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 Aduragbemi Omiyale
To help travellers move from trip intent to search, comparison and planning through natural conversation, Radisson Hotel Group has partnered with Accenture to introduce an AI-powered hotel discovery app in ChatGPT.
The launch marks an important step in Radisson Hotel Group’s move toward agentic commerce, a shift from traditional, channel-based booking journeys to AI-led experiences where discovery, comparison, and decision-making happen through conversation.
As travellers increasingly turn to AI to ask questions, narrow down options, and plan trips, hospitality brands need to be visible, accurate, and actionable at the moment of intent.
Available as @RadissonHotels in ChatGPT, the app enables users to search for Radisson Hotels properties across over 100 countries and more than 1,000 hotels through natural conversation.
By starting a new ChatGPT conversation with @RadissonHotels at the start of the prompt, travellers can ask for advice to plan a family-friendly weekend stay in Amsterdam, or a hotel in Paris with a gym and spa near the Eiffel Tower.
The app will respond with relevant Radisson Hotels properties with live inventory and rates, location context, amenities, hotel details, and interactive map-based results. When ready, travellers are directed to complete the reservation through the Radisson Hotels website.
Commenting on the development, the chief commercial officer of Radisson Hotel Group, Gianni Di Fede, said, “AI is radically transforming how people search for and book hotel stays, and we are committed to being at the forefront of this shift.
“With Accenture, we are reimagining hotel discovery for the next generation of travellers—meeting guests in the planning moment with a branded experience that makes it easier to find, compare, and book Radisson Hotels properties.”
Also commenting, the chief executive of Accenture, Ndidi Oteh, said, “Agentic commerce is fundamentally changing how people discover and choose brands. As journeys become more conversational and intent-driven, companies have to rethink how they show up — not just to be found, but to be chosen, and to deliver value in that moment.
“Radisson Hotel Group is taking a step in that direction, creating a more direct and meaningful way to connect with travellers when decisions are being made.”
The senior managing director and global Travel lead for Accenture, Emily Weiss, said, “With travel, planning is becoming easier for consumers, but more competitive for brands.
“Travellers want to compare options quickly, narrow down choices and book with confidence, often in a single journey. That puts pressure on brands to show up with accurate, up-to-date, and easy-to-navigate information at every step.
“With Radisson Hotel Group, the focus was on making hotel content more accessible, so travellers can find what they need, explore options, and move to booking more seamlessly.”
As traditional travel and second-residency destinations like London and Paris become increasingly restrictive and expensive, forward-thinking African investors are shifting their gaze, with Greece quietly emerging as the most strategic, high-value decision a Nigerian traveller or wealth-builder can make.
There is a version of Europe that Nigerians have been selling for decades, which is London, Paris and maybe Amsterdam. They are familiar, expensive and are becoming increasingly difficult to get into. Greece is the counter-argument. Older than all of them, more beautiful than most and, right now, quietly becoming one of the smartest moves an African traveller or investor, can make.
Greece: The Country
Greece is one of the few places in the world that earns every photograph taken of it. The Aegean in full summer light is genuinely that colour. The ruins are genuinely that old. The food is genuinely good. What makes Greece remarkable as a destination, however, is not a single thing, but a range of things.
Athens is a capital city carrying the full weight of Western civilisation on its back, and somehow still functioning as a modern, energetic place to actually live. The Acropolis sits above a neighbourhood of rooftop bars, vinyl record shops and restaurants where you eat well for a fraction of what you would spend in Rome. Santorini delivers on every expectation; Mykonos runs at a different frequency entirely. It is unapologetically cosmopolitan, built for people who want the Mediterranean and the party in the same week. Crete, the largest island, holds its own world: ancient Minoan ruins, dramatic gorges, a food culture distinct from the rest of Greece and enough coastline to spend a fortnight without repeating a beach.
Beyond the names, there are another two hundred inhabited islands. Some of the best experiences in Greece happen on the ones nobody has heard of.
Why It Works for Nigerians Specifically
Greek food is generous and deeply flavoured: grilled seafood, slow-cooked lamb, and wine that costs almost nothing. For a Nigerian palate, it lands. The country is safe, the English penetration in tourist areas is high, and the culture has genuine warmth toward visitors rather than a transactional tolerance of them.
Practically, Greece is also better value than the European destinations Nigerians typically default to. A week in Athens and one of the islands costs significantly less than an equivalent week in London or Paris, with a better climate and more to actually see.
