The Nation Newspaper

Tag: awry

  • Celebration gone awry

    This Christmas and New Year celebrations will for a long time be remembered by Nigerians. Not only do they represent one of the worst in recent times in terms of the hardship people passed through, they were also marked by organized and despicable violence in some parts of the country.

    Innocent people who were on Christmas carol in Kaduna State were attacked by a lone gunman with many of them sent to their early graves for no just cause. Though the motive of the dastardly attack is yet to be established, the method of attack and the area where it happened leaves little room for imagination.

    And In Benue State, unidentified gunmen riding on several motorcycles reminiscent of the style of the Boko Haram insurgents, stormed a gathering killing and maiming those who were there to share meat for their Christmas celebrations. Not done, the bandits, wielding automatic guns, rode into the villages, attacked houses and killed all those at sight and vamoosed into the thin air.

    They left in their trail sorrow and awe. The motive is yet to be established but indications are that it was a reprisal attack allegedly by some Fulani herdsmen having lost two of their members around those villages not long ago. That was the Christmas gifts those innocent souls who may know nothing about the missing herdsmen got from the avengers. In all, the attacks were primed to coincide with the Christmas celebrations.

    Aside these premeditated acts of violence were the debilitating fuel scarcity and concomitant price hike that messed up the celebrations for many a family. When the development reared its ugly head a few weeks before the yuletide, government’s reaction was tepid. At the Federal Executive Council meeting, the minister of state for petroleum Ibe Kachikwu was mandated to take immediate steps to normalize the situation by that weekend.

    The impression we got was that government was on top of the situation as they usually claimed and within that weekend, the situation would normalize. But that became a tall order.  It soon became obvious that the government had no immediate solution to the problem as the issues that lead to the scarcity were much more fundamental than we were made to believe.

    It became obvious there were certain policy measures the government needed to implement if the return of long queues, hording and price hike is not to make a mess of the relative stability we hitherto enjoyed in the supply chain. Things really got out of order as the commodity became inaccessible even in the federal capital territory and Lagos- two cities that at the worst of times enjoy relative steady supply of fuel.

    The government began to change the narrative. They began to trade blames accusing independent marketers of sabotage, hoarding and all manner of malfeasance. The story was no longer that the government had enough supply to run through the New Year. They now invented new enemies of the people in the marketers.

    The matter was so bad that both the president and his vice could no longer cover up. And in places where the commodity was available especially in the states, they sold at very exorbitant prices. The price of a litre of fuel went haywire. Those who planned to travel for the celebrations but could not afford the now jerked up transport fares had no other option than to shelve their journeys.

    Apparently piqued by the scandalous level the fuel situation had degenerated, the NNPC came out with another narrative that the landing cost of a litre of imported fuel now stands at N171 as the product sells for N145 per litre. What that implied was that government is still subsidizing the product by N26 per litre. But NNPC Managing Director Baru Maikanti carefully avoided the word subsidy for fear of running into some contradictions. That disclosure suggests that for the product to be readily available, some form of upward price adjustment may have to be effected. But the government avoided saying that explicitly.

    Even with that reluctance, the stark reality of the increase is already with us as people now pay more than double the pump price except in some petrol stations owned by major independent marketers especially in Lagos and Abuja. It is not difficult to fathom why the government is reluctant to go into the issue of increase in the pump price of fuel. In 2016, it had against all expectations, jerked up the price of the commodity from 87 per litre to N145.

    Then, it had contended among others that one of the reasons for the price increase was to ensure regular supply. That logic has been shattered by the turn of events even as citizens are yet to recover from the chain of events unleashed on the nation by that increase and the subsequent down turn in the nation’s economy.

    To contemplate another increase would amount to adding salt to injury. Moreover elections are around the corner. And further increases could become a major issue in the campaigns. As things stand, the prospect of the government being put to task on this is still there. Not with the hardship currently being experienced in the country. Not with the high cost of the commodity where it is available and the general increase in prices of goods and services given the centrality of fuel to economic activities.

    When the last regime attempted to effect marginal increase in the price of fuel, those with the technology in organizing mass protests stoutly resisted it. And some key players in this administration were among the unseen hands that opposed that increase. And the question that is now being asked is, if the last government could afford to sell fuel at N87 per litre, why are we being told now that the landing cost equates to N171 per litre?

