Travel/Tourism
Abuja Airport Closure: Fashola Calls for Careful Driving to Avoid Accidents
By Dipo Olowookere
Ahead of the planned reconstruction and repair of the Abuja Airport runway, which would lead to a diversion of air traffic and passengers from Abuja to Kaduna, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola at the weekend, inspected progress of work on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The Minister, who stopped at several points on the road to ascertain the quality of work being done in company with the Minister of State, Mr Mustapha Baba Shehuri, and other senior officials of the Ministry, said the Federal Government through the Ministry was effecting the emergency repair work to ensure that the road was safe and motorable even as he called for careful driving to avoid accidents during the period of closure and on the nation’s roads generally.
In an interactive session with newsmen after the inspection, Mr Fashola said although government has embarked on the emergency repair of the road to make it safe by removing the potholes , a lot depended on the users of the road to ensure that they remain safe and avoid accidents while the closure lasted.
The Minister, who said he would wish a day when no accidents would be reported on the nation’s roads, expressed regrets that such a wish remained farfetched adding that apart from the condition of the roads, human error constituted, from available reports, a very significant factor in road accidents.
Recalling an accident that occurred on the same day on the road involving a heavy truck, the Minister said the accident most likely happened in the night advising that those who drive heavy trucks in the night must try and get as much as sleep as they could during the day.
Also advocating training and retraining for drivers, Mr Fashola declared, “I think that it is fair to say that not many people who manage vehicles on our roads are actually trained to manage vehicles on the roads; many people are auxiliary drivers for want of something better to do”.
“There are rules in the operation and utilization of automobiles”, he said adding that the FRSC has continued to address the problem in terms of education, enlightenment and the introduction of a speed limiting device while his Ministry was also looking at how to assist them in the short to medium terms by introducing some speed cameras to deter people and support the efforts of the Corps.
Pointing out that the wish to stay alive rested ultimately it in the hands of drivers themselves, Mr Fashola said such a wish must be matched with abstention from substance abuse that some vehicle operators subject their bodies to adding that such abuses make their bodies vulnerable.
He, however, said the effort to prevent or limit accidents on the nation’s roads was an obligation on the government which, according to him, must not be given up adding that there was need to also go back to the primary schools and begin to teach road traffic behaviour from the foundation while also enlightening the older generation “that they must begin to prepare the younger generation to make sure they become better road users in future”.
On the purpose of the inspection, the Minister, who clarified that the work being carried out on the road was an emergency repair, and not the real reconstruction of the road, essentially to remove the potholes and reduce the risk of accidents, added that the purpose was to see the progress made on the repairs as the date for the closure of the airport was drawing near.
He told newsmen that, “The work that is being done here, you must understand this is a road of more than 160 kilometres. We are at kilometre 130 from Abuja. So the work that is being done as I said is an emergency intervention essentially to remove the dangerous potholes and eliminate potential hazards that could cause accidents for motorists on this road”.
According to the Minister, there is a major contract provision that is going through Procurement for the essential reconstruction of the road, which he recalled, was constructed in the early 1990s when it was expanded from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway adding that no record indicated that there has been any major repairs ever since.
“So the road needs to be rebuilt because it has been subjected to a lot of axle load. But what we are doing right now is emergency repairs to remove the potholes to make the road safe for commuters ahead of the planned reconstruction and repair of the Abuja Airport runway which will lead to a diversion of air traffic and passengers from Abuja to Kaduna which will start on the 8th of March”, he said.
The Minister, who noted that the role of his Ministry was to make the road motorable and safe for commuters reiterated that he just came to inspect the place to see the progress of work first hand, promised that the Ministry would deliver the road and hoped that the Aviation counterpart would also deliver the runway in six weeks as scheduled by it.
He told the newsmen, “You can see that some sections have been resurfaced completely but that is not the main reconstruction of the road; let us be clear about what is happening here”.
“The whole purpose of this contract is to cover the potholes on the 160 kilometres road two lanes on one side and two lanes on the other side; so that is really to cover 620 kilometres of potholes; that is a contract for N1 billion,” Mr Fashola said, adding that the amount was not what would be needed to rebuild the road.
