The Nation Newspaper

Tag: passengers

  • Lagos targets 2m water passengers daily

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday opened three newly acquired executive boats, with a plan to divert at least two million passengers on the waterways daily.

    This, he said, will reduce traffic on the road.

    Ambode pledged to explore the tourism and economic potentials of the waterways.

    Speaking at the unveiling of the boats held at Caverton Jetty in Civic Centre area of Victoria Island, the governor said he was committed to the implementation of the integrated transport management system designed to scale up water, rail and land transportation.

    He said the boats and four Jet Skis recently acquired by the government was to ensure safety and fight crime on the waterways, while in coming months, the state would take delivery of additional seven commercial ferries.

    He said: “This is a significant day for Lagos State as we commission three boats belonging to the Lagos State Government. We discovered that sometimes, we do not have the ability for our officials to go on the waterways to address issues relating to people and citizens that live alongside the waterways.

    “As you aware, 25 per cent of Lagos is water and it is important that we put in the right initiatives that can actually make activities on our waterways to thrive and the also people living along the waterways to bring them into proper perspective.

    “Sometimes when dignitaries come from other States or countries, they are not able to see the true side of Lagos from waterways perspective and that is one of the reasons we decided to procure the boats to promote tourism in the state so that people can see the great potentials of Lagos State.”

    Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development Adebowale Akinsanya said about 30 commercial routes on the waterways have been identified for dredging and channelisation, while 10 jetties spread across the state were being constructed.

    The ministry, he said, was working with the Justice ministry to enforce compliance with safety standards and checkmate any illegal activity by operators.

    Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) General Manager Tiamiyu Adeshina said the Jet Skis would be deployed to aid rescue operation in case of emergency, and helps to fight crime.

    “Each of the Jet Skis has the capacity to carry two divers and the idea behind this is that when an incident occurred on the water, there is a Jet Ski that will move divers fast to the incident scene while the rescue boats are coming behind and when they get there, divers are dropping into the waters and as soon as they rescue people, we put them into the rescue boat and take them to hospital,” Adeshina said.

    Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) Managing Director Damilola Emmanuel, said the commissioning was the beginning of sustainable development for the waterways, adding that apart from efforts by the agency to enforce safety standards, the government has concluded plans to license 10 new operators who would provide better ferries.

  • ‘Passengers must fill Manifest form’

    Passengers  must  fill manifest form   before commercial transporters drive out of motor parks, the Ikeja Unit Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps, Emma Fekoya, has said.

    She said filling of the form must be a mandatory exercise by passengers on each vehicle, saying it enables easy trace of the passengers address in case of an accident.

    She spoke at Eid-Kabir celebration and pre-ember month safety campaign at interstate commercial transport motor park at Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos.

    Mrs Fekoya said all commercial vehicle owners and drivers are expected to ensure filling of the passengers manifest  as other component parts in their vehicle.

    She appealed to drivers to avoid night journey, saying crashes in the night are always fatal while casuality are higher than the day due to lack of quick response of traffic agencies.

    The FRSC chief said the exercise was organised in accordance to the Corps mandate of improving public education to stem the high level of accidents.

    She said the Command has been organising such campaign/rally in the motor parks across its jurisdiction. She noted that the Command has also organised capacity building workshop for its Special Marshals, titled: “Aspects of road safety” to train both Regular and Special Marshals with the Corps strategy that would reduce traffic crashes during the ember months.

    The officers, she said were trained on enforcement of road signs/markings, speed limiter violation, drug abuse, tyres violation, lane indiscipline, overloading, excess speeding and role of technology in road safety.

    She said the Road Safety officers would disguise, entering commercial bus unlike other normal passengers but inspect the vehicle’s component and also monitor the drivers’ behaviour while on the road.

  • Police warn drivers, passengers not to collect edibles

    The police in Enugu State have warned drivers and passengers against collecting edibles from strangers, who drug people and dispossess them of their belongings.

    Ebere Amaraizu, police spokesman, gave the warning in a statement in Enugu.

