Kenyan Airways Staff arrested with 3.1kg Substance at Lagos Airport

Officials of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) have arrested a clearing agent working with Kenyan Airways as a profiler at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA) Lagos over unlawful exportation of  3.1kilogrammes of Cannabis to Dubai , United Arab Emirates.

 The official said they detected the suspected dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis packed as gift items in a consignment of foodstuff meant for export as cargo shipment.

 Ahmadu Garba, NDLEA airport commander said the discovery was made when suspect Sumaila Enanche brought the consignment for pre-shipment examination.

 According to him “the suspect was arrested during screening of cargoes at the airport. We found three parcels of cannabis beautifully packed as gift items weighing 3.1kg inside a consignment he brought for export to Dubai through Kenyan flight”

 

Source: Businessday

Angst over NCAA’s N150m boardroom refurbishment

 

• Purchases 150 units of office chairs at N10m

In a bid to come out of its financial crisis, The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has put in place system to block leakages at the agency. The aviation regulatory body had been in financial crisis leading to its inability to train workers and send inspectors to oversight aircraft.
In the last three years until now, the NCAA had struggled to pay salaries. The issue came to a head during the scandal over the purchase of two bullet proof cars at a whooping N255 million which saw to the sack of a former Minister of Aviation and some chief executive officers of NCAA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.
This is coming amid revelation of huge financial misappropriation that took place in the agency between 2013 and 2014. A source close to the Ministry of Aviation told journalists under strict condition of anonymity that the agency under one of its Acting Directors-General (names withheld), refurbished the agency’s boardroom with the sum of N150 million The amount, the ministry source said, was enough to build the agency’s headquarters and wondered why the same amount could be used to refurbish “just a boardroom.”
The source disclosed that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Hajia Binta Bello, had been informed about the ‘fraud’ and currently carrying out investigations to unravel what occurred in the agency in the last two years. The source hinted that when the current Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, assumed office about a year ago; he refused to use the office and equally declined to approve the sum for the contractor.
It was not clear who approved the amount. Apart from this, the source disclosed that a portakabin, which was initially taken to Abuja Airport from Lagos was allegedly returned to Lagos at N12 million with due approval from a former acting Director-General. The source alleged that in an attempt to return the portakabin to Lagos, it got damaged and like the previous one, Usman refused to append his signature on the N12 million demanded by the contractor, stressing that acquisition of new portakabin won’t cost the agency a quarter of the contractual amount.
Besides, it was disclosed that the sum of N10 million was equally approved for the purchase of 150 units of office chairs by the former management between 2013 and 2014. In a bid to block all the loopholes, the ministry source told our correspondent that Usman suspended acceptance of Industrial Trainees, ITs, in the regulatory agency, purporting that some of the management staff were using that avenue to siphon money from the system.
The source said: “The intake of ITs was stopped by Usman immediately he resumed in office about a year ago because it was discovered that we have several ghost IT students in the system who have finished their programme, but some people in the system were still using their names to draw out money from the agency.
“This money ran into several millions of naira monthly, which could have collapsed NCAA if it was not suspended. Those still doing IT with us now are those who have been in the system before he resumed. “On resumption also, Usman stopped illegitimate drawings from the Duty-Tour-Allowance, DTA, and now allowed for only mandatory inspectors to embark on trips or inspection outside the country.
All these have helped the system to stabilise.” The source reiterated that within a year, Usman had increased revenue profile of the agency while the regulatory authority was gradually coming back on track. Spokesman NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogobye, declined to comment.
Culled from NewTelegraph

Arik Air is a Very Healthy Airline not Bankrupt

Arik Air has condemned reports published recently by a site alleging that the airline is in financial trouble and may be going bankrupt.  

 

According to a statement released by the airline"This false and malicious publication is the handiwork of fly-by-night social media sites trying to ride on the popularity and huge followership of Arik Air, to attract attention or relevance to their sites.  These harbingers of bad news in their senseless sensationalism and quack journalism would stop at nothing including pulling down national institutions, and icons, in order to achieve their narrow pecuniary interests and those of their desperate sponsors.  Arik Air is not deterred by this smear campaign.  The airline has been steadily operating over one hundred flights on a daily basis which are being increased to one hundred and ten from the on-set of the winter season".