The Minister reiterated, “So let’s be clear about that. This is emergency short term. When the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) gives the no objection contract, we will start when the airport runway would have been completed”.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United States (US) has warned that visa overstays by Nigerian travellers could deny future opportunities for other aspiring applicants.
The United States embassy had earlier in February stated that compliance would help protect visa access for students and business travellers.
In a reminder statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, the US Mission in Nigeria advised that strengthening compliance helps protect visa access for students, business travellers, and families who travel responsibly.
“#Reminder: Visa overstays by Nigerian travellers can affect opportunities for their fellow citizens. Strengthening compliance helps protect access for students, business travellers, and families who travel responsibly. If you are aware of visa fraud, please report it to [email protected] or [email protected],” the statement read.
Last August, the Mission also announced that all non-immigrant visa applicants must now provide details of their social media accounts from the past five years.
In a statement, the embassy said applicants are required to disclose usernames or handles from every platform used within the period when completing the DS-160 visa application form.
“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit,” the statement read.
The mission warned that omitting such information could result in visa denial and render applicants ineligible for future visas.
The DS-160 is the standard online form required for most US non-immigrant visas, including temporary business (B-1), tourism (B-2), student visas (F and M), and work-related categories such as the H-1B.
It insisted the new rules were designed to enhance security, they come amid repeated US criticism of governments accused of clamping down on free speech online.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved a 30 per cent relief on debts owed by local airlines to aviation agencies and ordered talks involving fuel marketers, airlines, and regulators to reach a fair jet fuel price.
He had earlier agreed in principle to write off part of domestic airlines’ debts to aviation agencies following successful talks with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).
The group demanded a total waiver of debts owed to aviation agencies to cushion the effect of a 300 per cent increase in aviation fuel prices during a crucial high-level meeting with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo and other critical stakeholders in Abuja.
Recall that the airlines had called off their impending strike due to commence on Monday over the rising cost of operations, particularly for fuel, triggered by the current Middle East crisis.
In an update on Thursday, Mr Keyamo said President Tinubu had approved the 30 per cent write‑off and tasked stakeholders, including fuel marketers, government representatives, airlines, and regulators, to reach a fair jet fuel price by Sunday.
Also, the federal government agreed to set up a committee to review taxes, levies and fees charged on domestic air tickets, to recommend cuts to ease pressure on airlines and passengers.
Engagements among representatives from government, airlines, fuel marketers, and regulators will continue to agree on what the minister described as “fair and reasonable” pricing for jet fuel, with any outcome to be made public.
The cost of fuel has generally risen in the last two months due to the escalating war with Iran by the US and Israel, which has triggered one of the most severe energy shocks in decades. Oil prices are currently above $100 per barrel as markets react to escalating tensions and the risk of prolonged disruption.
At the centre of the crisis is the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply flows. With shipping constrained, the effects are cascading across the global economy, raising fuel costs, fueling inflation, and increasing the risk of economic slowdown across many economies. This is forcing airlines to raise fares, curb growth plans and rethink forecasts.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has received a 91.4 per cent aviation safety rating following the latest assessment by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM), marking one of its strongest performances in recent years.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, who announced the development on Wednesday at his office in Abuja, describing it as one of the highest safety ratings Nigeria has achieved under ICAO evaluations since 1960.
He explained that the outcome follows a comprehensive audit in which all aviation agencies and airlines operating in the country were assessed and certified safe based on the findings of the ICAO visiting team.
Speaking further, Mr Keyamo attributed the success to President Tinubu’s deliberate policy and support for the aviation industry.
The ICVM team concluded its on-site safety oversight audit in Nigeria on Wednesday after beginning its review last week.
The exercise was carried out as a follow-up to the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), conducted between August and September 2023.
Mr Keyamo had on Wednesday disclosed key federal government interventions aimed at reducing the financial pressure on airlines following rising concerns over the cost of Jet A1 fuel and the threat of service disruptions in the aviation sector.
Mr Keyamo stated that President Bola Tinubu had approved a generous discount on certain outstanding fees owed to the government by airline operators after they threatened to shut down over a 300 per cent surge in jet fuel price
He explained that the decision is part of efforts to provide immediate relief to the sector and prevent a breakdown in air transport services.
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