BusinessDay 21 Sep 2017

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C002D5556 22 BUSINESS DAY Thursday 21 September 2017 BUSINESSTRAVEL Domestic airlines brace up for international operations …acquire aircraft, get IATA membership Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE Domestic airlines operating in Nigeria are gradually bracing up to commence and expand international operations with acquisition of new aircraft and admission of the carriers into the International Air Transport Association (IATA). BusinessDay’s checks show that the airlines are beginning to acquire more aircraft, join IATA membership, get international certifications and subject themselves to frequent audit and checks by international aviation organisations to enable them fly into Middle East, European and African countries. Last week, Dana air and Air Peace were admitted as a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). These airlines achieved the feat few months after securing their IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. Two weeks back, Medview acquired a Boeing 777 for its London operations. Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace Airline said its admission into the global air transport body was a heartwarming development, coming at a time it was deepening the quality of its flight services and expanding its operations to seamlessly connect more local, regional and international destinations. “We should have by now started our foreign operations but for some kind of hindrances that have to do with policy. We are ready to touch the whole world but we need the support of government and people of Nigeria. The Boeing 777 aircraft we bought have to be type certificated by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), because before now, no Nigerian airline has operated the aircraft type. “That is why we are waiting on Boeing and the Nigerian government, as represented by the NCAA to come together and type certificate Nigeria on the aircraft type. It is after that, NCAA will be able to carry out oversight function on the aircraft. “We have facilitated the training of NCAA pilots and engineers on the aircraft. That is why the aircraft are not yet in Nigeria and it costs Air Peace hugely to maintain them where they are outside the country. After the type certification we can now bring in these beautiful birds into the country,” Onyema said. He said the airline will save Nigeria a lot of money when it begins to operate international destinations, adding that Nigeria needs more domestic airlines to operate international. He disclosed that Air Peace has received approval from one of the countries it wished to fly to, but will commence operations yet or announce it until the airline gets type certificated. Obi Mbanuzuo, the accountable Manager of Dana Air, while responding to the airline’s latest achievement said, “becoming a member of IATA is a significant milestone for us at Dana Air and this only demonstrates our level of professionalism and commitment to operational efficiency in terms of providing our guests with safe, seamless and worldclass air transport service in Nigeria. “Apart from the fact that this membership will further strengthen our relationship with other international airlines, we see it as an opportunity to take our amazing products to the global stage through interline and codeshare agreements. “You would recall that Dana Air is the first and only Nigerian airline to have undergone an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and its foreign partners – The Flight Safety Group, and we are determined to reinforce our strategic route network within and beyond Nigeria,’’ Mbanuzuo said. The fierce competition in the highly priced Lagos-London route, where international carriers like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic make their kill with outrageous fares may have ebbed as the domestic carrier; Medview, joins the fray with state of the art aircraft and excellent service. The new aircraft introduced by the domestic carrier has in-house entertainment that may rate as the best on the route with well-groomed cabin crew, unbeatable cuisine with a touch of local foods and flat beds in business class. BusinessDay’s checks show that Medview airline return economy class ticket on the Lagos-London route, cost N333,000, while a British Airways airline return economy class ticket on the Lagos- London route cost almost N1.5million, almost four times the amount Medview is cur- rently charging. Lookman Animashaun, the Airline’s Chief Operating Officer said in a bid to satisfy its customers, the airline deployed this aircraft to London route. “The aircraft was brought in from Portugal. It has the best state-of-the-arts facilities. This is the best aircraft for them to use. This aircraft will be used to ply the London route for two years. Passengers’ reactions towards this new aircraft have been amazing. They love it so much and have expressed their feeling,” Animashaun said. He noted that last year’s patronage was great for the airline and it hopes to sustain the patronage, especially with the new aircraft. “Our operations on the London route have been able to checkmate airfares for competing carriers on the London route. I learnt about few weeks back that British Airways brought down their airfares to below 600dollars which has never happened and this is because Medview has been able to standardise the fares,” he disclosed. He further revealed that on November, 8th, the airline plans to commence Dubai route, and they are also planning to commence Johannesburg towards first quarter of next year. Air Peace secures IATA membership, assures of service delivery Air Peace’s