Getting There and Getting In
There are no direct flights from Lagos or Abuja to Athens. Connections run through Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, Dubai on Emirates, or Addis Ababa on Ethiopian, with total journey times from around ten hours. Turkish Airlines tends to offer the most competitive fares on this corridor. Nigerian passport holders require a Schengen visa, which covers up to 90 days across the entire Schengen zone, implying that a Greece trip can roll into Italy or France on the same document.
The Bigger Play: Residency Through Property
For Nigerians who have spent years watching London prices climb past £500,000 and US investor visas demand upwards of $800,000 in complex, job-creating commitments, Greece quietly offers something the others have stopped offering: a clear, property-linked path to EU residency that actually works.
The Golden Visa programme is the mechanism. With a minimum real estate investment starting from €250,000, the Greek Golden Visa provides the lowest entry point, compared to other European residency schemes. Invest in qualifying Greek real estate, and you receive a five-year renewable EU residence permit for yourself, your spouse, your children and both sets of parents. No minimum stay or points system or lottery. It is simply ownership. And after seven years of continuous residency, a Greek and, therefore, EU passport becomes a genuine possibility.
The investment returns are real too. Athens property prices rose 8.5% in 2024 alone. Rental yields average 4–5% annually in the city, with stronger returns during peak tourism periods. New-build properties currently carry an exemption from the standard 24% VAT, reducing upfront costs considerably. For Nigerians looking to move wealth out of naira exposure and into a hard currency, income-generating asset in a stable EU market, the numbers are not incidental; they are the point.
But here is where most people get stuck: the fear of getting it wrong. Stories of fraudulent intermediaries, unclear property titles, and lost investments have made many Nigerians hesitant about putting serious money into foreign real estate. That hesitation is legitimate.
It is also exactly what MIBS Group was built to resolve. With over 50 years of experience as a real estate developer in Greece and deep expertise in the Golden Visa process, MIBS Group handles the full journey for African investors, from identifying and acquiring the right property through the visa application itself to rental management once the investment is in place. They understand both the Greek market and the specific concerns of Nigerian and African buyers. With the recent opening of their Lagos office, MIBS Group has strengthened its presence in Nigeria, offering face-to-face support and serving as a reliable local partner for Nigerian investors throughout their investment journey. That combination- high-end properties and end-to-end trusted guidance- is what turns a complicated cross-border investment into a straightforward, protected transaction.
Where other destinations keep raising the bar, Greece keeps the door open. And with MIBS Group, Nigerians can walk through it with confidence.
The Case Closed
Greece earns the attention it is getting. It is beautiful in a way that requires no filter and no curation. It is historically significant in a way that makes everywhere else feel recent. And right now, it is one of the few European countries offering Africans a genuinely accessible path, not just to visit, but to belong.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the runway excursion of an Enugu Air aircraft during landing at the Benin Airport on Thursday.
He also expressed relief, describing the safe evacuation of all passengers and crew as a cause for gratitude in a statement on X on Friday.
Mr Obi said he received the news of the incident “with profound relief,” noting that all 68 passengers and crew members on board disembarked safely without injuries or fatalities.
Business Post reports that Flight 4264 (registration 5N-ENR) from Lagos (LOS) to Benin (BNI) got involved in the runway excursion after overrunning the end of Runway 05 during landing.
Also, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced an investigation into the incident involving the Embraer E170 aircraft at the Benin Airport.
“I join all Nigerians in thanking God Almighty that all 68 passengers and crew members on board disembarked safely, with no injuries or fatalities recorded. The preservation of human life must always remain our highest priority,” he said.
Mr Obi commended the pilot, cabin crew, and airport emergency response teams for their swift and professional response, saying their actions helped prevent a more serious outcome.
“I commend the pilot, the flight crew, and the airport emergency response teams at Benin Airport for their swift, professional, and coordinated handling of the situation, which helped avert what could have been a far more serious incident. Their composure and decisiveness under pressure deserve the highest commendation,” he stated.
While expressing gratitude for the safe outcome, Mr Obi described the incident as a reminder of the need to strengthen aviation safety measures across the country.
“The incident serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of unwavering adherence to aviation safety protocols, rigorous aircraft maintenance, and sustained investment in airport infrastructure and operational standards across the country,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor also called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau to carry out a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation into the circumstances surrounding the runway excursion.
“I urge the relevant regulatory and investigative authorities, particularly the NCAA and the NSIBo, to conduct a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident and to make their findings and recommendations public,” Mr Obi said.
He added that every aviation incident should be treated as an opportunity to improve safety standards and reinforce public confidence in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“Every aviation occurrence presents an opportunity to strengthen our safety systems. Learning from this incident will further reinforce public confidence in Nigeria’s aviation sector and help ensure that our skies remain among the safest possible,” he added.