    He said: “The command reminds the public, particularly passengers and drivers of taxi and tricycles, on the need to be security-conscious by being wary of the antics of mischief-makers, who hide under the guise of passengers to wreak havoc on cab and tricycle operators.

    “These mischief-makers drug fruit juice, sachet water, soft drinks and suya (roasted meat), which they give to driver or co-passengers, to express ‘kindness’, with a view to making the driver and co-passengers weak and unconscious, thereby running away with the taxi, or Keke Napep, or belongings of a co-passenger.’’

    Amaraizu said the mischief-makers also acted as chartered passenger(s) to tricycles’ and cabs’ operators, tricking them to either a hotel, supermarket or bar as if they are meeting someone for an appointment.

    “They will order for drinks or suya (roasted meat), including water for the operator to enable him (mischief-maker) finish discussions with whoever he has come to see.

    “The unsuspecting victim most times relaxes and consumes the items and after a while becomes unconscious.

    “The mischief-maker then runs away with the car or tricycle,’’ he said.

    He said the command advised the public to be vigilant not to fall victims.

    “The command, working  with other security agencies and stakeholders, has put measures in place to fish culprits and punish them,’’ he said.

  • Unruly passengers risk prosecution, NCAA warns

    Unruly passengers risk prosecution, NCAA warns

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) yesterday warned those it called irate and belligerent passengers to stop attacking airline officials or face criminal charges.

    In a statement by its General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Sam Adurogboye, NCAA said the warning became necessary because of the reports from some airports, detailing brutal attacks on airlines officials.

    According to Adurogboye, the attacks are embarrassing and discourteous to the affected officials.

    “The NCAA undoubtedly recognises that the operating airlines must at all times uphold the conditions of carriage and contract on each passenger’s ticket.

    “This means that all passengers are conferred with inalienable rights when they are travelling by air, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs 2015 Part 19).

    “It prescribes minimum rights for air travellers on the occurrence of any of the following– no show and overbooking of flight, denied boarding, delay and cancellation of flights.”

  • Pandemonium at Abuja Airport as irate passengers attack Air Peace duty manager

    Pandemonium at Abuja Airport as irate passengers attack Air Peace duty manager

    •We’ll no longer tolerate attacks on our staff, airline warns

    Pandemonium broke out last night at the departure hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NNIA), Abuja, when irate passengers attacked the duty manager of Air Peace over cancelation of Abuja-Benin flight.

    The passengers got angry when the airline announced the cancellation of the flight.

    The aggrieved passengers, according to eyewitnesses, vented their anger on the duty manager and the airline’s facilities.

    A source said it took the intervention of some men of the Nigerian Air Force, who were invited, to save the duty manager from being killed.

    Confirming the development, the spokesman of Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, said : “While we were making effort to resolve the challenge with the decision to commence our operations very early on Friday, a truck operated by SAHCOL rammed into another of our aircraft at the Benin Airport and the aircraft was again declared unserviceable.

    “The aircraft involved in the Benin incident was scheduled to do seven sectors, including our Abuja-Benin service.

    “Given the development, we had no choice but to cancel our Abuja-Benin service and asked those who were willing to reschedule for Saturday to do so, while others should be immediately refunded.

    “Some passengers, who were to fly with us from Abuja to Benin, however, went violent. They attacked our staff in Abuja and almost killed our duty manager.

    “It took the intervention of Air Force personnel, who were reportedly called in by the airport authorities, to rescue our duty manager from the mob.

    “But that did not prevent the passengers from destroying our facilities. The menacing passengers also prevented others from boarding their own flights, thereby complicating the situation.”

    Meanwhile, Air Peace has condemned the attacks on its staff by some unruly passengers in Abuja, Lagos, Calabar and other parts of the country, warning that it would no longer condone members of the public endangering the lives of its workers.

    A statement issued by the Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwarah, regretted that security agents had failed to halt the trend of members of the public invading airport facilities to attack airline workers.

    The airline said: “On Thursday, April 20, 2017, the winglet of one of our aircraft, which was being towed within the very limited space at the ramp of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos to position for departure, had a partial contact with the stabiliser of another of our aircraft.