    The answer you are likely to get will lie in disparities in the foreign exchange rate of the two regimes. But then, that would throw up another question as to the factors responsible for the foreign exchange rate disparities. The answer will inexorably hinge in the way and manner both regimes managed the economy. Could it then imply that the former administration managed the economy better than the current one irrespective of the quick resort of the latter to blame the former for all the ills of this nation? That is the question that may form the central thrust of the coming campaigns.

    In all, it is important government takes immediate steps to address the debilitating fuel scarcity and the prohibitive cost of obtaining the commodity.  With the biting effects of the economic recession still with us, the current situation is bound to compound the suffering of the common people if it is allowed the way it is.

    The government has blamed marketers for sundry misdeeds that culminated in the scarcity. But the fact of the matter is that at the root of it all is the policy of the government on fuel importation. It needs to take another look at the suffocating corruption in the sourcing of foreign exchange by marketers. There is a lot going on among officials at the apex bank that add up to this sordid pass.

    It must act fast to save the toiling people of this country the suffocating impact of having to source fuel at the prevailing prices especially in the New Year. If it amount to bending the rules, it should do so in the overall interest of the people. The welfare of the people is the very essence of governance.

  • Auto deal gone awry

    A media agency, Starcom Media Services, is battling auto giant R.T Briscoe Ford for allegedly selling it faulty vehicles. The case has been taken to the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Brand switching is a common phenomenum in marketing. Commonly referred to as brand jumping, analysts say it is  the process of switching from the routine use of one product or brand to the steady usage of a different but similar product. Much of the advertising process is aimed at encouraging brand switching among consumers, thereby helping to grow market share for a brand, or a set of it.

    However, experts believe that convincing consumers to switch brands is a difficult task.To encourage switching brands, advertisers often use price and superior quality, among other factors. Irrespective of strategies adopted by advertisers, consumers often take the final decision based on circumstances beyond the premise of advertisers.

    But in switching to one brand or another, consumers’experience, whether good or bad, come into play. For Starcom Media Services Limited, a media planning and buying agency, the decision to switch from a leading brand to Briscoe Ford seemed to have gone awry.

    The Managing Director, Starcom Media Services Limited, Mr. Ayo Kupoluyi, told The Nation that based on  strong recommendation, his agency decided to explore a new automobile experience. It ordered seven cars from Briscoe Ford Showroom at 20, Mobolaji Bank-Anthony, Ikeja, Lagos, between February and August 2013. Since the purchase, he said the brand experience had not encouraged the company to make further purchase, saying the firm has been asking for replacement  because of various degrees of malfunctioning.

    He said the firm made its stance known in a letter to the Area Manager of Briscoe Ford, a division of RT Brisoce Nigeria Plc, dated November 26, 2014.

    Kupoluyi said: “Starcom Media based on recommendation from someone very close to the Board of your company (Briscoe) opted to change her official cars from a popular competition to Ford and purchased one Focus, 4 Escape, one Edge and one Explorer in 2013. Since then, it has been stories of woes. In particular is the Ford Exporer. The first one had to be changed due to factory fault, or an error that could not be fixed.

    “In less than one and half years, we have had to replace some parts which never happened with the previous competition we moved away from. At a point, the car broke down mid-way and had to be towed to your garage for repairs staying there for weeks. This can’t be the situation with Ford in other countries. Why Nigeria?”

    For instance, in a diagnosis, according to Kupoluyi, which was carried out at Coscharis Service Centre, one of the cars, 2013 ESCAPE purchased on February 25, 2013, had unresolved Airbag Alert fault, brake pad noise, battery, steering rack, AC vent, smoking-back fires, water shortage, steering assistant, fuel pump, injectors, ignition coil and spark plug faults.

    Other cars diagnosed were said to have recorded various faults which, accordingly, have not been resolved by the automobile firm.

    Also, in a letter to the auto firm  dated January 26, this year, Starcom Media also noted that the agency had  reasons to bring all the brands at one time or the other to Briscoe, but while some of the faults had been resolved, there had been no week the agency hadn’t a reason not to visit Cosharis Group or R.T Briscoe for repairs.

    He said further that apart from the Ford Explorer, almost all the cars it purchased have had one major problem or the other.  ”This is very worrisome and disturbing for the pedigree that Ford Company commands outside this shore,” said Kupoluyi.

