The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abuja

  • Wives urged to stop unrealistic demands from husbands

    Female lawyers in Abuja have called on women to resist the temptation to make unrealistic demands compelling their husbands to cut corners.

    They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the manner in which some women rebuked their husbands was largely responsible for the widespread corruption.

    They were speaking on the occasion of the International Women’s Day with the theme: “Be Bold for Change’’.

    A respondent, Ms. Mary Akpa, told NAN that women were the bedrock of the society and could do all within their powers to ensure that their husbands live above board while holding public offices.

    “Basically, women have the task of training the children well to be honest, hard working and humble; they groom these children to be shining examples in the society as future leaders.

    “It is agreed that they need finances to handle this task but some women make demands that drive their husbands out to do all sort of things just to satisfy their needs.

    “This must be discouraged because women are known managers and so they should be able to manage whatever legitimate resources their husbands bring home,’’ she said.

    A lawyer, Mrs Alexis Enumah, advised women to be contented with whatever their husbands offered them for their upkeep.

    “I am not saying the men are corrupt because of women but most often, the men are driven to engage in corrupt practices to impress their wives just to have peace at home.

    “So the women should be contented with what the husband is bringing home and not put undue pressure on him.

    “They must also never compare their home with others bearing in mind these popular saying: ` not all that glitters is gold’ and `the sea weed is always greener in somebody else’s lake”, she said.

    Another lawyer, Florence Nwachukwu, told NAN that women should be bold enough to do the right thing when their children were not doing well in school, rather than “paying their way through the nose’’.

    She expressed displeasure at the attitude of some women ever eager to give bribe or push their husbands to do same, rather than tackling the causes of their children’s poor academic performance.

    Nwachukwu also emphasised the need for women to acquire entrepreneurial skills so as to become self-reliant and employers of labour.

    “I think that one major way we can contribute will be to stop the occurrence of sorting either in cash or kind at every level.

    “Stop sorting lectures to pass exams; stop sorting male executives to get jobs and after getting the job, we must be hardworking and not sort to get to the top,’’ Nwachukwu said.

    She said that the pride and dignity of womanhood were much more valuable than material gains, saying that this year’s theme: “Be Bold for Change’’ is a wake-up call to every woman to take a bold step to be part of change for a better society.

    NAN reports that the International Women’s Day, originally called International Working Women’s Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year.

    It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women as well as a call for gender parity.

  • Man in court over stealing of car worth N2.5m

    A 27-year-old man, Mohammed Bello, was on Wednesday arraigned in a Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly stealing a car worth N2.5million.

    Bello, a civil servant, is facing trial on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and theft.

    He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The judge, Mr Umar Kagarko, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2.5 million and one surety in like sum and adjourned the matter till May 9 for hearing.

    The prosecutor, Mr John Ijagbemi, had told the court that one Ogunsode Gbade reported the matter at Wuse Police Station on Jan.13.

    He said that the complainant alleged that he parked his RAV 4 SUV jeep with reg. No. ABJ 268 AG, valued at N2.5 million, at Orange Garden, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

    “When he was about to leave, he discovered that his vehicle had been stolen,’’ Ijagbemi said.

    The prosecutor said that the vehicle contained one ipad phone, valued at N180, 000; one hair drier, valued at N35,000, and one HP laptop, valued at N130, 000.

    According to John, during police investigations, it was discovered that the defendant had criminally conspired with one Awalu, now at large, to steal the said vehicle.

    He said that the ipad was recovered from the defendant, while investigation is ongoing to recover the stolen vehicle and other items from where he sold them.

    He said the offence was contrary to Sections 97 and 287 of the Penal Code.

     

  • Duke urges Veritas University graduating students to be change agents

    Duke urges Veritas University graduating students to be change agents

    Mr. Donald Duke, Former Cross River Governor, on Tuesday urged graduating students of Veritas University, Abuja, to always be the change agents that would transform the country.

    Duke said this in Abuja at a Public Lecture to mark the fourth and fifth convocation lecture of the university with the theme: “We the Creatures and the Lord of All Creation”.

    He encouraged the students saying, “arouse yourselves to be the great being that you ought to be, do not trifle this great work of creation by being onlookers”.

    He commended the Catholic Diocese of Nigeria for the tested work in bridging the social divide in the country.

    Duke called on Nigerian leaders to reestablish the society for a better future.

