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FAAN Paralyses Arik Air Operations Over N2bn Debt
L-R: Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mrs Iyabo Obasa, Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Taofeek Tijani and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, at a news conference on activities of the ministry in the last one year, in Lagos, last Tuesday. Photo: NAN
The operations of Arik Air was yesterday paralysed by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in what the orgainsation described as high indebtedness by the airline.
The Tide learnt that FAAN had written several letters to the airline to pay the over N2billion debt for services rendered to the airline but the correspondences were ignored by Arik management.
The grounding of the airlines operations yesterday caused serious disappointment to passengers at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, as travelers, who had arrived to catch their 8.45am flights waited endlessly for hours.
The situation was made worse as the Port Harcourt office claimed not to be aware of the cause of the flight delay, and merely announced the delay to be due to operational reasons.
The Tide gathered that when the indefinite waiting became unbearable, passengers made contact with Abuja only to realize that the staff were merely misleading them and the outcome was rowdy situation which culminated in the refund of money to them.
A female passenger, who was visibly angry with Arik staff for concealing such information, almost assaulted the manager because the nearest flight to Abuja was for 7.15pm when her 4.00pm appointment in the Federal Capital City would have been over, as she would be flying abroad on Friday (today).
Other passengers, however, decided to go through Lagos before connecting Abuja with the corresponding expenditure and time wasting as the only Aero flight to Abuja had been fully booked.
Efforts by our correspondent to speak to Port Harcourt Arik Air manager was not successful as she claimed to be too busy attending to passengers and ordering the refund of certified payments.
The Head, Corporate Communications of FAAN at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Mr Ola Ogundolapo, told The Tide that the management of Arik Air had issues of none payment for services rendered to it by FAAN worth over N2.5billion and other agencies locally and overseas
Mr Ogundolapo also disclosed that the indigenous carrier had not paid staff for the past four months, adding that Arik management had been stubborn on issues of payment for services rendered by other orgainsations.
Another FAAN staff, told The Tide that Arik Air needed to be disciplined for its excesses, noting that what caused discovering air suspension that was only lifted about 24 hours before the Arik grounding was not as grave as what the airline was doing.
He predicted that going by the sign posts that are becoming noticeable, the airline may have a short life span in operation.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.
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