    However, the agency said it had complained to the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), saying it is regretable that there has been no reprieve.

    “We have reported to CPC, SON but they have not responded promptly. They said they were investigating the issue but we cannot see any result of their efforts. Our correspondent at SON in a terse response via text said the report was for SON’s use unless otherwise directed by the SON Director General,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Starcom is asking for a trade-in for a new car but yet to receive any response in the last two years. “My plea, this time, is very simple. Since I have lost faith in this car due to its perennial faults and inaccurate diagnosis, I am proposing that I trade it in for a more reliable and trustworthy car. In less than two years, we have had more than four major repairs. I no longer feel safe driving this car. I can’t explain the embarrassment and emotional trauma this has caused me, my family and business. I have to make a special request for pool car to move around. I had scheduled to travel on Saturday, but it was cancelled because there was no vehicle. It is unfortunate that this is happening to me who ensured that our Board changed their position on Toyota cars and opt for Ford cars. I feel very stupid telling them my plight,” said Starcom.

    Also, the agency lawyer, Mr. Temitayo Kareem, said: “They (BriscoeFord) should also not forget that the trade in was necessitated by the recurring faults of the vehicle, and not out of choice for a new ride. Hence some consideration should be put into the figures being presented for the new vehicle. This will be presented to the regulator (CPC/SON) as the case may be for mediation/arbitration.”

    CPC, in a response to the agency last January, said it had commenced investigation into the problem, but the agency said the probe was not bringing immediate result.

    Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Briscoe’s Lekki office, Lagos, Mr. Olorunfemi Eguaikhide, said the company had ensured that Starcom media got the required repairs on some of the cars it complained about as covered by warranty.

    He admitted that the company had not been able to get some parts to fix other faults because of scrcity of forex.

    He noted that the auto firm valued its customers and would not do anything to undermine their interest in their brands.

    “When manufacturers give a warranty there are conditions. If you take the car outside authorized dealer you violate the warranty. However, the Explorer in question has covered more than the required mileage. The issue of Ford Focus semi-automatic transmission is a global issue. Ford is meant to address that. But we do what we can within the available resource and expertise to fix complaints related to that.

    “Starcom has given half truth. They have not adopted every level of engagements they should. The reason why there are delays in addressing some of the complaints is because Ford does not have a warehouse in Nigeria. We rely on their central warehouse in Dubai which services some African countries,” he said.

    He also added that some of the cars developed those fault as a result of usage. “You don’t expect a car that has covered 57,000ml not to develop faults. “Therefore, we have done we hat we can within our customer care to address the issues. And once a car has been taken to a third party it no longer enjoys a warranty,” he said.

    While Ford appears to be making lots of effort to address the ill-feelings of its customer, expert believe the bad experience of the customers may continue to linger and prevent repeat purchase, a situation most brands spend huge marketing budget on to prevent.

     

  • ‘Baptism’ gone awry

    ‘Baptism’ gone awry

    The jubilation that trailed the final examination of graduating students of the Imo State University (IMSU) has ended in sorrow, with the death of a 200-Level student, Chisom Chukwudiebube Valentine. Chisom fell into a sewage and died when he tried to ‘baptise’ his graduating colleague at their off-campus residence, Blackberry Hostel. EKENE AHANEKU (300-Level Medicine and Surgery) reports.

    It all started as a celebration, but it ended in tragedy at an off-campus students’ hostel in the Imo State University (IMSU). Last Friday, a student died after slipping into a sewage during the baptism of a graduating student at Blackberry Hotel. The late Chisom Chukwudiebube Valentine was a 200-Level Government Education student.

    Baptism, in many higher institutions, is a celebration to either welcome freshers or send off graduating students. During baptism, students are splashed with water or sticky liquids by their colleagues.

    Worried by the effect of the practice, some higher institutions tried to stop it, but students took it off-campuses.

    At IMSU, the management, it was learnt, banned students from engaging in baptism. But the students moved it  off-campus.

    The late Chisom, it was gathered, was in his room when a final year student of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ugochukwu Okorie, returned to the hostel at 2pm, celebrating his graduation. He called other occupants, who had been waiting to hold the ritual. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the residents, including the late Chisom, came out to ‘baptise’ Ugochukwu.

    Chisom carried Ugochukwu and took him to a pit in which sewage from the bathroom is collected.