    “It behooves on leaders of the faith to recalibrate the society.

    “If you see what is happening to religion today globally and in Nigeria, there is need for the youth to be agents of change.

    “Globally, there is a competition between the two major religions.

    “God is neither a Christian nor Muslim but religion is a vehicle that takes you to God so leaders must be humble and recognise that God place them in position,” he said.

    Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Catholic Bishop of Abuja, urged the graduating students to resist any temptation that could make them cut corners.

    Onaiyekan called on the students to always do the right thing as means of succeeding in their career.

    Also, Prof. Michael Kwanashie, Vice-Chancellor of the university, urged Nigerians to turn to God in order for the country to move forward.

    Kwanashie said to foster love and unity in the country, Nigerians should recognise God in all things.
    “We need to understand that we will account for our deeds, this country cannot move on if we don’t contribute to the salvation of men and women,” he said.

    He, however, said that the university was willing to contribute to the development of education by subsidising the cost of education.

    He said the university was working toward producing men and women who would produce the change the country needed.

    “What we are doing is to make our students combine academic training with moral, spiritual, cultural and social formation,” he said.

    The vice-chancellor urged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the institution and the country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the university will on March 8 award degrees 180 students out of which six came out with first class honours.

     

  • Xenophobia: What we will tell SA Parliament – Reps

    Xenophobia: What we will tell SA Parliament – Reps

    • To ask for N84 million compensation

    The House of Representatives yesterday said is would have been irresponsible for the Nigeria Parliament not to embark on legislative diplomacy to South Africa in light of the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians.

    The leader of the House and head of the delegation, Femi Gbajabiamila while briefing reporters in the company of members of the delegation on Tuesday said the country is deploying all it has to ensure that ” this is the last time it happens.”

    Gbajabiamila said: “We are hopeful that our engagement with the South African Parliament and authorities will provide lasting solutions.

    Gbajabiamila
    Gbajabiamila

    “We will attempt to meet with the South African Parliament to discuss the possibility of both our countries enacting hate crime laws. This would cover crimes committed based on nationality.

    “We intend to engage the SA Parliament and other authorities on areas of mutual benefit and how much both countries could lose from xenophobia  and possible retaliatory actions or severing of diplomatic ties.”

    He said the delegation will seek to strengthen the Nigerian /South African Bilateral Commission which only exists on paper presently as well as meet with Nigerians who reside in South Africa and assure them of governments intervention.

    The lawmaker said Nigeria will be asking for N84 million as compensation for affected Nigerians in the last xenophobic attacks, adding that Nigerian is not afraid to weld the big stick if South Africa errs.

    [quote arrow=”yes”]”I can say confidently and with conviction and with pride that our country, Nigeria is afraid of no one. But I believe when you said you’re a big brother, retaliation is not always the best or the first step to diplomacy. We gain strength through peace. I believe in reconciliation. Cutting off ties and retaliation are always the last resort. They will always be on the table, but it’s always a last resort.[/quote]

    “If you remember clearly just not too long ago, Nigeria fined perhaps the biggest South African company N3.5 billion as fines. There was no question of Nigeria being afraid of slapping such a hefty fine that some people argued could cripple MTN. But we went ahead and did it because they broke the law.

    The Chairperson of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Nnena Elendu- Ukeje while speaking said when the delegation gets to South African parliament: ” we will be looking at agreements. pieces of legislation that would support pro- immigration.

    “We would be looking at pieces of legislation that says to them that they must resist structural racism, xenophobia. We would be reminding them that like our parliament, like their parliament, they’re signatories to the United Nations’ treaty against xenophobia, racism and all forms of hate crimes.

    “And we would remind them that we have that platform to go back to the event that they do not conform to the treaties that they agreed with, We shall also be reminding them that silence is complicity, that parliament cannot remove itself from this.

    “In the event that that fails…because as they say: in peace time, be prepared for war, in the event that that fails, we shall be reminding them that retaliation is only to the mutual detrimental of both countries.

    ” And reminding them of their companies in Nigeria, and the fact that we have the capacity to do that as they have seen with MTN  that was the reason, most people say, that President Jacob Zuma actually made the trip to Nigeria. So, we have that capacity, and would be reminding them.”

