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Tag: Plane

  • PLANE, TRCN unveil professional standards for school leadership

    PLANE, TRCN unveil professional standards for school leadership

    The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has launched its newly developed Professional Standards for School Leadership in Nigeria for Basic and Secondary Education.

    The Professional Standard for School Leadership in Nigeria is a comprehensive framework and reference document designed to enhance the quality and effectiveness of school leadership across the country.

    It was developed and published by TRCN with the support of the British Council and the UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) programme.

    According to TRCN, the development of the standards is a significant step towards improving the quality of education in Nigeria by ensuring that school leaders are well-equipped to meet the demands of modern education environments.

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    The document specifies the key role school leaders play in leading and managing schools, in line with government’s policy, to provide a high-quality education that will meet the needs of all Nigerian children and young people.

    Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman emphasised the importance of providing teachers with an appropriate environment to drive the education system.

    He noted that teachers are crucial in laying the foundational blocks that shape children’s futures.

  • PLANE, stakeholders tackle gender equality, social inclusion

    PLANE, stakeholders tackle gender equality, social inclusion

    Technical Lead on Governance of Non-State Systems, Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria programme (PLANE), Dr. James Fadokun, has called for the mainstreaming of Gender Equality, Social Inclusion (GESI) and Safeguarding to help deepen equitable and quality education across public and private basic schools.

    He spoke at a two-day capacity development on GESI and safeguarding minimum standards for non-state schools association and gender and safeguarding desk officers in MDAs in Abuja. The training was organised by PLANE through Development Alternative Incorporated (DAI), with funding support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

    He said: “It is very important to mainstream GESI in all our education system because we believe for us to have equitable and quality education, the issue of gender equality and inclusion are very critical.

    “We need to ensure that our schools, policies, financing and budget are inclusive. We need to ensure that inclusive and gender teaching is going on in our classes and to ensure that children are protected from all abuses.

    “In all our interventions, the issue of GESI and safeguarding are very critical. When you look at what is happening around the non-state schools there are concerns about children’s safety. That is the reason why we felt that this kind of programme was important to let the Federal Ministry of Education be aware of what we are doing around GESI, disability issues and safeguarding.

    “It is good to sensitise school managers and planners so that some of these things can be mainstreamed into policies and planning.”

    Director, Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Olatunji-David, pledged the support of the government to the implementation of GESI and safeguarding in schools.

    Olatunji-David, who was represented by a deputy director in the department, Ogoke Blessing, said: “The idea is to sensitise the non- state schools on the need for gender equality. We need to create awareness on gender equality and create the right atmosphere to ensure that there is no segregation between boys and girls.

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    “We need to also have the right teachers to ensure that our children acquire the right knowledge.

    “The FMoE is ready to collaborate with PLANE in promoting safety and minimum standards as it has to do with gender equality and social inclusion in the private schools.”

    Also, the National President, Coalition of Non-state School Association in Nigeria, Saleh Kwaru, said the coalition would monitor the implementation of GESI and safeguarding in private schools.

    He said: “The message first is to discuss with the leaders and reach out to our various associations and pass the message across. There are some private schools that have gone far in the implementation even beyond what the government has in place.

    “We will ensure that this information is cascaded across to even the smaller schools in the country.”

    Participants were encouraged to ensure the implementation of important policies such as The National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in Nigeria, the National Gender Policy and Inclusive Education Policy, Child Rights Act and the Nigerian Disability Rights Act.

  • South Sudan plane crash ‘kills 19’

    Nineteen people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed into a lake as it tried to land in thick fog in central South Sudan, reports say.

    Only four people, including two children, survived the crash, said government official Taban Abel Aguek.

    The victims include the pilot and co-pilot, a staff member of the Red Cross and an Anglican bishop, he told AFP.

    The aircraft was carrying 23 people from the capital, Juba, to the city of Yirol yesterday.

    “When it arrived the weather was so foggy and when it tried to land it crashed into Lake Yirol adjacent to Yirol town,” Mr Abel Aguek, the regional government minister, said.