    It was gathered that Ugochukwu complained of weakness and pleaded for rest. But, Chisom would not oblige him. As the surface of the pit was slippery, both of them slipped into it. There was commotion as the students ran around to rescue them. They were joined by the property caretaker. Ugochukwu waved for help. He was lucky as he was evacuated.

    But, Chisom was not so lucky.  Efforts by rescuers to locate him in the messy water failed. When he was  evacuated, dirty water flowed out of his mouth and nostrils.

    After performing first aid on the victims, they were rushed to the Holy Family Hospital in Ikenegbu, where a doctor confirmed Chisom dead. Ugochukwu, who had stabilised, had bruises on his body.

    Immediately, rescuers contacted the victims’parents. Soon, the late Chisom’s uncle arrived at the hospital, fighting back tears. He called family members to inform them of the tragedy.

    He advised the students to desist from the celebration.

    The late Chisom’s parents later arrived at the hospital and took his body to their Ihiala home town in Anambra State.

    The following day, the hostel President, Ifeanyi Udumaga, notified the institution’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), who reportedly informed policemen at the Orji Police Station to wade into the matter, since the incident occurred off-campus.

    But, when Ugochukwu and some students went to the police station to make a statement, he was held.

    He was released on bail two days after to enable him complete his treatment.

    Ifeanyi told CAMPUSLIFE: “It is a sad moment for us in Blackberry Hostel because of Chisom’s death. We did not expect that a mere celebration could lead to a tragedy. But, the police want to compound the whole thing because they were not there when the incident happened. Why should anyone think Chisom was deliberately killed?”

    A resident of the hostel, who did not give his name, said: “We thank God that the second victim did not die. If Ugochukwu had died in the pit, it would have been a bigger problem for all of us in the hostel. People would have said the incident was planned to kill the two students. But, we have learnt our lesson in a hard way.”

    Reliving his experience in the pit to CAMPUSLIFE, Ugochukwu said he felt a shock in the pit. “My survival is by God’s grace, because it was really a terrible incident,” he said.

     

  • Child marriage gone awry

    Those who revel in forced marriages to juveniles must be shocked to the marrows by recent events in Kano where a child-bride, Wasila Umar allegedly poisoned her husband and three others in protest against the union. Reports had it that Wasila 14, who had just been forced into a marriage 17 days earlier opted to poison her husband Umar Sani to register her disapproval for the marriage.

    According to the child-bride, on that fateful day, the senior wife had prepared the meal and passed over to her as it was her turn to serve her husband in keeping with the polygamous family tradition. Instead of serving the meal as it was presented by the senior wife, she rather bought rat poison for N100 and mixed it with the local delicacy. Even the return of her husband with some of his friends could not persuade her to abort that deadly plan as she went ahead and served them the poisonous meal.

    Umar and three of his friends died on the spot after the meal while 10 others who partook of the meal were hospitalized. Recounting what led her to the devilish act, Wasila said “I have never enjoyed the opportunity of going to Islamic school or acquiring western education. My father forced me into this mess by stubbornly forcing me into a relationship I was not prepared to live in”. Blaming her action on youthful exuberance, she said it dawned on her shortly after, that it was a joke taken too far to resolve a forced marriage question.

    The child-bride, who said she felt normal and slept after the incident, confessed that the gravity of the offence dawned on her only after she was picked up by the police and promised to rededicate her life in seeking Allah’s forgiveness.

    A very chilling and heart-rending story indeed! It is very puzzling that a girl of that age could contemplate killing for whatever reason. But that is the uncanny reality that has played out in the instant case. As condemnable and indefensible as Wasila’s action is, it has brought to the fore the inherent contradictions in forced marriages especially those involving the underage.

    It is obvious from the account of the suspect that she embarked or her mortal mission without realizing the overall consequences of her action. Or how else do we rationalize the fact that even after administering the poisonous meal, the young girl still went to bed and slept very normally. The same reason accounted for why she did not discontinue the evil plan when it dawned on her that rather than her target husband, other innocent people were going to suffer from her action?

    Perhaps, had she the maturity of mind, she would have come to terms with the futility in going ahead with her plan now that some other people were going to take the poisoned meal. But that was not to be. She went ahead, served the meal and went to bed as if nothing had happened. We are now left with the unfortunate situation where apart from her husband, three others died while 10 were hospitalized from her act of indiscretion.

