By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The popular Jabi Lake waterfront in Abuja is set to become a major leisure and tourism hub in the country, thanks to Akida Hills, which is making efforts to enable visitors to enjoy the transformation from December 2026.

The Nigerian mixed-use real estate and destination development company has been allocated a 3.36-hectare development site within the approximately 14-hectare waterfront district, where it will deliver a phased mix of recreational, entertainment, and public leisure experiences.

According to the deal, the first phase of the development will introduce the destination’s first operational attractions, including dining and leisure experiences, water-based activities, structured weekly programming, a seasonal lights festival, and the dancing musical fountain as its signature attraction.

Additional experiences and amenities will be introduced in subsequent phases as the destination evolves.

Designed as a central landmark within the waterfront experience, the dancing musical fountain will combine choreographed water displays, synchronised lighting, and music to create a distinctive evening attraction and focal point for visitor engagement.

Upon completion, the development is expected to serve as a major hub for tourism, recreation, entertainment, and community engagement, further strengthening Abuja’s position as a leading leisure and lifestyle destination.

Construction and implementation activities will progress in phases, with additional announcements on attractions, programming, and commercial partnerships expected ahead of the December 2026 launch.

“Jabi Lake represents one of the most significant opportunities to create a world-class waterfront destination in Africa.

“Through this development, we aim to deliver experiences that attract residents, visitors, and tourists year-round while contributing to economic growth, job creation, and Nigeria’s tourism appeal.

“Our vision is to establish Jabi as a defining waterfront destination for the continent – one that demonstrates the transformative power of destination-led development and reimagines how people experience a city,” the founder of Akida Hills, Mr Kayode Bamisile, said.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is considering extending the deadline for its airport taxi upgrade policy to October, following concerns raised by the Nigeria Union of Private Cab Operators.

The development was disclosed on Monday in Lagos by Mr Henry Agbebire, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, saying that the possible extension followed complaints and concerns from airport cab operators, even as the authority maintained that the policy was designed to improve service standards across Nigerian airports.

“The policy aligns with international best practices and seeks to elevate service quality,” Mr Agbebire said.

He added that passengers deserved “clean, safe, comfortable and professionally maintained vehicles” within airport transport systems.

The FAAN spokesman dismissed claims that the authority had failed to engage operators on the policy, insisting that consultations had been ongoing.

He said FAAN maintained regular discussions with licensed transport providers operating within airport premises, stressing that engagement was conducted directly with corporate entities rather than unions or associations.

“Engagements on operational matters are conducted directly with affected corporate entities,” he said.

Mr Agbebire explained that discussions on the upgrade requirement began in July 2024, giving operators time to comply.

He noted that the original compliance deadline had already been extended twice—from January 2026 to June 2026—citing economic realities and the need to give operators adequate preparation time.

According to him, the policy was not intended to punish operators or restrict their participation in airport transport services.

“Operators have been afforded ample opportunity to prepare for compliance,” he stated.

However, he warned that further extensions beyond the proposed October deadline may not be granted.

Mr Agbebire acknowledged the role of airport cab operators in passenger movement, urging them to support the initiative aimed at improving service delivery.

He added that FAAN remains committed to passenger-focused reforms across Nigeria’s aviation sector.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

A travel agent and visa consultant identified as Mrs Chukwujindu Goodness Nchekwube is currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding about 24 persons.

The suspect, who runs Goodben Global Travels and Tour Limited, was arrested by the agency alongside one Mr Rogers Oluwaseyi Eruku, also known as Bakary Rogers Yanni.

The EFCC said the suspects would be brought before the court as soon as it concludes its investigations regarding bordering on duping the victims of about N68 million under the pretence of assisting them to process work visas.

A petitioner, Mr James Ikechukwu, alleged that the travel agent approached him and introduced herself as a visa consultant capable of assisting people to procure work visas to their desired countries, through Goodben Global Travels and Tour Limited.

He further alleged that between September, 2024 and December, 2025, he contracted Nchekwube’s company (Goodben Global Travels and Tour Limited) to process work visas to various countries for 20 (Twenty) of his clients and the sum of N57.6 million was transferred to her company’s accounts for processing the visas, with a promise to deliver them at a stipulated period of time.

“However, after receiving the money, Mrs Nchekwube blatantly refused to deliver the visas to my clients as agreed, rather, she converted the money to her personal use.

“After much persistence for her to deliver the work visas, she delivered some visas to some of my clients, but to our greatest surprise, it was discovered that the visas/offer letters were forged to make my clients believe that they were genuine”, the petitioner alleged.

In the course of the investigation, the suspect claimed that she gave the said money to Eruku, who had presented himself to her as a reliable person capable of procuring visas for people to any part of the world.  She claimed that the said fake visa/offer letters were procured by Eruku.

In a curious twist, another petitioner, Oranezi David Chinedu, alleged that Eruku, sometime in May 2024, offered to procure work visas for him and three of his friends to Ireland and some other countries.

He claimed that the total money fraudulently collected by Eruku for the visas was N10.4 million, only for him to hand over forged documents to them.

“I was highly disappointed at the [alleged] criminal act by Bakary Rogers Yanni to have collected money for visa processing purposes only to issue me and my friends fake documents,” he said.