    “The whole town is in shock, the shops are closed, some people have taken their relatives for burial. It is a commercial plane that crashed,” he added.

    Images posted on Twitter by Radio Miraya showed the twisted wreckage of the aircraft submerged in water as local fishermen used canoes to help with rescue and retrieval efforts.

  • We didn’t stop plane from landing in Makurdi for political reasons, says Air Force

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday denied that it prevented a chartered flight from landing at its Base in Makurdi for political reasons.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Southern and Middle Belt Forum on Monday alleged that NAF denied them landing rights in Makurdi to attend a Middle Belt summit on restructuring.

    NAF Director of Public Relations and Information AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya said in a statement yesterday that there was a clearly established procedure for non-NAF aircraft to operate into and out of Makurdi.

    “The attention of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has sadly been drawn to allegations that it prevented a chartered flight from landing at its Base in Makurdi on July 16, 2018, for political reasons.

    “There is absolutely no iota of truth in the allegations that NAF’s decision was politically motivated.

    “To start with, the runway at NAF Base Makurdi is not a dual user facility but one constructed strictly for military purpose.

    “Accordingly, in line with global best practices, there is a clearly established procedure for non-NAF aircraft to operate into and out of the runway in Makurdi, and that procedure is well-known to all qualified pilots in Nigeria.

    “Indeed, many airlines had in the past adhered to the stipulated procedure and therefore successfully landed and taken off from the NAF runway in Makurdi.

    “The procedure includes a written request to NAF Headquarters, Abuja for permission for a specific aircraft to operate into its airfield on a specific date and time, including the names of passengers and other necessary details.”

    “In this case, there was indeed a request for permit by the Benue State Government, dated July 16, 2018, for aircraft with Registration Number 5N-FCT to land at NAF Base Makurdi on July 16, 2018.”

    He said requests for landing permits were expected to reach NAF Headquarters not later than two days before the desired landing date.

    According to Adesanya, the NAF, however, went out of its way to expedite the process and accordingly granted the permit for aircraft with Registration Number 5N-FCT to land at NAF Base Makurdi on July 16.

    He added: “However, at about 5 p.m. on 16 July 2018, the NAF was verbally informed that there was a need to change the aircraft for which permission had already been issued, reportedly because the aircraft had developed snags.

    “The NAF, therefore, asked for another written request, in line with the established procedure.

    He said “as at date”, the NAF Headquarters was yet to receive a written request for the replacement aircraft with Registration Number 5N-IZY to land at its Base in Makurdi.

    “For the avoidance of doubts, the NAF does not concern itself with political or religious affiliations of individuals/organisations in granting landing rights at its airfields.

    “The issue of security and safety remains uppermost, particularly while noting that the ongoing Operation WHIRL STROKE is largely being coordinated from NAF Base Makurdi, with fighter aircraft flying in and out of the Base.”

     

     

  • Kenya says plane on domestic flight missing

    A search for a small passenger plane that disappeared in Kenya on Tuesday was called off for the evening but will resume at dawn, said late on Tuesday.

    The plane had taken off from Kitale, a town in Kenya’s west, en route to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the capital, Nairobi, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

    It carried eight passengers and two crew members, according to a statement on the website of Fly Sax, the operator of the flight.

    “Search and rescue teams … were activated immediately and have as at this evening yielded no results.

    “They have paused the search for the night and shall resume at first light tomorrow morning,” KCAA said. (Reuters/NAN)

  • 10 dead after light plane crashes into house

    Ten people, including three children, were killed on Saturday when a twin-engine light aircraft crashed into a house in the northern Philippines, officials said.

    The Piper 23 Apache plane had just taken off from an airport in the town of Plaridel in Bulacan province when it stalled and plunged, said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

    The plane, which was on its way to the northern city of Laoag, was carrying four passengers and the pilot, who were all killed in the crash, Aviation Authority spokesman, Eric Apolonio, said.

    The co-pilot, who was on the flight manifest, reported that he was not able to go on the trip, he added.