    What can be discerned from the above narrative is that Wasila was desperate to do away with the marriage irrespective of its mortal consequences. So if it took getting rid of her husband and any other who constitute an obstacle to the plan, so be it. That was why she went ahead with the plan despite the fact that some other innocent souls will die in the process. That is the bestial level some juveniles can go to show their resentment for being forced into early marriages. There are hard lessons from the above even as despicable and inhuman as the action is.

    Wasila has been charged to court where she pleaded not guilty. She may at the end of the day be convicted for the offence. But the reality of this case must draw our attention to the inherent dangers in forced or child marriages.

    By no means, child marriages are not peculiar to Nigeria as UNICEF rates it a global phenomenon. By the accounts of the Fund, about one third of women aged 20-24 in developing countries were married as children. Most of this people are in south-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Child marriage is a serious human rights and pressing global development concern.

    It is largely associated with high incidence of domestic violence and serious health complications arising from early sexual activities and child bearing.

    Many countries of the world have laws and other civil society incentives to delay early marriages. It is also very instructive that those countries where child marriages are the order of the day rank very low in the development matrix.

    Child marriages are more prevalent in societies with high level of poverty. That is why Asian and African countries rank very high in this index. Even within a country, the practice varies from one place to the other. In Nigeria where Wasila comes from, the north is more prone to this practice than the south. And the reason for this can be located in their culture, belief systems and religion. Northern elite have for the umpteenth time told who cares to hear that much of the socio-economic and political problems in that part of the country stem from debilitating poverty. The current insecurity in the north-east has been rationalized along the same lines. That has been the main reason the federal government has been encouraged by the northern elite to engage the insurgents. The whole idea is for the government to identify those objective conditions that give rise to violence and address them. In effect, they are saying that military force alone without addressing the material conditions of the people cannot prove a successful therapy to insurgency. And there is some point there.

    It is a trite statement to say that there is ravaging poverty in the north. It is for the same reason that a high percentage of children of school age there are out of school. Child marriage thrives abundantly within such settings. And as can be seen from the case in point, part of Wasila’s anger was that her father neither sent her to Islamic school nor exposed her to western education. What she got instead was a forced marriage to a man she did not like.

    Her protest against that union is the deaths we have now harvested. This writer condoles with the families of those who died from the unfortunate incident. My sympathy also goes for the 10 others who survived the food poison. The action of the young girl stands to be condemned in very strong terms as it shows scant regard for the sanctity of human life.

    But even as we condemn the action, society would have gained nothing if we do not internalize the lessons this tragedy serves humanity. It is a hard way of drawing attention of governments especially in the north to the debilitating poverty and attendant practices in that region that accentuate forced marriages of juveniles. Wasila’s case has shown that child marriage has become a time bomb. What it requires are proactive policies and programs that discourage the kind of circumstance that put Wasila into her current pass.

  • A land deal gone awry

    A land deal gone awry

    •FAAN, concessionaire bicker over plot

     

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) and the Chief Harry Akande-owned AIC Hotels Limited are squabbling over a land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The land was said to have been given to AIC to build an international hotel, but FAAN is contending that recent developments bordering on safety and security have altered the equation. KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.

     

    Some years ago, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) ceded a land around the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA), Ikeja to AIC Hotels Limited to build an international hotel under a concession arrangement.

    The firm is owned by Chief Harry Akande.

    The deal has gone awry as the parties are squabbling over the land. FAAN is claiming to have repossessed the land, but AIC is insisting that it has an agreement with the landlord which has not been vacated.

    Neither side is ready to shift ground. FAAN says it is reviewing its concession agreements with many organisations in tandem with public interest. Recent developments, it said, made it imperative for the status quo to be altered. Citing security reasons, FAAN said it is leaving nothing to chance in ensuring that all concessions, including lease agreement on the use of land around MMIA guarantee public interest.

    FAAN’s resolve to work out a new template for concessions is a fallout of its lingering tussle with AIC over the land near the diplomatic car park of the MMIA .

    While the firm insists that the land belongs to it, by virtue of the approval it got from government in 1998, FAAN claims that the issue has been overtaken by events.

    The concessionaire’s attempts to resume construction at the site, which it abandoned some years ago, have been frustrated by FAAN.

    Since the crisis broke, FAAN and the firm have been throwing brickbats. Other issues have also reared their head.