    “We subsequently declared the two aircraft unserviceable in line with our high safety standards.

    “We were, therefore, compelled to adjust our schedules to close the gaps created by the two aircraft, which were scheduled to do 14 sectors.

    “While we were trying to salvage the situation, some unruly passengers took the law into their own hands, preventing passengers from boarding and making it impossible for our aircraft to fly.

    “In Abuja, a former number three citizen of this country, whose flight returned to Abuja when it could not land in Enugu due to the closure of the airport at 7 p.m., refused to disembark and incited others to join him in his lawless action.

    “The aircraft was eventually detained overnight in Abuja.

    “The action of the former federal lawmaker and other unruly passengers in our different stations worsened the already difficult schedule we were making effort to save.

    “Some flights we were prepared to operate despite the challenge we were facing were eventually cancelled.

    “In Lagos, some other passengers attacked and almost killed our station manager.

    “Also in Calabar, unruly passengers had an unchallenged day, preventing our aircraft from flying.

    “On Sunday, April 16 our staff were also attacked at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

    “It is surprising all these attacks could take place at the nation’s airports, a high security environment, without any challenge whatsoever from security agents.

    “The situation has, therefore, left us with no choice but to resort to our right to self-defence to prevent our staff from being killed.

    “We can no longer tolerate unruly passengers maiming our staff simply because we have chosen to provide service in a very challenging environment.

  • Easter celebrations: Abuja-Kaduna railway records 6,659 passengers

    Easter celebrations: Abuja-Kaduna railway records 6,659 passengers

    The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said it conveyed 6,659 passengers via the Abuja-Kaduna route during the Easter celebrations from Thursday to Monday.

    The Station Manager, Mr Victor Adamu, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

    “On Thursday last week, we ran our normal trips and we carried 1,744 passengers. On Good Friday, we had 1,807 passengers and on Saturday, we had only one trip with 685 passengers on board.

    “We also had one trip on Sunday with 581 passengers on board. Meanwhile, we resumed our full trips on Easter Monday with 1,842 passengers making the trips.

    “On the whole, we had 6,659 passengers during this Easter season,” he said.

    Adamu, however, debunked the allegation of overselling of tickets, explaining that the population of people making use of the train during the airport closure was overwhelming.

    “Train officials do not oversell tickets to passengers,” he said.

    He attributed the congestion to the free airport train services and the pressure mounted on officials by passengers who would insist on going with the train in spite of it being full in order not to miss their flights.

    “The inflow of passengers going to the airport is too much, especially at the Kubwa station.

    “Once the train arrives, all of them will just go in and you cannot stop them, because they are not paying; they will usually accuse you of wanting them to miss their flights.

    “So, we can’t do anything than to allow them because the population of passengers these few weeks had been overwhelming,” he said.

    The manager, however, said that the issue of congestion would be over as soon as the Abuja airport reopened.

  • 15 dead as truck conveying cows, passengers plunges into river

    Fifteen persons lost their lives in Adamawa on Sunday when a truck conveying cows and passengers lost control on a bridge and fell into the drying river.

    The Adamawa Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the figure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Monday.

    Adetunji said that the accident occurred at about 10p.m. on the Ngurore Bridge on Yola-Numan Road.

    He said that before the arrival of FRSC personnel at the scene, the victims had been evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, and Specialists Hospital, Yola.

    Adetunji said that the numbers of injured persons had yet to be ascertained.

    “I received a call at about 22:00hours on Sunday that there was a crash on Ngurore Bridge on Yola-Numan Highway.

    “On arrival at the scene, we discovered that it was a truck carrying cows and passengers that lost control and fell into the drying river,” the commander told NAN.

    According to him, six dead bodies were deposited at the Federal Medical Centre and nine at the Specialists Hospital.

    He advised motorists to shun night driving as well as avoid transporting human beings and animals in the same vehicle.

  • ‘Passengers in Cross River, two others paid highest bus fare in January’

    Residents of Cross River, Abuja and Adamawa paid the highest bus fare than others in the country last month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.