The statement continues"We have already launched expansion into cities such as Abidjan, Monrovia, Cotonou and Douala which are being further increased to weekly frequencies from this week onwards and therefore find it ridiculous for anyone to suggest that the airline is going bankrupt. Our long haul international flights to London and Johannesburg continue to be operated on a daily basis without any issues along with New York JFK which is flown three times per week.

Reports of mass resignations of pilots and cabin crew are also totally inaccurate. We have gathered that certain elements of society who are envious of what we have accomplished since our commencement of operations, want to discredit us to strengthen our competitors".

The statement revealed that the airline has recently concluded a new deal with Lufthansa Technik who will be maintaining their fleet of 28 airplanes uptill 2019. It also states that Arik Air is  taking delivery of 2 brand new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft this winter season to further expand their domestic services and launch new services within Africa to cities such as Libreville.

"We are Nigeria’s and West Africa’s largest carrier in terms of aircraft fleet, revenue generation,passenger numbers, as well as offering the highest number of weekly flights out of Lagos, Abuja, and Accra airports. Thus we are also contributing to the economic growth of Nigeria, and our neighboring countries like Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Cameroon, Benin, and other West African Countries.

Arik Air is the only airline facilitating direct links between Ghana and Senegal by operating three weekly nonstop services between Dakar and Accra using a Boeing 737NG alongside three weekly flights to Monrovia from Accra.

We would like to once again state that the airline is not under any abnormal financial or operational difficulties and wish to assure passengers of the high level of safety and customer service that we have been providing since inception in 2006".

'Aero Contractors' Assets Were Overpriced'

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) may have lost about N25 billion for taking over the debts of Aero Contractors, one of Nigeria’s major airlines, according to sources familiar with the deal, who said the assets worth less than N4 billion, but were overpriced.

According to Thisday, investigations revealed that AMCON after paying the huge amount of money controlled only 40 per cent stakes while the Ibru family retained controlling share of 60 per cent until AMCON re-evaluated the sale and took over 90 per cent stakes.

Initially AMCON was asked to pay N35 billion for the assets including what the source described as the company’s goodwill, which was outrageously put at billions. It was gathered that the government agency paid N29 billion, but industry sources said at the time of the transaction, the total assets of Aero was about N4 billion.

“What are the criteria for buying over a debt that cannot be substantiated in assets and at the same time give the Ibru’s 60 per cent of the stakes? But now, it has been taken up to 90 per cent controlling shares and that was why they wanted to make the airline a national carrier after it was re-evaluated by AMCON,” an industry source told THISDAY.

According to the source, AMCON’s decision to pay so much to take over the airline was not a good one, given that the money could have been enough to start five new airlines.

“The money AMCON paid was enough to float at least five new airlines with each one operating not less than five Boeing 737 aircraft on lease. But now that the organisation has taken over the majority shares of the airline, it has set up new set of people to run the airline. The account manager is now taking decisions and there is an effort to turn the airline around,” the source added.

THISDAY also learnt that Aero is yet to get out of its financial quagmire. Out of about 10 aircraft in its fleet, only five are operational while the others need maintenance.

Aero is the oldest airline in Nigeria that is still in operation and it really commands goodwill and royal customers. Aviation experts have expressed the hope that with the new management in place, the airline would be “built into a strong airline that would take back about 29 per cent of its market share in due time.”

But the airline, THISDAY gathered may over time make a positive turnaround but the new management is said to be unwilling to accept more credit from AMCON, which has expressed intention to inject more funds into the airline.

“I am not sure that the aircraft on ground have engine problems but they all need maintenance and the airline needs money, but I learnt the management is not willing to take money from AMCON and banks are no more willing to lend money to airlines these days. Perhaps, the management thinks that it can soldier along with the aircraft they already have and as they generate revenue they carry out repairs until they are able to bring all the aircraft into service,” the source said.
Culled from Thisdaylive.com