  • Kaduna Airport ready for 24 hours operations – NCAA

    Kaduna Airport ready for 24 hours operations – NCAA

    Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared the Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna, is fit and ready for 24 hours local and international operations.

    All necessary steps to ensure that the status of the Airport as an Alternate Airport to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, (NAIA), during the closure have been put in place.

    Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye stated this in a statement Tuesday.

    He said navigational equipment have been well calibrated and fully functional to facilitate continuous smooth landings and takeoffs.

    He said: “Therefore, towards a seamless flight operations in line with Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs), all relevant departments and directorates with full complement of staff have been redeployed to Kaduna from the aviation agencies.

    “The Regional Managers of NCAA Abuja and Kaduna offices are on ground to allow for smooth integration of the additional staff coming to Kaduna.

    “To sustain the safety and security of airline operations, a team of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) from the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Consumer Protection, (DCP), Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR), Directorate of Aerodrome and AirspaceStandard, (DAAS) and Aviation Security Personnel are already at the airport.”

    He said the National Security Committee has designed and got approval for the Security programme to cover the airport and its environs during the six weeks closure.

    Adurogboye said relevant aviation agencies, the Regulatory Authority, (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Customs and Excise, (NCS), Nigerian Immigration Service(NIS), Nigerian Police Force and other security services are all at the airport to provide unhindered facilitation of passenger traffic and flights.

    He said: “At the commencement of flights, it is expected that the Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will be the first scheduled airline to arrive the Kaduna International Airport upon the closure of Abuja Airport.

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), wishes to assure all passengers that all hands are deck to conduct a safe and secure air transport operations at all airports in Nigeria.”

    In a related development, DANA Air said  it will commence flights to Kaduna on March 8, 2017.

    The airline said it will operate four daily flights from Lagos to Kaduna  while there will be one flight each from Uyo and Port Harcourt to Kaduna keeping strictly to its scheduled time of departure.

    The Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo while speaking on the new schedule said: “We will commence four daily flights from Lagos to Kaduna and one flight each from Uyo and Port Harcourt to Kaduna on 8 March, and we intend keeping to our scheduled time of departure. From Kaduna to Lagos, our new schedule caters to the needs of all our passengers .”

    He said :” With  our on-time performance still unrivaled, our desire is to ensure that passengers connecting Abuja from Kaduna meet their appointments and commitments, while those visiting Kaduna can trust us to take them there on-time.’’

    Meanwhile, another domestic carrier: Air Peace said it has deployed  staff  to  Kaduna Airport to ensure smooth operations .

    In a statement the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr.  Chris Iwarah said the carrier has already deployed its staff to the Kaduna International Airport in readiness for diversion of Abuja-bound flights to the facility from March 8, 2017.

    Iwarah assured that Air Peace was fully prepared to operate flights into and out of the Kaduna airport during the shutdown of the Abuja facility.

    He confirmed that the airline would operate flights from Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin, Calabar, Owerri and Sokoto into and out of Kaduna.

    Iwarah urged air travelers to frequently visit the airline’s website, www.flyairpeace.com and social media platforms to get daily information on its flight operations during the closure of the Abuja airport.

    The airline’s staff, he added, would be available at all its offices to assist air travelers and provide up-to-date information on the Kaduna flight operations.

  • Abuja airport closure: Airlines, cab operators anticipate losses

    Abuja airport closure: Airlines, cab operators anticipate losses

    Some airlines and cab operators have anticipated losses as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is set to be shut tonight for its runway repairs.

    Abdullahi Saroke, Station Manager, Azman Airlines, told NAN that 65 per cent of flights operated from Abuja airport would likely to be cut off at Kaduna resulting in losses.

    Saroke explained that many lucrative routes like Abuja-Lagos, Abuja-Enugu, Abuja-Kano and many others would be affected as many passengers might decide to travel by road to those destinations.

    He expressed fear that airlines might run at loss at Kaduna, explaining that airlines take load factor into consideration before flying a particular route.

    According to him, if you fly aircraft with 124 and 110 passengers’ seats with less than 85 or 90 passengers, you are running at a loss.

    “From the airlines’ perspective, what I foresee will happen is that we are going to go to Kaduna but not all routes will be viable.

    “Then those routes that we think will be viable from Kaduna, if you operated it and you are at lost, I am sure with no time people will just shut down their operation unless something is done.

