Port Harcourt-based person’s on trial on terrorism charges and were remanded at Kuje Prison upon their arraignment.

They were ordered to remain in prison custody till February 2 when their respective bail applications would be determined by another Judge, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon.

The five defendants are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.

In the 7-count charges, the defendants were accused of committing alleged terrorism offences by invading, vandalizing and burning down Rivers State House of Assembly during the wake of political crisis that rocked Port Harcourt in October last year.

Justice Olajuwon ordered their remand at the Kuje Prison.

Meanwhile, the Port Harcourt Division of the Rivers State High Court has granted an ex-parte order restraining the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies from arresting, detaining, and or harassing Ehie.