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Flight Ticket Soars Again At PH Airport …As UBA Pays N24m To Resume Operations 

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The price of flight ticket has gone up again at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.
The Tide’s findings show that the air operators have again increased the flight ticket by another 100 per cent.
The Tide reported three weeks ago that the flight ticket was increased by 100 per cent by airline operators.
With the latest development, the cost of flight tickets for both classes (business and economy) has now gone up by 300 percent.
Findings on Monday showed that the flight ticket for economy class for all airlines that was increased from between N30,000 and N35,000 to N60,000 and N65,000 in November, now goes for between N80,000 and N90,000, for both Port Harcourt-Lagos and Port Harcourt-Abuja routes.
Also, ticket for business class for Port Harcourt-Lagos and Port Harcourt-Abuja routes which was increased from between N60,000 and N70,000 to N100,000 in November, now goes for between N130, 000 and N140,000.
One of the travel agents at the Port Harcourt Airport, Kingsley Ogbonna, told The Tide that the new increase was as a result of inadequate number of airlines for operations, coupled with more passengers that made demand for air tickets.
According to him, there is already scarcity of flight tickets because of pressure from travellers, with few aircrafts that are available for operations.
Meanwhile, a staff of one of the airlines operating at the airport, Mr Chinedu Okonkwo, told The Tide that airlines were currently having the challenge of maintaining their aircrafts which, according to him, was one of the fallouts of COVID-19.
Okonkwo said that airlines were hoping to receive a bail-out fund from the Federal Government.
According to him, the only option for airlines to survive during the Yuletide was to increase price of flight ticket to enable them maintain their aircrafts.
Meanwhile, the United Bank for Africa (UBA) that was sealed by the Airport Authority has been reopened for operations.
One of the senior managers of the bank who craved anonymity told The Tide that the bank paid N24 million to the airport as annual rent of the space before they were allowed to reopen for business.

 

By: Corlins Walter

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USTR Criticises Nigeria’s Import Ban On Agriculture, Others

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The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the  Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.

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Expert Seeks Cooperative-Driven Investments In Agriculture 

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A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.

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NACCIMA Proposes Hybrid Oil Palm Seedlings For Farmers

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The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.

King Onunwor

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