    “For these reasons, some airlines may not want to go to Kaduna except those routes that are far like Port Harcourt and Lagos but all these routes that are close to Abuja may decide to stay away.

    “Statistics has shown that 65 per cent of domestic flights happened between Abuja and Lagos and this route is going to be shut down by midnight on March 8.

    “What that means is that 65 per cent of this operation has been cut off remaining 35 per cent and there are so many routes you cannot operate from Kaduna and they are lucrative routes.

    “Those routes are Abuja-Asaba, Abuja-Owerri, Abuja-Warri, Abuja-Port Harcourt, Abuja-Enugu and Abuja-Kano,’’ he said.

    On the free transportation arrangement by the government, Saroke advised that there should be supporting vehicles in the event of breakdown or tire burst since flights are time bound.

    He also advised the government to take into consideration the fact that airlines would not be responsible for the passengers that miss their flight since it is the government that handles their movement.

    “In the event that the passengers miss their flight, who pay their compensation and who takes care of their accommodation if need be since it is the government that is responsible for that?

    “Those are the key areas the government did not look at because in case you want to assist somebody and the assistance failed, are you going to compensate the passengers,’’ he queried.

    Also, Aliyu Abdullazeez-Aliyu, Chairman, Airport Car Hires Association (ACHA), Abuja Chapter, said his members would lose up to N300 million during the period.

    Abdullazeez-Aliyu said that a larger number of the members would be out of job during the six weeks period, adding only few of their members would join those at Kaduna.

    He added that the association would deploy between 150 to 200 car hire members to Kaduna airport to complement those operating there.

    According to him, it is our Kaduna branch that is absorbing some of them from Abuja because both Abuja and Kaduna belong to one national body.

    “Quantitatively, we stand to lose about N300 million to N500 million within these six weeks because our members make millions of naira on daily basis here.

    “Our operation will be at Kaduna within this period because of those that will prefer to travel privately but we don’t have provision in the city centre.

    “There will be processing of passengers in Abuja but that will be exclusively government arrangement because they are providing free buses to convey them to Kaduna,’’ he said.

    It can be recalled that the Federal Government has announced that the airport will be closed at midnight of Tuesday to commence diverted flights to Kaduna International Airport on Wednesday.

    The development has necessitated the closure of many businesses being operated at Abuja airport such as car hire, food vendors, provision store and other businesses.

     

  • Inside Abuja’s forgotten community

    Inside Abuja’s forgotten community

    On a hill, less than 10 minutes’ drive from Apo, in the nation’s capital city centre, is a community with hardly any feature of modern life, reports GRACE OBIKE

    From their unflattering hilly community they can hear the sounds of the city which lies only about 10 minutes’ drive away. The rich and powerful in Apo Legislative Quarters are not far away.

    In Chille, residents can only imagine the comforts of city life but they do not experience any. Theirs is the very opposite of what obtains in Apo in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Chille is devoid of any form of modern-day civilisation.

    The tiny village is devoid of water, electricity, quality school or  healthcare centre. The villagers who consist of Gbagyi, Tiv, Hausa and a few Igbo live in small structures made from mud bricks of not more than two rooms. They are mostly farmers and charcoal makers, with young wives who strap their children to their waists and go about their business while the children suckle.

    In this small, poor community women help each other to deliver their babies. In emergencies, they rush them over to a nurse a few miles from the community. Eventually, they were blessed with a two-classroom block owned by a  church where a few of them worship. There are two staff members  who teach children from Primary one to four. You can call it a church and school rolled into one. Older children stay back home to help their parents on the farm or charcoal making.

    With all the glitz and glamour that make up Abuja, one will not believe that a community still exists within Abuja, just a few minutes’ drive from the city centre and seat of power. The residents literally drink from gutters or dirty streams and a small hole.

    Husband to two wives and father of five, Muhammed Bello explained that the reason why the community is stuck to drinking from the dirty stream and not a well is because the earth in the village is too soft, making it impossible to dig a well which immediately fills back anytime they dig.

    “It caves back in and covers up; we realised that digging a well will not work here. We share this hole with cows, we drink from it, cook and do our laundry,” he said.

    He also said that they drink from another stream which separates them from the nearest community, adding, though, that vehicles and motorcycles pass through the same water. One thing is that water never dries up becomes it comes out of a small hole whose they have no idea. Animals also frink from it.

