Nigeria Air MD Reveals Aircraft Rented From Ethiopia

by - Adedapo Adesanya /
07-June-2023
Image

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Managing Director of Nigeria Air, Captain Dayo Olumide, has revealed that the aircraft unveiled recently by the former administration of Mr Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria Air was chattered from Ethiopia, with the purpose of showcasing to Nigerians and their shareholders.

Captain Dayo made the revelation when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation to clarify the controversies surrounding the airline which was launched a day before the expiration of the last administration.

He added that the aircraft that came and left was a legitimate chartered flight which can be done by anyone who doesn’t have a license as long as he pays for it, noting that for Nigeria to operate an aircraft, it must be Nigeria registered.

He added that the particular aircraft that was unveiled was not registered and came into Nigeria with a few days’ clearances from Ethiopia and was returned after use.

He further stated that Nigeria only has an airport license which is one of two licenses required for operating an airline, and does not permit one to carry out commercial services operations.

The MD further revealed that for Nigeria Air to get the needed license, Nigeria must have three aircraft before the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) gives the country an air license to fly and the three aircraft must be Nigeria-registered.

According to him, there are five phases or steps one goes through to get the license, and Nigeria is still in phase one of the process.

While reacting to some reports that the passengers on board bought tickets, the MD refuted the claims, noting that they were staff of Ethiopia Airlines brought in for the unveiling.

Captain Dayo, with 40 years’ experience in airline operations, further confirmed that he was appointed in February 2022, to secure the air operating certificate for the airline to fly and not to operate the airline.

He added that Nigeria is not at a point of operating the airline yet, as Nigeria Air does not have a terminal for international operations.

In a related development, the House of Representatives has also poked holes in the purported launch of Nigeria Air, declaring it a fraud.

Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Mr Nnolim Nnaji, declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud after the major stakeholders in the deal between the federal government and Ethiopian Airlines denied knowledge of the launch.

The Ministry of Aviation claimed Nigeria Air was only unveiled and not launched, which the committee dismissed as an attempt to divert the lawmakers’ attention.

Share
Related Stories
Image
08-August-2023

Azman Air Closes Shop, Sends Workers on Compulsory Leave

By Modupe Gbadeyanka All the employees of Azman Air except for a few senior executives have been sent on compulsory after the management suspended the company’s operations. The leave is without pay, according to a circular issued to members of staff, signed by the Human Resources Manager, Magaji Mohammed Misau. According to Leadership Newspaper, the airline operator took this step because its Boeing 737 aircraft taken abroad for C-check maintenance was yet to return. This has rendered the organisation’s commercial operations useless, especially after the conclusion of the Hajj operations last month. “As you are aware that our domestic operations
Image
19-July-2023

FG To Partner US On Direct Flights To Texas

By Adedapo Adesanya  The Federal Ministry of Aviation says it will collaborate with the United States on direct flights to Texas in a bid to expand the horizon of the aviation industry and deepen the bilateral relations with the world’s largest economy. The Permanent Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Meribole, said this during a visit to the Ministry by a delegation from the United States led by the Mayor of Houston, Texas, Mr Sylvester Turner, on Tuesday in Abuja. The ministry promised the US delegation that the Federal Government of Nigeria would work on its requests for direct flights from Nigeria to
Image
12-September-2023

FG Inaugurates Lagos-Ibadan Rail Corridor to Decongest Apapa Port

By Adedapo Adesanya The Minister of Transportation, Mr Saidu Alkali, inaugurated the first cargo movement from the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor during his first official tour of the rail corridor on Tuesday. This effort is expected to decongest the Apapa port as shippers moved 92.28 per cent of Nigeria’s total exports and 60.77 per cent of imports through the facility in the first quarter of 2022 (Q1’22), according to the latest available data. The Minister kicked off the tour at the Ebute Meta station before proceeding to Apapa for the launch, then travelled to Ibadan using the 157 km rail corridor.
More Stories
Image
23-September-2021

Best Platform to Sell/Redeem Giftcards in Nigeria

Nigerians are becoming aware of how much profit they can make from trading gift cards for cash. It is no wonder that gift cards vendors are found everywhere; from WhatsApp statuses, Twitter timelines and sponsored ads, Instagram, to Facebook pages. And even if you do not have any internet presence, you may have seen one or two billboards in your city advertising a gift card platform or company. A gift card or gift voucher is a prepaid value card offered by retailers/banks as an alternative medium of payments for goods bought or services rendered. In Nigeria, most retail outlets do
Image
01-August-2018

