₦airaland Forum

LAGOS — The British government yesterday warned that it would take retaliatory steps against Nigerian airlines, if the federal government bans carriers over fare disparity.

This came as British Airways said in a statement last night that all its fares were competitive and on a sound commercial basis.

Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Odua, had weekend threatened to ban any foreign airline which failed to adjust its fares to reflect equity with their prevailing fares on the West Coast. She gave the airlines one month ultimatum.

Reacting to the ultimatum last night, Britain said banning private airlines would amount to a “heavy-handed action that would be catastrophic.”

Consequently, Britain said it would not hesitate to retaliate if the federal government goes ahead with the threat to ban after 30 days.

Britain said only business and first class fares were more expensive to Nigerians than neighbouring countries because of high demand for those seats.

It also said banning BA and Virgin would break a bilateral air services agreement. between both countries.

“It (the ban) would cause potential foreign investors to question whether they want to put their money in Nigeria and have a long-term and damaging effect on Nigeria’s growth,” a British High Commission spokesman said.

“The Prime Minister and President Goodluck Jonathan signed a joint communique last year pledging to double bilateral trade. Action against BA and Virgin would damage that strategic aim,”a British High Commission spokesman.

The fare dispute is running parallel to another row between Nigeria and Britain over airport landing slots.

Nigeria’s biggest carrier Arik Air actually stopped its daily flights between Abuja and London Heathrow yesterday because it was being prevented from getting arrival and departure slots at UK airports.

“It is wrong to suggest that Arik has been prevented from flying into Heathrow. Our understanding is that Arik is just unwilling to pay for the cost of renting or buying landing slots,” the British spokesman said.

He added that it was something all airlines who want new slots into Heathrow needed to do.

The Aviation Minister had argued that it was unfair for BA and Virgin to charge more to fly Nigerian than passengers from neighbouring West African countries.

“We are seriously concerned and worried by the reluctance to restore parity within the region by the foreign airlines,” Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said in a statement.

“They have been using all kinds of delay tactics, this is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated. We will resolve this issue once and for all,” she had said in a statement Monday night.

Also reacting to the threat, British Airways said in a statement that its fares were competitive and were based on a sound commercial plank.

We ‘ve been flying to Nigeria for 75 yrs — BA

The airline said: “British Airways is fully legally compliant with the requirements of the Air Services Agreement between the UK and Nigeria. We remain committed to Nigeria and continue to serve the country with daily flights to Lagos and Abuja.

“We have been flying there for more than 75 years and pride ourselves on offering competitive fares, a choice of products and connections to our Nigerian customers.
“All of our fares are set on a sound commercial basis and remain fully competitive with other carriers in the region including Arik Air.”

Meanwhile, stakeholders in the aviation industry have commended the aviation minister for issuing foreign airlines a 30-day ultimatum, stressing it was long overdue.

Aviation Consultant, Mr Chris Aligbe, noted that the minister, as the number one stakeholder in the aviation industry, was now speaking the minds of Nigeria-based passengers who were usually extorted whenever they flew in foreign airlines.

“With the ultimatum given by the minister, the Federal Government is taking the issue of disparity in fares paid by passengers from Nigeria seriously.

“The Federal Government is now showing concern about the plight of Nigerians and others who opt to fly with foreign airlines,” Aligbe said.

He alleged that his findings had revealed that all the European airlines flying into and out of Nigeria were involved in the international flight fare disparity.

Aligbe advised that Nigerians should exercise patience until the expiration of the minister’s ultimatum.

Mr Kelvin Umoh, a UK-bound passenger, lamented the high air fares usually charged by foreign airlines, describing them as cut-throat. “One continues to wonder why the foreign airlines charge higher fares from Nigeria, compared to what they charge in Ghana,” he said.

“What is the distance between Nigeria and Ghana, that foreign airlines are charging between $1,000 and $2, 000 from Nigerian passengers, above what they charge in Ghana,” he queried.

Mrs Patience Olayiwola, another passenger, said the ultimatum was a welcome development, aimed at stopping the fleecing of Nigerians of their hard earned money.

“Most passengers planning to fly international routes now prefer doing that from Ghana, instead of Nigeria, thus causing capital flight and reducing revenues derivable to the Federal Government from such flights,” she said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/threat-to-ban-virgin-ba-britain-warns-nigeria/

patriot2: I have finally understood the igbos, they want to be alone and take the oil producing states with them, that's not going to happen.

iiiyyyk: i ve been opportune to discourse with some sincere yorubas.

they said average yoruba sees igbos as being too economically domineering. has more houses and businesses in allmost every big city in Nigeria.
despite how the nigeria society has tried to stop them.

one even told me the more reason why yorubas are conspiring with housa's to stop igbos from forming their own nation is due to hidden fear that the igbo nation might become the next African japan.

i believe it is better to try something and fail or succeed then face the realities than to lave in perpetual hallucination.

lets split this country if possible into 4 to 6 countries, every region go and test your abilities. if we eventually come back as one, every body will know his real worth and the worth of the other. if we eventually come. i think then we will make a better nigeria nation out of our own convictions rather than living on the administrative convenience of lugard and his girl friend.