    “God has been protecting us. We have a lot of needs but if the government can assist us with water, we will really be grateful,” Bello said.

    Chief of the village, David Chille informed The Nation that the contaminated water causes boils and rashes on the bodies of their children.

    “Most of our people here are displaced and poor, after primary four we cannot afford to send our children to the nearest schools outside this village because they are all private and we cannot afford it. The water we drink is contaminated and it causes our children rashes and boils,” said the chief.

    He also added, “If the government can also assist us with a clinic, we will be grateful, all our pregnant women cannot afford to go for antenatals and when the time comes for them to deliver, they deliver without a hospital, three of them had complications recently, we rushed them to a church and a nurse there assisted.”

    It seemed like fortune was beginning to shine on the community when On Air Personality with Wazobia FM and founder Help One foundation James Expensive, drove to the community in search of land to build his dream school for the less privileged children.

    ”I drove past the stream and saw people drinking the dirty water and was surprised, I realised they were

  • Minister laments poor power supply to Abuja

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has called for improvement in the volume of electricity supplied to Abuja from the national grid to effectively power critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital.

    Bello made the call while receiving the new Managing Director, of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who led the company’s management team to the Minister’s office on a courtesy call.

    The minister, who stated that the 11 percent electricity allocated from the national grid to the FCT and other neighboring states covered by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) is grossly inadequate, called on the TCN to allocate more power to the Abuja Distribution Company with specific instruction that the extra power should be dedicated to the Territory.

    He said, “Powering the city’s critical infrastructure like the streetlights, the hospitals, water treatment plants and the entire waste management value chain, especially the liquid waste management has been a big challenge with epileptic power supply. We have been faced with a number of options, some which include just going off grid. But we realize that going off grid, the immediate solution will be using fossil fuels, putting generators all over the city and of course that affects the environment critically”.

    The Minister continued, “Really, I want you to look at some short term solutions. We need power in Abuja, not just to make the city look beautiful but even for the security of the city. I’m sure when you go round the city at night, the infrastructure is there. We have put street lights in most of the major streets, but simply no power and we wouldn’t want to use generators in multiple locations.”

    In a statement issued by the Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister explained that the FCT’s geometric expansion has exceeded all plans and expectations; saying, “it is very clear even from our data and your records that the way in which the city has been expanding within the last two decades, we are talking of an area with a population running into six million already which is overstretched”.

    The Minister who recalled that a special arrangement around the Katampe area which existed some years back took care of power supply to the FCT, called for a return of such projects to tackle the problem of power shortages in the capital city.

    The Minister noted that in the alternative, “We could also identify a system where you can run the streetlights directly from your facility and we are willing to pay, so that that can be looked at as a priority project, independent of the distribution company because it’s priority for us. The seat of power of the country is in Abuja with the President, National Assembly, the highest courts in the land as well as the diplomatic community are all here. This is the centre of Nigeria. We cannot afford to leave Abuja to be dark at night”.

    He tasked TCN to look at specific areas in the Federal Capital City like the Central Business District, the Three Arms Zones, the hospitals and the security zones; emphasising, “I don’t know what the legal implication will be but you could look at it under national security to find ways to solve that”.

    Bello revealed that recently the FCT Administration released the sum of N500 million to the AEDC being part payment of its bills; stressing that FCTA has been very punctual in paying its electricity bills since he assumed office.

    Bello stressed that the FCT Administration believes that power is a critical social infrastructure that every government has to support and assured them of his support and cooperation.

    The Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed appreciated the warn reception of the Minister.

    He promised that TCN in collaboration with the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will look into the request for more allocation of power to the Abuja zone; saying that his company is presently working on the possibility of bringing in additional power lines through Lafia, Nasarawa State into Abuja.

    The Managing Director disclosed that currently TCN transmits power into the FCT through Gwagwaglada and Suleja axis but would make it a tripod arrangement with Lafia axis being added.

     

  • FG assures of seamless operation at Kaduna airport

    FG assures of seamless operation at Kaduna airport

    The Federal Government on Monday announced its readiness to ensure seamless operation at Kaduna International Airport as Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja closes on March 8 for runway repairs.

    The Minster of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this during a World News Conference organided by the ministry in Abuja.

    The news conference featured the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahi Idris.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, was also represented at the news conference.