Nigeria’s Manufacturing Index Records 16th Successive Expansion in July

By Modupe Gbadeyanka For the 16th consecutive month, the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) recorded an expansion in the month of July 2018. According to the index released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday, the index grew to 56.8 index points. The apex bank, in the report, said the index however expanded at a slower rate when compared with the index in the previous month. It said of the 14 subsectors surveyed, 13 reported growth in the review month in the following order: petroleum & coal products; printing & related support activities; paper products; electrical equipment; primary
Image
06-March-2017

Kwara Plans Solar-Powered Electricity

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has promised to install solar powered electricity in villages across the state. Mr Ahmed made this disclosure last week at the monthly town hall meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held at the Banquet Hall, opposite Government House, Ilorin. He told the party faithful that villages with about 500 to 600 population would benefit from the pilot scheme of the project as part of effort to light up Kwara and improve its economy. Governor Ahmed explained that the plan was to change strategy of providing electricity to communities in the
Image
30-May-2018

US Stocks may Rebound on Bargain Hunting

By Investors Hub The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a higher opening on Wednesday following the sell-off seen in the previous session. Bargain hunting may contribute to strength on Wall Street, as some traders pick up stocks at reduced levels after the steep drop seen on Tuesday. However, lingering concerns about political uncertainty in Italy may keep some traders from getting back into the markets. Following the long holiday weekend, stocks moved sharply lower during trading on Tuesday. The major averages moved lower early in the session and saw further downside as the day progressed. The major averages
Image
10-December-2021

NGX Sheds 1.77% as Investors Selloff UPDC, Dangote Cement

By Dipo Olowookere The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited depreciated on Thursday by 1.77 per cent on the back of profit-taking in the shares of UPDC, Dangote Cement and 13 others. The duo lost 10.00 per cent each yesterday to close at N9.00 and N252.00 respectively, while Neimeth went down by 6.86 per cent to N1.63, May & Baker dropped 6.46 per cent to N4.20 and Pharma Deko fell by 5.21 per cent to finish at N2.00. It was observed that the market breadth closed positive during the session with 22 price gainers led by Skyway Aviation, which grew by 9.66
Image
07-July-2020

CBN Deducts N122bn from Banks

By Dipo Olowookere Banks with excess cash had the sum of N122 billion withdrawn from their cash reserve last Friday by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The move by the banking sector regulator was to control the amount of liquidity in the financial system and as well help the local currency at the foreign exchange market. Earlier in the year, the apex bank, for the first time in about four years, raised the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for lenders in the country to 27.5 percent. When this action was taken, Governor of the CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, explained that
Image
18-June-2017

FG Plans Lucrative Business Employment in Agriculture

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, has expressed Federal Government’s strong political will and commitment to create business employment in agriculture. Mr Lokpobiri made this known when officials of Nestle Nigeria Plc lead by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mauricio Alarcon, visited him in his Abuja office. He said that the business-employment opportunities in agriculture cannot be fully tapped despite the country’s increasing population. Commending the good work and business activities of Nestle Nigeria whose source of raw materials for production of her varied food products is 82 percent
Ad
Image
Ad
Image
Recent Stories
Image
02-October-2023

LCCI Seeks Upward Review of N30,000 Minimum Wage

By Adedapo Adesanya The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has described Nigeria’s minimum wage of N30,000 ($30) for 30 days as extremely poor and called for an urgent upward review of the wage structure. The President of LCCI, Mr Michael Olawale-Cole, during the chamber’s Independence Day message on Sunday, said an appraisal of the past 63 years showed that the Nigerian economy had performed sub-optimally with huge implications on citizens’ welfare and rising uncertainty. It noted that the economy was struggling with difficult conditions including high inflation, weak currency, declining reserves, falling household purchasing power, rising debt burden,

Image
02-October-2023

Kariko, Weissman Win Nobel Medicine Prize for COVID-19 Vaccines Research

By Adedapo Adesanya Scientists Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries enabling the development of COVID-19 vaccines, the award-giving body said on Monday. The prize, among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute Medical University and also comes with 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million). “The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19,” the

