₦airaland Forum

hilli666:
FYI, I reside in Nigeria as well. My work allows me to work both in the US and in Nigeria. I also just left Nigeria a couple of months ago and planing to return in the coming month. Yes I am a dual citizen and yes I could permanently reside in either Britain or the US, but my unshaken and unwaiverd faith in my country keep me returning. This my Friend is not an issue about you nor me, or whence I may reside. This is a much more bigger issue that require the minds of intelligent young men and women to comprehend. So I don't expect you to understand. So I repeat myself "WE CAN NOT TOLERATE, NOR ALLOW GUERRILLA AND INSURGENT LIKE IDEOLOGY TO BECOME INBRED IN THE NIGERIAN POLITICAL OR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS IT WILL LEAD TO DISASTER ON A CATACLYSMIC LEVEL, AFFECTING NOT ONLY NIGERIA BUT AFRICA AS A WHOLE." Now smart and intelligent people can contest this comment, with valid counter arguments, but it has to be smart and intelligent people not you @asha80. Please don't take this the wrong way u seem like a stand up guy.

ThiefOfHearts:
should have said Ghanaian or Senegalese. Get with the times.

HajiaTanko:
DEATH TO MEND AND ALL ITS THIEVIN DISCIPLES.

LIVE BY THE GUN, DIE BY THE GUN.

TO JOMO, TOMPOLO AND THE REST OF YOU CRIMINALS---VERY SOON YOU WILL FIND OUT THAT NIGERIA IS BIGGER THAN YOU.

JUST LIKE YOU THINK YOU ARE BIG AND BAD, SO TOO ARE OUR RUGGED SOLDIERS ITCING TO PUT THE MISERY OUT YOU.

hilli666:
For those who still condone the Savage, brutal, and inhumane tactics adopted by MEND in their so call ostensible quest to liberate the Niger Delta, might I remind you, that the more we sit back and encourage this the more unstable and volatile our country becomes. I will rather live under corrupt political leader, who still have to answer to their peers and international pressure than under a bunch of guerrilla warlords with the least bit of education. e.g Somalia and every other African nation that have stupidly encouraged such insurgency. We should be honored that Nigeria was picked out of many nation to host the cup, and likewise we should be vehemently ashamed that such clandestine organisation like MEND even have the clout to hinder it.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. (Still in its Infancy and still making mistakes)

ayomifull:
Yes mam, i live outside Nigeria.

russellino:
Make no mistake there cannot be peace till there is justice. We think the rules dont apply to nigeria but they do. I pray this video doesnt circulate too far or isnt made into a DVD like they do in Afghanistan otherwise we're going to have even more hate brewing

phantom:
lol, Why am i not surprised?No be lagos again?Wait till fash leaves office, then we go know say nigerians no be human beings,

naijaking1:
I'm happy for Iranians, even if they don't succeed, their action will be note worthy. Why can't we do that in Nigeria
History, politics, and religion

1. Olu mba (Ekwulobia/Nanka/Oko)

"Abagworo, niihi mma Ekwu, Jee Ibenihi gbujite mgbajara wete ye kanwa"

2. Olu mba (Awka)

"Abagworo, Nee mma, Jee nonyi gbujite anachu patiya ika"

Ngwa Abagworo, achoro m ka ikowara anyi Igbo indi a ndere, cheta na ha n'ile n'ekwu otu ihe. . .

Jarus:
I think those that argued with us and dismissed Aboutreika as local champion in the AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR thread on NL earlier this year have now seen that the guy can stand his own among the world's best. The guy is too much. See how he's dictating the pace among the almighty Brazil in a competitive game.

aieromon:
The revolution began with the substitution.
Good coach=Good changes=Confidence
@mukina2
S.A is there to have fun.No ambition whatsoever.4get bout 'em

mikeansy:
Spain will trash this Brazilian team

Afam:
@chidichris,

Ever so confused. It is now obvious that you understood next to nothing about my post.