    Mohammed said the Acting President had inspected Kaduna airport and the rail station to ascertain the level of readiness to ensure smooth operation during the six-week closure period.

    He said that the summary of the findings during the inspection was that even though the airport might not be 100 per cent ready, its current state was suitable enough for the operation.

    The minister also disclosed that the repair work on the Abuja-Kaduna highway had been completed to ensure smooth passage for Abuja bound passengers.

    “As you are all aware, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will shut from the midnight of Tuesday March 7 to the Wednesday March 8 for the purpose of repairing the failed portion of the airport runway.

    “During that time, Abuja flights will be diverted to Kaduna.

    “On Friday, the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo inspected the Kaduna airport and the railway station to ascertain the state of readiness.

    “The summary of the finding is that while the airport may not be 100 per cent ready, by the time Abuja airport is shut, it will indeed be suitable enough,’’ he said.

    Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said the government had concluded arrangements to provide free transportation service for Abuja-bound passengers to and from Kaduna.

    Amaechi said that the train services would be rearranged to suit the flight schedules at Kaduna airport, adding that the train would be coming from Kaduna instead of the current arrangement.

    He said the Kaduna airport runway was in perfect shape, adding that it was a portion of the terminal building that was yet to be completed as at Friday.

    According to him, the work was nearing completion as at that day and the contractor promised to deliver it before the deadline.

    The Minister of State, Aviation, Sirika, craved the indulgence of air travelers to bear with the government on the closure.

    He said that the decision was for safety reasons, which is the key word in aviation sector.

    The minister said the part of the Kaduna airport terminal building had been completed as at this morning, adding that much work had been done to ensure smooth operation.

    According to him, the ministry has provided a dedicated website (www.abujaairportclosure.info) to update airport users on the operations at Kaduna during the period.

    Sirika said the government had no other option than to shut the Abuja airport runway considering the level of dilapidation that had made it to fail completely.

    He said that Kaduna airport would remain a seasonal international airport even after the six weeks period until it met the requirements to be a designated international airport.

    According to him, Ethiopian Airline is the only foreign airline that has expressed its readiness to fly the airport so far but at the end we expect more to operate the airport.

    The minister reiterated the government’s plan to concession all the airports for efficiency beginning from the big four such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.

    “We have already concluded the arrangement for the appointment of transaction adviser that will commence work in a matter of weeks,’’ he said.

    The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, assured that the police had made adequate security plans to ensure seamless operation between Abuja and Kaduna airports.

    Idris said the police force had enough capacity and capability to carry out efficient surveillance on the road, the rail line and air during the six weeks.

    According to him, he was in Kaduna on Sunday to conduct assessment of security in the airport, on the road and the rail at Jere and Idu stations.

    “In the whole, our deployment on the ground is perfect because we have the various units of the Nigeria Police Force in charge of specialized units.

    “We have the force Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD), we have the force animals in charge of dogs; we have the patrolling team and the mobile force as well as the air wing.

    “As I stated, all the units are deployed fully on ground,’’ he said.

     

  • Minister laments poor power supply to Abuja

    Minister laments poor power supply to Abuja

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has called for an improvement in the volume of electricity supplied to Abuja to effectively power critical infrastructure.

    Bello spoke when he received the management team of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), led by the new Managing Director, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, in his office.

    The minister, who described the 11 per cent electricity allocated to the FCT and neighboring states as grossly inadequate, called on the TCN to allocate more power to the Abuja Distribution Company (AEDC), with specific instruction that the extra power be dedicated to FCT.

    A statement by his Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, said: “Powering the city’s critical infrastructure like streetlights, hospitals, water treatment plants and waste management value chain, especially the liquid waste management, has been a big challenge with epileptic power supply.

    “We have been faced with a number of options, like going off grid. But we realise that going off grid will require was using fossil fuels and installing generators around the city; this of course affects the environment critically.

    “Really, I want you to consider some short term solutions. We need power in Abuja, not just to make the city look beautiful, but for security also.

    Bello noted the FCT administration released N500 million to the AEDC as part payment of its bills.

    Mohammed appreciated the warn reception accorded his team and promised that in collaboration with the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), TCN will consider the minister’s request for more allocation of power to the Abuja zone.

    He hinted that TCN is working on the possibility of bringing in additional power lines through Lafia in Nasarawa State, to support the Gwagwaglada and Suleja lines.