    The comparison is based on the latest report by the NBS’ Transport Fare Watch in January, which covers bus journey within the city, intercity and state per drop on constant routes.

    It also covers charge per person, air fare charge for specified routes, single journey, journey by motorcycle (okada) per drop and water way passenger transport.

    The report said an Abuja resident paid an average of N290 for bus journey within the city in January.

    It said average fare paid by commuters for bus journey within the city also dropped by 17.72 per cent month-on-month.

    ”States with highest bus journey fare within city in January are Abuja N290.55, Cross River N210 and Adamawa N200.

    ”States with lowest bus journey fare within city in January are Borno N50, Yobe N65 and Bauchi/Bayelsa N70,’’ the report said.

    It said the fare dropped by 58.35 per cent year-on-year to N1,430.63 in January from N1,631.14 in December 2016.

    The report said average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity dropped by 12.29 per cent month-on-month.

    It said the fare increased by 31.02 per cent year-on-year to N122.83 in January from N149.28 in December 2016.

    The report said states with highest bus journey within city in January were Abuja N4,960, Adamawa N3,500.45 and Lagos N2,207.14.

    ”The states with lowest bus journey fare within city in the month were Katsina N742.86, Ebonyi N700 and Abia N593.33.

    “Average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey increased by 0.15 per cent month-on-month and 31.33 per cent year-on-year to N30, 793.43 in January from N30, 747.71 in December 2016.

    ”States with highest air fare in January were Edo N40,000, Adamawa N37,700 and Delta N35,900, while states with lowest air fare in January 2017 were Kebbi N25,000, Kaduna N23,308.48 and Katsina N18,900.93,’’ it added.

  • Luxurious bus accident: I had lost hope – survivor

    Luxurious bus accident: I had lost hope – survivor

    • I had lost hope, says survivor

    Three persons, including a driver, Sidi Abudu, 40, Friday lost their lives after an interstate luxurious bus in which they were travelling plunged into the Majidun River, Ikorodu.

    Fifty-nine people were on board the ill-fated bus which had taken off from Aba, Abia state for Lagos on Thursday evening.

    It had travelled all night stopping over in Benin, Edo State to pick more passengers.

    However, on the Majidun River bridge at Owode Onirin, about 30 minutes from its Mazamaza, Lagos, final destination the bus unexpectedly took a plunge into the depth of the water below.

    Time was about 3.30am

    Scene of the accident
    Scene of the accident

    Some of the passengers were able to swim their way out of danger immediately while officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) who raced to the scene succeeded in rescuing the rest, save the three that died.

    Dead were Abudu, the conductor of the bus and a female passenger.

    The accident sparked a gridlock on the road as motorists and commuters set out to go about their businesses.

    LASEMA attributed the accident to over-speeding.

    General Manger of the organisation, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu said: “The bus skidded off its track while on high speed and plunged into the canal.

    “Of the 59 passengers on board, 23 persons sustained injuries. Some of them were treated on the spot by paramedics from LASAMBUS, but nine persons were taken to the Lagos State Trauma Centre, Toll Gate, for further treatment.

    “Then three victims including two adult males and a female were recovered dead from the water. The bus was also recovered with the help of a crane.

    “The rescue team handed over the dead bodies, their belongings and the recovered bus to policemen at Owode Division.

    “Proper investigation would be conducted on the incident. Motorists are advised to be safety conscious and avoid excessive speeding while driving especially when embarking on night journeys.”

  • Lufthansa strike leaves passengers stranded

    Lufthansa strike leaves passengers stranded

    Hundreds of Nigerian passengers were yesterday  stranded at airports in Lagos, Abuja  and Port Harcourt  as pilots of German carrier,  Lufthansa Airlines embarked on a strike over pay rise.

    The strike will affect over 100,000 passengers on its global network.

    The airline is expected to lose between $7.4 million and $ 9.6 million per day .

    The action  will affect flights departing from German airports, including 51 long-haul  scheduled flights.

    Flights  by Lufthansa‘s other airlines, including Germanwings, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Brussels Airlines, will not be affected.