Image
02-October-2023

Ecobank Alerts Customers on Rise in SIM Swap Fraud

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Customers of Ecobank Nigeria have been urged to remain on the alert as some scammers are taking advantage of SIM swaps to dupe their unsuspecting victims. The financial institution issued this alert in an email message to customers, urging them not to lose guard. The bank said phone users, who attached their mobile numbers to their bank accounts, to take extra caution when swapping their SIM cards, so as not to be victims of fraudsters. The lender explained to customers that SIM swap fraud occurs when scammers use your phone number to access your accounts. “Scammers impersonate

Image
02-October-2023

Oando-Eni Deal: Workers Threaten to Shutdown Operations

By Adedapo Adesanya  The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has vowed to down tools and shut down all oil field locations if demands following the acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) are not met. Business Post had reported in September that Oando Plc had acquired a 100 per cent stake in the Nigerian subsidiary of Italian giant, Eni. However, the deal allegedly happened without management addressing the welfare and benefits of the workers and without due process. The development has led to several protests by members of PENGASSAN since the beginning of September 2023.

Image
02-October-2023

Exploring The Capabilities Of The ChatGPT Trading Bot In Today’s Market

Traders Union (TU) recently took an interest in ChatGPT, a chatbot by OpenAI. Think of ChatGPT as a super-smart robot friend who loves to chat about almost anything! It’s famous for giving detailed answers to loads of questions. But, like every friend, it might get things wrong sometimes. There’s a free version everyone can chat with, and a fancier version called ChatGPT Plus for those who want more. Some even call it the “ChatGPT trading bot” because of its extensive knowledge about trading. ChatGPT’s trading capabilities Without a doubt, ChatGPT has carved a niche for itself in the automated trading

Image
02-October-2023

Tinubu Increases Planned Monthly Allowance to N35,000

By Adedapo Adesanya President Bola Tinubu has increased the initially proposed monthly allowance for federal civil servants from N25,000 to N35,000. The money is still to be paid monthly for six months. The increment was announced in a statement by the Minister of Information, Mr Mohammed Idris. This development came less than 24 hours after Mr Tinubu on his first Independence Day broadcast on Sunday morning announced the monthly payment of N25,000 allowance to junior civil servants to cushion the effect of the impact of petrol subsidy removal. He said the allowance would be paid for six months. However, after

Image
01-October-2023

Boosting Website Performance: Tips for Speed and Efficiency

By Rahul Baitha In today’s digital age, where instant gratification is the norm, website performance plays a critical role in delivering a positive user experience. Visitors expect websites to load quickly and respond seamlessly to their interactions. If your website lags or stumbles, you risk losing valuable traffic and potential customers. As a web designer or business owner, optimizing your website’s performance should be a top priority. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore essential tips and techniques to boost your website’s speed and efficiency. Understanding Website Performance Before diving into optimization strategies, it’s essential to grasp the fundamentals of website

Image
01-October-2023

NDLEA Nabs Suspected Kingpin in UK Drug Export Bust

By Adedapo Adesanya The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspect wanted for attempts to ship illicit drug consignments to the United Kingdom. This was made known in a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday. He further disclosed arrests made by NDLEA operatives through interdiction operations that led to the seizure of four tons of illicit substances in the past week. According to the agency, the suspect, Mr Obiorah Chigozie, had been on its wanted list since September 15. This, he said, was when a consignment of 1.500kg skunk concealed in flour

Image
01-October-2023

BUA Cement Slashes Ex-Factory Prices to N3,500

By Aduragbemi Omiyale The management of BUA Cement Plc has announced a reduction in the prices of its cement from its factory without the transportation costs to N3,500 per bag (50kg). The cement maker confirmed this development in a statement issued on Sunday, noting that it was part of efforts to make sure customers get the products at cheaper prices. In the statement, BUA Cement disclosed that the slash in cement prices is from Monday, October 2, 2023, urging its distributors not to fleet the end users. The firm said, “All pending, undelivered orders which had been paid for at

Image
01-October-2023

NITDA Opens Applications for Tech Accelerator Fellowship

By Adedapo Adesanya The federal government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has opened applications for a tech startup accelerator fellowship program to empower Nigerians with innovative ideas. The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, said the preparations for the training commenced in August with a meeting of stakeholders in tech to co-create innovative ways to achieve the target. He added that the meeting was the first in a series of ecosystem engagements to ensure that the government gets the best solutions from within. The new initiative from the NITDA is part of the