    Resolving the dispute remains a major challenge. AIC is asking for $78 million compensation, which FAAN considers outrageous.

    The question being asked is why should FAAN pay the concessionaire that much, when the firm has nothing on ground to show that it means business, after many years of inability to deliver the project?

    The General Manager, Corporate Communication, FAAN, Mr Yakubu Dati, accused the firm of taking the law into its hands by attempting to forcefully gain access to the land belonging to the Federal Government.

    Said Dati: “On January 13, AIC Limited, in an unprecedented act of brigandage by a private investor, forcefully took possession of part of Murtala Muhammed International Airport land with the help of armed policemen and hired thugs thereby causing a security breach at the airport.

    “Again on January 24, thugs hired by the company physically assaulted top officials of FAAN who went to inspect the site of the incident of January 14, causing bodily harm to some of them.”

    Dati said FAAN has alerted relevant security agencies to the security risk posed by the continued presence of armed thugs at a site separated only from the tarmac of the Murtala Muhammed Airport by a mesh fence, adding that the authority has increased security surveillance to ensure the hoodlums do not take undue advantage of their unauthorised presence close to the airport to perpetrate any unlawful act.

    He said: ”It is imperative we state that contrary to claims by AIC, the company has no court order authorising it to take possession of any portion of land at MMIA because there was no dispute over land between FAAN and AIC Limited.

    “The case between the parties went into arbitration, which concluded that FAAN should pay a compensation of $74 million to AIC for depriving it of 35 years revenue as implied in the concession agreement. FAAN has, however, appealed against the judgment of that arbitration and the case is yet to be determined.

    “We feel that the reasonable thing for AIC to do is to pursue the payment of this compensation, rather than resort to self-help by forcefully taking possession of the land belonging to the Federal Government, and by so doing, exposed the country’s foremost gateway to serious security threat, especially considering the present security situation in the country.

    “The portion of land allocated for the project was meant for the expansion of the international terminal and apron, under the airport’s master plan. Again, siting the hotel so close to the restricted area of the airport clearly jeopardised security and safety at the airport.”

    Dati said the intrigue by the concessionaire is one of the steps taken by some private sector players to derail the implementation of the transformation agenda of the government.

    FAAN, he said, would not be deterred because by March, construction of a new international terminal for MMIA as envisaged in the airport master plan will begin on the land. He said the government has already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China for this project, which will effectively turn MMIA into a major hub in the West African air transport region.

    He said : “ Without prejudice to the fact that the Federal Government did not find the parcel of land in question fit for a hotel project from the beginning, this land is being acquired now by the government in the public interest for the reasons stated earlier.

    “It is curious that AIC chose this time to forcefully enter into the said piece of land, having kept quiet for over 15 years. We hate to believe that this act of brigandage is a calculated attempt to blackmail the Federal Government, which is on a mission to rescue the aviation industry from the rot that resulted from many years of neglect.

    “We are informing all aviation stakeholders that FAAN has the mandate of government to transform all our airports to meet acceptable international standards and no act of blackmail, or intimidation can deter the government from accomplishing this mandate,” Dati said.

    Speaking on the issue, the Personal Assistant to Chief Harry Akande, Mr Gbenga Akinyemi, said the company was on the land by virtue of the lease agreement it entered into with FAAN since February 1998.

    He alleged that personnel of FAAN numbering about 20, led by a retired Colonel in conjunction with security agencies, chased workers out of the site last week. He insisted that the land belonged to the company.

    He said there was a subsisting court order, which stopped FAAN from coming into the land to harass its workers.

    He said: “I don’t know why they are here because they are not supposed to come here and disturb the on-going construction work. This is a development that has been approved since 1998 when we had the lease agreement signed.

    He said: “What FAAN is saying is not right. In a society that is normal, that kind of a statement is outrageous and uncalled for. In addition, there is a 50-year lease, which is still subsisting till now. Even if FAAN insists that the land is too close to the airport, there are some security measures in place to ensure total security of the environment. There are airport hotels around the world attached to terminals like in Amsterdam airport and others.

    “I would say FAAN is talking from both sides of its mouth. First, they claimed the land belongs to them and secondly, they said they are so concerned about the security of the airport.”

    Dati has, however, urged the firm to strive to be on the side of the law, rather than holding on to double claims.