Please, my Igbo brothers - it's time to move on and embrace Nigeria. Breaking Nigeria into different entities is just an avenue to create a never ending war because we're too divided to achieve the tripod entities you guys daydream about. If Nigeria is to be divided, it will have to be divided into at least fifty countries to achieve the 'pure ethnic' identities you lot crave for - due to the following reasons:

- I can't see an Itsekiri, Edo and Urhobo man in the same country as an Ijaw man.
- I don't think an Annang, Urhobo, Olukunmi, Ika, Ikwerre, Ibibio and Efik man would want to be in the same country as an Igbo man.
- Yorubas in Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Edo and Delta won't want to separated from their brothers in the Southwest.
- The Middle-belt is like another Nigeria - because it has too many small tribes - and I don't see them forming separate countries, staying together, nor being subordinate to the Northern oligarchy.
- And what will happen to the Bariba people of Western Nigeria? Are we going to send them to Benin republic or allow to become a separate country?

naijaking1: I agree Awo was very talented and even more realistic than his contemporaries, you know who.
However, my question to the Op is: why do you think you have the intellectual wherewithall to interpret Awo to us. It would be nice if could post a link to something like "Awo's explanation to his own statements" If you can't, I don't see any need to read Awo to us.

Arosa: I think its time we support a Ghana woman for president of Ghana, just like we did Liberia. kwame nkrumah's daughter should get ready to be president.

londoner: I don't know why people are surprised.

In terms of a particular poster here, if you look at all of her positions in posts or threads involving Ghana and Nigeria she ALWAYS sides with Ghana no matter what.

If it were the other way around she would be here posting about how evil Nigeria is for not showing "African solidarity".

To be honest..........we need all hands on deck in Nigeria and we need to take a break from putting our efforts outside of our shores and for the benefit of other nations. There is fire on our own mountain....let us face putting it out.

Ghana is a sovereign nation that's for sure, but then Nigeria needs to adopt that same attitude when they are faced with the same dilemma.

donlet: That is your own opinon based on your level of experience. Get married to a woman that loves you and you will enjoy your marriage. Sample too many women and you get confused if lucky or risk contacting the dreaded disease HIV just a word of advice though!

Dede1: Good, you know I am old enough to hump your mother. So I demand some respects unless you have no respect for your father.

Again, if the rematch shall be against the folks of your stupid ethnicity, whatever that maybe, Biafra shall pit Biafran girls in uniform against loudmouthed punks such as you.

Dede1: CyberG (Cyberfool) = kingOflag (kingOlodo)

You are a rejected dunce of consequential proportion. I guess the inherent treacherousness in you can not allow you to think clearly. It will be unforgivable blunder on any parent to allow second grader to take a history lesson from malnourished jackass such as you.

It is funny you flaunted your depthless ignorance in public through the conjectural crap you put up to represent a thread. The facts and figures are dastardly wrong yet a gull such as you have effrontery to show your face when issues beyond your intellectual pedigree are being discussed.

I could not finish reading the piece of junk due to fallacies and ill informed conjectures. Please try again to, at least, get certain figures correct. No clue is necessary at this time because I do not want a lazy arse hole such as you to get smart.

Logic Mind: Amadioha will strike the OP to suggest that I have any remote connection with oily soup filled, brain-dead, useless, dirty, loud-mouthed pieces of shite of a tribe called Yoruba.
Cowardice impersonated. Betrayers of the highest order. Almajiris follow follow. The tribe of the crying generals. The tribe of the suicide politicians. The tribe of the self-confessed mass murdering genocidal nut job that shoots non living things. Ewu west. Subsidy beggars. Fulani slaves. Most under-developed region in the world. Smelly things. Useless parasites that do not contribute anything to the country.
Backstabbers.
Backstabbers.
Cursed be the OP for his post.
I hate Yoruba before I was born. I hate Yoruba after I die.
One nigeria.

naijaking1: Sure that's him?