    The aircraft burst into flames as it crashed into the house in a nearby village, killing five residents, according to Plaridel town Mayor Jocell Vista Casaje.

    “Three children aged 7, 10 and 17 years were among those killed in the house. We just retrieved the last body from the gutted house,” Casaje said.

    The father of the family that lived in the house said his two sons, wife, daughter and mother-in-law were home during the accident, said Felicisima Mungcal, head of the provincial disaster relief agency.

    “The house was totally gutted by the fire,” she said, adding that the victims were reportedly having lunch when the accident happened.

    The father of the family, who arrived after some bodies had already been retrieved, was “very distraught but accepted it was an accident,” Casaje said.

    Investigators have yet to determine what caused the plane crash. Aviation authorities have grounded all aircraft of the company that operated the ill-fated Piper 23 Apache

  • Robbers attack plane on runway

    Robbers attack plane on runway

    A gang of robbers on Thursday night swooped on an Air Peace plane while preparing for takeoff at the Murtala Muhammed Airport , Lagos.

    The incident occurred at about 7.35 pm on Runway 18 Right ( A1) of the airport,the airline said yesterday.

    It said suspected bandits opened the cargo hold of the  aircraft.

    Spokesman for the company, Chris Iwarah said the crew observed the development and insisted on thorough security of the Abuja – bound flight after the incident .

    Iwarah said the carrier’s crew acted in line with the high safety standards of the airline.

    He expressed appreciation to “all our wonderful guests on board Flight 7138 for their support, patience and cooperation throughout the precautionary security checks conducted by Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) squad, Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria Aviation Security and our security team after suspected thieves opened the cargo hold of our aircraft.”

    Pilot-in-Command, Capt. Adesola Arasi was said to have  contacted the  control tower “when he was alerted by the light that came on in the cockpit suggesting that the cargo hold was opened for about 15 seconds and immediately shut.”

    He added: “In line with our high security standards and the huge value we place on the lives of our guests and crew, Capt. Arasi insisted on having EOD squad check Flight APK 7138 before takeoff to be doubly sure nothing was deposited in the cargo hold by the suspected thieves to endanger the lives of our guests and crew.

    “Our guests, who were fully briefed of the development by the pilot-in-command, were advised to disembark from the aircraft and board an Air Peace bus while the joint security operation by EOD, FAAN AVSEC and our security team lasted. The Lagos-Abuja flight was cleared by the security experts after exhaustive screening of the aircraft lasting about 30 minutes.

    “The flight eventually took off at 9.30pm and safely landed in Abuja at about 10.23pm. Our satisfied guests commended the professionalism of Capt. Arasi and his team as well as the high safety standards of Air Peace.”

     

  • Ex-Governor Suntai dies five years after surviving plane crash

    Ex-Governor Suntai dies five years after surviving plane crash

    Two days to his 56th birthday, a former Taraba State Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai died yesterday in Orlando, Florida, United States.

    He had been in and out of hospital in Europe and the U.S. in the last five years, after surviving a plane crash at the Yola airport.

    Then the sitting governor of his state, he flew the aircraft that crashed on October 25, 2012 but managed to complete his tenure in 2015 after being treated for the injuries he sustained.

    The former governor was born in Suntai, Bali Local Government Area on June 30, 1961

    The Aide-de-Camp to Suntai, Mr. Dasat Iliya; his Chief Security Officer Timo Dangana and the Chief Detail, Joel Dangana, were also aboard the private Cessna plane that crashed.

    Following the crash the ex-governor was initially treated at Adamawa Standard German Hospital in Yola, the National Hospital in Abuja on October 26, 2012 and at a hospital in Germany.

    On his discharge from the german hospital, he was moved to a rehabilitation centre in the United States.

    Suntai in 2009 survived food poisoning. He took a medical leave to detoxify his system in a German hospital.

    Suntai’s former Commissioner for Information, Emmanuel Bello, a senior special assistant to Governor Darius Ishaku, said Suntai died in the early hours of yesterday. But he could not give the detail.

    Bello said:   “Former Governor Suntai is dead. It is two days to his birthday. Life. And death. And politics.”