    He said: “The land was given to them for 50 years, but there was a problem because part of this land was supposed to be for expansion of the airport. So an arbitrator was appointed, and after the whole arguments, the arbitrator said they cannot have this land, but they will be compensated to the tune of $78million, but FAAN is saying it does not have such amount for compensation.

    “So, the issue has already been settled. The land belongs to FAAN. He can’t collect compensation and still want to collect the land.”

    As the tussle over the land gathers momentum, stakeholders in the aviation sector have urged FAAN to overhaul its concession agreement template in order to attract investors.

    Speaking in an interview, the General Manager , Administration and Business Development, AIC Hotel Limited, Chief Niyi Akande, said the land was leased to AIC Hotel Limited in 1998 and the agreement was registered as NUmber 55 on page 55 in Volume 2010 of the Land Registry of Lagos State.

    Akande said: “There is a court injunction which is still subsisting. We did not go through the back door. They leased the land to us for 50 years. We signed an agreement and we did not just come here to take the land. FAAN should obey court decisions.”

    On February, 18, 2002, Justice R.O Nwodo, granted AIC Limited an injunction restraining FAAN from disturbing AIC Limited from conducting its legal business on the land.”

    With men of the police keeping watch over the disputed land to avoid any break down of law and order, the controversy still rages.

    Will overriding public interest, national security and other safety considerations stop AIC Hotel Limited from building its proposed hotel at the Lagos International Airport? Only time will tell.

    But,the commissioner of police, Murtala Muhammed Airport Command, Mr Olatunde Caulkrick, said the Police will maintain security at the site until peace returns.

    Director of Legal Services, FAAN, Mr Jacob Mark, said: “All the land around the airport anywhere in Nigeria belongs to the Federal Government. Not to any individual. When the land is given to any individual or organisation, it is given as lease, under some terms and conditions for a specified number of years that the agreement covers.

    In the case of AIC Hotel Limited, which claims to own land at the airport, it is unthinkable for anybody to reason that way and hold on to such argument.

    “The land is vested to FAAN by the government. For anybody to hold on to a parcel of land, it is unthinkable for anybody to think he or she owns the land. Such claim is a misnormer, unacceptable and a twist of the truth and law. Nobody can own any land around the airport permanently.

    Though FAAN granted a concession to AIC Hotel Limited in 1998, but, in 2001, FAAN realised that because of several implications, it can no longer validate the approval given to AIC Hotel Limited, part of which is the closeness of the land to the taxi way of the MMIA. No responsible government will allow anybody build a hotel adjacent to the taxi way, FAAN argued.

    “Imagine, how close the land is to aircraft landing and taking off. And what was AIC Hotel Limited supposed to build on that land, a hotel. For God sake, it is only an irresponsible operator that will come and build a hotel near the airport taxi way, where people, visitors who have different intentions can lodge and do anything sinister to any aircraft taking off or landing from their hotel rooms. This is one of the reasons why we revoked the agreement.

    “Apart from that, the Federal Government through FAAN can say, agreed, we gave the go ahead to build a hotel, but based on emerging security trends and challenges, as well as overidding public interest, we can no longer. allow you to go ahead.

    “We are now saying no, because government is not irresponsible and will not expose Nigerians and foreigners to unwarranted dangers by allowing anybody build a hotel near the airport runway or terminal building. It is not as if FAAN, or the Federal Government is out to shortchange any concessionaire. That is far from the truth. The Federal Government has right any time to revoke any agreement that does not protect public interest. We will not allow terrorists have access to vulnerable areas in the. country, including the airports.

    “That is where we are. We went for arbitration to let AIC Hotel Limited know that the amount of money awarded to them is too much. The firm went for arbitration and six years after, they are claiming, third party relationships as damages. They did not even put a single block on the ground. Why should FAAN pay them huge millions as compensation? That is where we stand as an organisation. Though, we agree with the terms of the arbitration that the firm be paid, the amount put at $57 million is far beyond what FAAN can handle.

    “We are handling it at different levels. The firm does not have a right to the land and cannot use force to take the land. It is unacceptable. Not in Nigeria of today. We are pursuing it at different levels, not land that belongs to the Federal Government. Even, if mistakes were made in the agreement in the past by FAAN, but the present leadership will not allow such infraction. Personal interest must die when national and overidding public interest comes to the front burner,” FAAN said.