expansion drive has received a big boost with the admission of the carrier as a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The airline achieved the feat only a few months after securing its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. In a letter dated July 21, 2017, Alexandre de Juniac, the director general/chief executive officer of IATA, said the organisation was pleased to have Air Peace as its member. The IATA boss assured Al- len Onyema, Air Peace Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, that the global aviation body was focussed on creating the right atmosphere for safe air services. “Our vision”, Juniac said, “is to be the force for value creation and innovation driving a safe, secure and profitable air transport industry that sustainably connects and enriches our world.” For its part, Air Peace said its admission into the global air transport body was a heartwarming development, coming at a time it was deepening the quality of its flight services and expanding its operations to seamlessly connect more local, regional and international destinations. The carrier assured that its membership of IATA would broaden its space to continue to deliver exceptional flight services in Nigeria, energise its drive to connect more countries in the West Coast of Africa and aid the launch of its flight operations to London, Atlanta, Dubai, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg. “It greatly delights us to be part of the reputable International Air Transport Association. As an airline irrevocably committed to excellent customer service and safe flight operations, we are ready and willing to exploit all the opportunities provided by our membership of IATA to deliver the best flight experience to our numerous guests”, Chris Iwarah said in a statement signed by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager. AIB partners ICAO, NTSB on accident investigation training Capacity building in the aviation industry has received a boost as Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) partners the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States of America for one-week training in accident/incident investigation, for the benefit of the entire West African sub region. The workshop to be facilitated by the two international organizations, seeks to deepen the knowledge, and sharpen the skills of the participants drawn from AIB, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), domestic airlines and members of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA). Tagged ICAO Accident/ Incident Investigation Workshop will be held in Lagos from September 25, 2017. The training would navigate the participants through various aspects of accident investigation including Annex 13 guidance materials; investigating organizational factors and human performance; records investigation; investigating rotorcraft accidents and incidents; on-site investigation and flight recorders. The training will also cover fire investigation, managing large scale accident and incident investigation, emergency response and record investigation among others. The facilitators include the Dennis Jones, managing director of NTSB, who for many years was the NTSB representative in Africa and Andre de Kock from ICAO. Akin Olateru, the Commissioner of AIB, said, “We are very pleased to be partnering with ICAO and NTSB on this important training. We value the cooperation and technical assistance we have been receiving from these organizations, which would greatly complement our efforts to make AIB formidable. Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure that AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all.” Speaking on the necessity of the OJT, Olateru said “capacity building is so vital to AIB’s job functions. This guarantees that all reports and safety recommendations issued out by AIB is hoisted on the certainty that they do not miss out any vital subject matter in their investigations that impacts safety. Consequently, practical hands-on training which is what an OJT is all about cannot be ‘one too many’, when it comes to training.
Thursday 21 September 2017 C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 33 CITYFile Odua varsity denies link to remanded suspected cultists FRSC officials trying to remove the wreckages of a vehicle that was involved in an accident on Kubwa-Berger Road. 7 criminal suspects arrested in Kwara SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin The police in Kwara have arrested a suspected armed robber identified as Oladapo Olawoye and six others suspected to be members of a secret cult in the state. The suspected cultists, who paraded alongside Olawoye on Tuesday include Ahmed Abdulrasheed, Aliyu Dahiru,Olafimihan Moses, Peter Jasper, Mohammed Azeez and Akeem Ganiyu. According to the police, one Omotoyosi Adewoye, reported at A Division on September 7, that a young man later known as Oladapo Olawoye approached her after an evening church service they both attended at Living Faith Church, Offa garage. The accused requested for a ride and she obliged. Halfway into the journey the accused stopped the complainant at Gaa-Akanbi area, brought out a knife Lagos to launch compendium of artisans JOSHUA BASSEY Lagos says it is working to unveil a compendium of registered artisans in the state as part of measures to scale up the informal sector. The objective, according to the government, is to increase job opportunities and further grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state. Tunde Durosimi-Etti, the state commissioner for wealth creation and employment, who disclosed this said the compendium would help promote the businesses of the artisans. and