    A source said: “The plane crash affected his brain, hearing and speech. He could barely communicate or audible. It has been harrowing with his wife, ex-First Lady Hauwa bearing the burden.

    “He also suffered problem in his spinal cord because he was on specialized wheelchair in the past fiveyears.

    “I think he got the best medical care from his family and he virtually lost everything to huge hospital bills. He was a good man.”

    Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, representing Taraba southern zone, has described the death of the former Governor of Taraba State Danbaba Danfulani Suntai as the “will of God.”

    He was undergoing rehabilitation from the injuries he sustained in a plane crash near Yola –the Adamawa State capital on October 2012 in Orlando, Florida USA.

    Senator Bwacha said he received the news of his death with a “rude shock.”

    “But I give glory to God.

    “The death of former Governor Danbaba Suntai is according to His (God’s) will,” Bwacha said.

    A former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi described Suntai’s death as painful and prayed to God to grant him eternal rest, and to grant to his family and the people of Taraba state the fortitude to accept His will.

    Taraba State House of Assembly Speaker Peter Abel Diah said: “His demise is shocking. The last time, I learnt he wasn’t doing fine. It’s really sad.”

  • Russia says no sign of survivors after plane crashes with 93 aboard

    The Russian Defence Ministry said that “no survivors are seen” from the Tu-154 military plane that crashed on Sunday in the Black Sea off the coast of Sochi.

    The plane, which was carrying 93 people, including a renowned choir to perform for the holidays at a Russian airbase in Syria, crashed shortly after takeoff, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in televised comments.

    At least four bodies have been recovered from the crash site, with major debris found about 1.5 kilometres from the coast, Konashenkov said. He earlier said 92 people were aboard the plane.

    The Russian military’s most prominent choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble, was travelling to Syria’s coastal region of Latakia to perform at the Khmeimim airbase, Russia’s main base of operations for its military campaign in the Syrian civil war.

    The plane was carrying more than 60 musicians, including the choir’s revered conductor, Lt-Gen. Valery Khalilov, and nine journalists, according to a list published on the Defence Ministry’s website.

    There are “practically no chances” that anyone survived the crash, the Interfax news agency cited an undisclosed source in Russia’s emergency services as saying earlier.

    Russia has been supporting its longtime ally Syria with a bombing campaign against militant groups for more than a year.

    Last week Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot dead in Ankara by a gunman who shouted Islamist slogans and denounced Moscow’s military involvement in Syria.

    The most likely cause of the crash was either a problem with the plane or pilot error, state news agency RIA Novosti cited an undisclosed source as saying.

    Russian federal investigators have opened a criminal case into the incident on charges of disobeying aviation rules, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on its website.

    Designed in the late 1960s and with more than a thousand produced, Tu-154s were one of the main airliners of the Soviet Union and its successor states for decades until they began to be phased out in recent years.

    The planes have been involved in almost a dozen major crashes since 2000, killing more than 800 people, including Poland’s then-president Lech Kaczynski near the Russian city of Smolensk in 2010.

    Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has been in “continual contact” with President Vladimir Putin over Sunday’s incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments carried by state media. (dpa/NAN)

  • Russian military plane disappears from radar with dozens on board

    A Russian Defence Ministry flight carrying dozens of people has vanished from the radar screens after departing from the resort city of Sochi, Russian media reported on Sunday, citing preliminary findings.
    A total of 91 people were on board the Tu-154 aircraft, including musicians and media representatives, the Sputnik news agency quoted a security service source as saying.

    Meanwhile, some media outlets cited sources as saying that the plane might have crashed in mountains in Krasnodar Krai.

    Based on preliminary information, the accident was caused by technical malfunction or pilot error, a law enforcement source was quoted as saying.

    The vanished airplane is not a civilian one and was en route to the Syrian port city of Latakia, according to Russian aviation and emergency ministry authorities.

    The Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range airliner produced by Russian aerospace and defence company Tupolev.

    It is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in use and widely used in extreme Arctic conditions. (Xinhua/NAN)