I have never been in support of the Nze Ndi Igbo title in Lagos, in fact I support the Lagos State government on this but your myopic sense of reasoning would not allow you know where people stand on issues.

On Jim Nwobodo/Alex Ekwueme there is absolutely nothing wrong in Nwobodo refusing to support Ekwueme because it was the same Ekwueme that worked in concert with the NPN to rig Nwobodo out of office simple because he state then was being controlled by NPP with Nwobodo as governor.

Ekueme's issue should teach us as individuals to know that sooner or later we shall reap what we sow.

This has nothing to do with Anambra/Enugu factor because Enugu State was a part of Anambra state when Ekwueme was the vice president.

Read, read, read and then try to understand or drink a bottle of Fanta to relax your brain before typing anything.

call it any name but the information here is he has an aeroplane and that is what we want his constituency to know. u don't go about discussing propeller powered whilbarow with old people in the village.

Legislator acquires private jet http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/june/15/national-15-06-2009-01.htm
•Says its cheaper than cars
From JAMES OJO, Abuja
Monday, June 15, 2009


Hon Bala Ibn Na’Allah
Photo: Sun News Publishing
More Stories on This Section
After six years as a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bala Ibn Na’Allah has made history as the first lawmaker in the country since independence to fly a private jet. He acquired the aircraft recently in the United States of America (USA).

His recent diatribes against criminality in the Niger Delta struggle, which had attracted flaks notwithstanding, Na’Allah, a lawyer by profession, who became very popular at the Oputa Panel, qualified as a pilot after undergoing training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria.

He was certified to fly an aircraft after he undertook a successful solo flight under the supervision of a professional pilot, according to international practice.

Representing Zuru/Fakai/Zakaba/ Dawazagu Federal Constituency of Kebbi State in the House of Representatives, N’ Allah recently flew the small aircraft in the company of this writer from Kaduna to Abuja on a day the weather was clement in the morning, but became turbulent in the evening.

Sitting next to him in the cockpit as ‘co-pilot’, one marveled as Na’Allah displayed his dexterity in manipulating and navigating the aircraft through the cloudy weather between Kaduna and Abuja .
“There is a way the weather will tell you if it is going to be bad. This is one of the beauties of flying,” he pointed out before entering the aircraft.

Apart from the weather telling you what would happen in the next few hours, Na’Allah explained that the aircraft has a way of telling the pilot when it is not ready to fly.
“If the aircraft is not ready to fly, it will tell you during the pre-flight check, which must be carried out before any flight is undertaken,” Na’Allah said.

As a matter of routine, a pilot must first obtain weather forecast for his/her route from the meteorological station.

On this very day, Nallah obtained the weather forecast for Kaduna-Abuja route from the weather station. He came back smiling that the weather was okay, but that “we have to be airborne quickly to avoid rough weather later in the day around Abuja airspace.”
Before jumping into the aircraft for the Abuja trip, he carried out the check, he gauged the pressure level, checked the tyre and the fuel levels, and the journey was underway.

Watching him manipulating the buttons and communicating with Kano, Abuja and Kaduna airports was a delight. He sought and got clearance from the Kaduna Control Towers before entering the runaway to make way for an in-coming big aircraft.

He was cleared to take off and established contact with Kano that he was airborne; and then Abuja to prepare for his landing in less than one hour.
Kaduna told him the altitude he must fly to avoid troubled weather. He shared the information with Kano and Abuja and the weather situation at take off.

When he gained balance and stabilized the aircraft, he opened discussion with his ‘co-pilot’, not on the weather forecast or the technicality of getting the aircraft off the ground and maintaining a balance against an unstable weather.

Why should Na’Allah be interested in flying, a risky thing at this stage of his life, even when he had made it as a lawyer and as a politician? He said flying was the best thing that has ever happened to him.
“I am enjoying it more than anything. To fly is the easiest thing to do. I have come to realize it. In fact, if it is possible, I won’t mind flying an aircraft from my bedroom to the toilet,” he said.

