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 National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has revealed that Nigerian airlines are battling a severe jet fuel crisis, triggered by soaring jet fuel prices and supply shortages.
This is the latest blow to the aviation industry, which escaped an industrial action by airline operators over the price of jet fuel.
The latest development is increasing costs, disrupting flights and creating concerns about operational safety and sustainability.
According to Reuters, the persistent scarcity of jet fuel has triggered widespread operational challenges, including flight delays, route adjustments and extended crew duty periods, as airlines struggle to manage schedules amid rising costs.
According to the President of the association, Captain Bunmi Gindeh, the fuel shortages were pushing crews beyond planned limits, increasing fatigue and potentially eroding safety margins in an industry governed by strict rest regulations.
According to local carrier Rano Air, it revealed that jet fuel prices had more than quadrupled, as well as made some routes commercially unsustainable, forcing operational adjustments.
Other carriers have also begun rescheduling or cancelling flights and cutting unprofitable routes, industry sources cited by Reuters said.
This comes at a difficult time for Nigeria’s aviation sector, already strained by foreign-exchange volatility, high aircraft maintenance costs, airport infrastructure strains and fuel price swings.
Airlines group, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), last month threatened to suspend operations over what they described as crippling and artificially inflated jet fuel prices.
Nigeria’s airline industry carries millions of passengers annually across an extensive domestic network and plays a critical role in connecting cities where road travel is often slow or insecure, making reliable air services economically and socially important.
The publication reported that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said fuel prices would not be capped, adding that any decisions on deregulated products would be formally communicated.
The crisis is worsening existing problems in Nigeria’s aviation sector, including forex instability, expensive aircraft maintenance and weak infrastructure.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has approved the establishment of a national aircraft leasing company aimed at easing access to modern fleets for domestic airlines and transforming aviation financing in Nigeria.
The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Mr Festus Keyamo, announced the decision after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), describing the move as a significant shift in how Nigerian carriers will acquire and finance aircraft.
Mr Keyamo said the proposed company would operate as a private-sector-driven Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with government backing.
“This initiative is a game-changer for our aviation industry. It eliminates the long-standing challenges Nigerian airlines face in accessing aircraft on competitive terms and positions the country as a hub for aviation financing in Africa,” he said.
According to the minister, the new platform will allow airlines to source aircraft through a centralised system, replacing the current model where operators negotiate individually with international lessors, often at higher costs and stricter terms.
Mr Keyamo noted that the government’s role would be largely supportive, providing sovereign guarantees to boost investor confidence, while private sector players drive the project.
“Through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, the government will hold equity and earn revenue without direct financial investment. Our primary obligation is to provide the confidence investors need, especially in ensuring asset security,” he added.
The initiative, he said, has already begun attracting interest from both local and international investors, signalling early confidence in its viability.
Beyond supporting Nigerian carriers, the leasing company is also expected to extend services across West Africa and the broader continent, positioning Nigeria as a regional hub for aircraft leasing.
Airlines in Nigeria have come into focus in recent weeks due to renewed concerns over the financial sustainability of operators, which almost forced them to suspend operations last month. However, the Bola Tinubu-led government 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.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Air travellers flying through Emirates will enjoy Starlink Wi-Fi onboard after the completion of the installation of the internet service on the company’s flagship A380.
The introduction of Starlink on the A380 builds on Emirates’ ongoing investment into redefining the customer journey, including one of the most ambitious retrofit programmes in aviation history.
The airline operator recently test-run this on a flight to Dubai, and it allowed passengers to enjoy seamless broadband while flying at 40,000 feet.
The Emirates A380 was one of the first commercial aircraft in the world to offer internet to its customers, with first-generation systems offering a total aircraft bandwidth of less than 1 Mbps. The installation and certification were accomplished in Newquay, UK.
With more A380s scheduled for accelerated installation throughout 2026, Emirates customers will soon enjoy a transformative leap in onboard connectivity with the ability to stream, game, browse, and work throughout their journey on personal devices.
The service will be complimentary for all customers, across all cabins, with easy sign-up and access. Future enhancements will include Live TV streaming over Starlink, initially on personal devices and later integrated into seatback screens.
So far, more than 650,000 Emirates customers have already flown on Starlink‑equipped flights, experiencing the benefits of next‑generation onboard connectivity firsthand.
As the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the A380 presents unique engineering challenges and opportunities. This industry-first Starlink configuration is designed to meet the demands of the A380’s ‘double-decker’ layout and high passenger capacity and is capable of delivering more than 2 Gbps of total aircraft bandwidth across the cabin.
Compared with the Emirates Boeing 777, the Emirates A380 features additional wireless access points and a third antenna to deliver an enhanced connectivity experience for its higher passenger capacity. Optimised inter‑deck integration supports a seamless Wi‑Fi experience, with customers able to enjoy high speeds depending on usage and device capability.
Starlink installations will soon begin at Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai to accelerate deployment across the fleet.
Emirates is committed to bringing the best possible connectivity to its entire fleet at the earliest opportunity, with 25 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft already equipped with Starlink and the first A380 now joining service.
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