threatened to kill her if she did not hand over her car’s key. The suspect succeeded in snatching the vehicle (Hyundai saloon car) with registration No: Lagos EPE 168 CE , a 17-month old son of the complainant by name Okikiola Adewoye who was sleeping in the car and other valuables. “On receipt of the report, all patrol teams were alerted. All entry and exit points were blocked and that led to the recovery of abandoned boy at Akerebiata area of Ilorin while the suspect and the vehicle were later traced and recovered at Aiyetoro, Asa-Dam Ilorin. The suspect will soon be charged to court,” said Lawan Ado, the state Commissioner of Police On the cultists, Ado said “On the September 7, 2017, acting on intelligence, a team of anti-cultism unit of the state police command criminal and intelligence department swooped on notorious and dreaded Buccaneer secret Durosimi-Etti spoke with journalists after the visit of members of the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LACOSTA) to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday. He said the compendium, which will be launched during the annual artisans’ day in October, will comprise the list of all registered artisans in Lagos, their locations and business details. According to him, the compendium when fully launched will increase the number of artisans to access state funded Employment Trust Fund (ETF) as well as help residents and potential customers to locate artisans in any part NAN cult fraternity at Zango area of Ilorin and they confessed to be members of the said secret cult”. He also added that his men in Offa accosted one Musa Umar, and when he was searched, a locally made pistol was recovered from him. “On interrogation, he confessed to be a member of Eiye confraternity and taken part in many criminal activities in and around Offa while his partner, Jolayemi Gbenga, an ex-student of Federal Polytechnic, Offa escaped arrest” The police boss, who pointed out that no fewer than 41 suspected cultists had been arrested and charged to court since his assumption of office three months ago, noted that the police command was intensifying efforts at arresting other cultists and charging them to court. He advised the residents of the state to be law abiding, warning that the police would not condone any act of violence as anyone caught will be prosecuted. of Lagos. “The compendium will have every artisan having a registration number and can be a sort of reference point for the Employment Trust Fund in assisting artisans to access capital,” Durosimi-Etti said. Nurudeen Buhari, president of LACOSTA, said the visit to Ambode was to appreciate the fact that the policies enunciated by his administration have help to reposition artisans in the state. He said the meeting was also to assure the state government that members of the association were committed towards contributing their quota to the growth and development of the state. BOLA BAMIGBOLA, Osogbo Management of Oduduwa University, Ile-Ife, Osun State has denied any link to the four suspected cultists recently arraigned before an Osogbo Chief Magistrate Court and were subsequently remanded in prison. The suspects are Olabanji Michael (23), Adewusi Michael (23), Oyinbo Kehinde (21) and Afolabi Yusuf (23). They are standing trial on charges bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms and membership of a secret cult. It was stated in the charge sheet that the accused are students of Oduduwa University, Ile Ife. But Chibuzo Nwoke, a professor and vice chancellor of the university, said the students had been expelled from the school months back. Nwoke explained that the university has zero tolerance for cultism, thus the expulsion of the students, after being found guilty of some atrocities on the campus earlier in the year. He also hinted that the university has put in place a committee to ensure that peace reigns on the campus, and also ensure good relationship with other critical stakeholders working closely with the university. He maintained that the university, as part of measures to secure the school, has engaged the services of men of Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corps and Department of State Security. Nwoke, who noted that in the past 9 years the university has been in existence, it has never recorded any incident of violence or students’ unrest said that the institution has put in place a series of tests for applicants, before being admitted to the school, to ensure only students of sound morals are given admission. Police warn against violence in A/Ibom polls ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo Akwa Ibom State police command has warned against violence as the local government elections scheduled to hold in December this year. Zubairu Muazu, Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom command gave the warning during a meeting with stakeholders in partnership with Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISEC). He said the game of politics should be played according to the rules and should not be seen as a do-or-die affair. He said that the security agencies would provide adequate security before, during and after the elections, calling on politicians to eschew violence. “Local government election is very important to us, secondly, the issue of security we believe involves all of us who are here and we have a stake in ensuring that a peaceful, free, fair and credibleelections is held in Akwa Ibom state, that is why we believe in coming together to bare our minds on the need to prepare for a peaceful elections.”
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BusinessDay 21 Sep 2017

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