The high death toll resulting from crash landing and disappearance of aircraft has not instilled any fear in Na’Allah. He was emphatic that cumulatively, the number of death resulting from road accidents was far higher than that recorded from the air.

“Flying is million times safer than driving on the roads. Unlike the roads where you have mad drivers that can drive you crazy, there is nothing like that on air.

“The number of air mishaps is not comparable with the number of auto crashes we record on daily basis on our roads. Do you know that you cannot jump into an aircraft without knowing the weather forecast? You can’t hop into the aircraft for a journey without certifying the health status of the aircraft,” he explained.
Furthermore, he said, “the safety of the pilot, the aircraft and the passengers is paramount and standards have been set internationally to guarantee this without any compromise. This is the only means of transportation that is programmed, monitored and sustained.

Unlike in the USA where several senators and members of the House of Representatives own and fly their private jets, acquiring jets in Nigeria is elitist by all standards.

Na’Allah agreed that it might look elitist to own a private jet, but insisted that it was cheaper for him to maintain his small aircraft, than to maintain some cars in his garage. Na’Allah was a car dealer before venturing into politics.

“The experience I have gathered since I took delivery of my aircraft showed that it was far, far cheaper to maintain than maintaining my cars. Can you imagine that a return flight from Abuja to Zuru, my village will cost me 50 litres of petrol, whereas, my Jeep will consume over 200 litres?” he queried rhetorically.
In terms of time, he explained, by road the same journey will take between seven and eight hours, whereas, it will take one hour, 40 minutes by air. “In Zuru, my village, there is an air strip, don’t forget, I am representing the home of generals, not to talk of Kebbi with an Airport. In most cities in Nigeria , there are places to accommodate light aircraft for landing and take off, said Na’Allah.

Still debunking insinuation that acquiring a jet is a display of ostentation in the midst of poverty, Na’Allah said that the cost of servicing his Propellered-CESSNA-172 model was not up to the price of 2008 model of Toyota or Honda products.

“To service it after a mandatory 50-hour flight, which is the equivalent of servicing a car, costs less than N50,000. And for maintenance, the retainership fee with Aviation Maintenance Organization [AMO] per annum is about N200,000.

“Precisely, he said that the C-172 air craft manufactured in 1971 and registered with Nigeria ’s aviation authorities as 5N-BRT cost him about $48,000 to acquire.
For his landing fee at any of the airports in the country, the charge paid is N200, while the three tyres cost $182 to replace every three years, depending on the number of successful landing.
“In all, you will see that it is very cheap to maintain this air craft than to maintain the latest car in the market. I am not a Christian, but I understand that the Bible says that ‘my people perishes because of lack of knowledge’.

“I think if people know that it is cheaper to acquire and maintain a small air craft like my own, many Nigerians would not hesitate to get one today, than the craze for buying flashy cars, with armed robbers trailing you, not to talk of bad roads and frequent car crash,” he said.

The idea of owning a jet and flying it came to the law maker after years of consultancy in Aviation Insurance. And to achieve his aim, Na’Allah enrolled at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria for training as a non-professional pilot.

He graduated and was certified to fly before he jetted out to South Africa for further training in type rating.
He explained: “Type rating is the training in the category of aircraft you can fly. If you want to fly another category of aircraft, you must undergo fresh training and certified by another pilot, unlike driving just any car so long as you have your driving license.”
Economically, he said that it was even wiser and cheaper to invest in air strips than put roads everywhere

geotuns:
No!

guess we lost it somewhere. wake up guys! thats just the reality of things in 2009. its not about size, its not about roads, or no light. well it is very true. these are all indicators of , and where you intend to be. The 21st century for countries is about innovation, strategic positioning and response to the current market/ economic trend.

Please i beg of everybody to listen to Obama's recent speech in Egypt. Notice how he introduced the concept of how America will relate with the Arab world in the new economy. Its no longer about oil.