Borrowing II: Yoruba and Igbo

Recently, while
reading Odili Ujubuonu’s Treasure in the Winds, I came across the word
“iba” which means “fever.” Same spelling, same pronunciation, same
meaning with its Yoruba twin “iba.” That confirmed two things for me.
First, literature holds the keys to opening doors we didn’t know exist;
in this case, doors of lingual cohesion between two ethnic groups.
Ethnic groups or nations are better words to use than tribe, I learnt
recently. “Tribe” is barbaric. “Barbaric,” that’s another word.
Barbaric as in “The Nigerian tribes are at war” but European nations
drag at each other’s throats, they are nations, never tribes. They are
well organised, well behaved nations. “Tribes” carries along with it a
metal baggage. Hairy people with “native tails” fully disappeared, in
leaves around their waists drawing swords against in fight. Have you
heard of the Boko Haram? They use bombs, yet they despise Western
Education. Perfect example of a paradox; or is it oxymoron?

Back to my second
point. The discovery of the lingual similarity just confirmed something
that has always been lurking somewhere at the back of my head, maybe we
are more similar than different. You know, maybe we are more like blood
relatives than just neighbours? You are stuck with your blood
regardless but can change neighbours. You can disown them but it does
not change anything; you are still tied. I’ve had my nose buried in the
ground of some Nigerian languages, sniffing for similarities, between
Yoruba and Igbo. I have discovered some interesting facts. For me, it
is new so I am still very awed. If you know more, pray tell.

Generally speaking,
Igbo is Yoruba, in this paragraph. Mua is Emi (Me). Interestingly, it
sounds like the French version moi. Onu is Enu (Mouth). Aga is Agan
(Barrenness). Eti is Nti (Ear). Awi is Ewu (grey hair). Era is Ara.
(Citizen/people). Mgbala is Agbala (Backyard). Mpata is Itita (stool).
Agba is Igba (Calabash). They are both tonal languages. They both seem
to have similar sounding words with the similar meanings. Look at the
structure of the syllables too. They both belong to the Niger-Congo
lingual group. It is more interesting to know that Igbo for arm is aka.
That’s the Ijare word for arm. Mpata is Otita (Ijare for stool). I will
look closer at my Grandmother next time I visit, will ask more
questions. Perhaps there may be treasures to find. In the Isua part of
Akokoland, one of my sources says their dialect sounds like Igbo. Now
the complexity of the Akoko area is another one to consider. If there
was ever to be a physical site for Tower of Babel, it had to be there.
People say that was where God scattered languages.


Who has an
explanation for these similarities, possible years of trade? War or its
milder version, social interactions? Is there some myth that the
Yorubas and the Igbos originated from the same place? Does Oduduwa have
an Igbo father and Yoruba mother? Or perhaps, did he ever find

http://www.deltans.com/madame-pourquoi-borrowing-ii-yoruba-and-igbo/

Nigeria: Yoruba And Igbo Must Remain Divided To Keep Nigeria One
Author: Farouk Martins | March 14, 2012

When Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was taken to task to explain why he passed on Awolowo’s offer to become the Prime Minister. He simply said it might have led to the breakup of Nigeria if the North was isolated. Either by design or omission, the logic still stands today but the reasoning and supporters of that logic may have changed. Actually Tafawa Balewa was unmoved by the so called Southern union, vowing to be Opposition Leader. There has to be some positive spin to the division in the South. There is also division in the North but it is not as pronounced.

No matter how you take it, no part of the Country can clearly delineate agreeable people within one region. Biafra has other ethnic groups that do not consider themselves part of the Nation. The same is true of the North Central. The Hausa that form the majority in the North are controlled by minority Fulani. Even the Yoruba, in spite of common lingua-franca, can only boast of Diaspora union.

Therefore, as long as the Country stands as Nigeria, Yoruba and Igbo will always fight for political dominance and the Hausa will always come to their rescue so that they do not destroy our Country. Whenever you hear intellectuals and theorists debate about separation as a mere geographical expression; amuse yourselves. Listen if you can with guguru and epa to grace your precious time. They cannot agree on their base, yet they want Nigeria to split. Split into what?

If you are one of the frequent visitors to internet sites, you get some of the point here. We have young men and women born after the war going mercilessly at one another as if they were there. Even more disturbing, some of these young people have never been on the Nigerian soil. Needless to say, you know who is feeding them with venom about the country on different version of their novel history.The Igbo are well known for their adventures within the country into various ethnic groups. You cannot but wonder why many call for separate nations more than others as if they would rather ask for visas into these separate nations in Nigeria. But we need to understand their frustration if at any little provocation in the North, they get the worst brunt of the mayhem. Indeed, they are safer in other parts of Nigeria.

Igbo in other parts of Nigeria have called on those in the North to come home or stop going back to the North after each clash. It is very difficult to heed such calls unless the foot is in the other shoe. No one wants to start all over after spending so much of their effort building a comfortable nest outside. The same is true of other ethnic group in the North as the Yoruba and others refused to come back home. Actually some of the ethnic groups within the North have no other home. So why call on Igbo? The Hausa recently told Boko Haram to go to blazes, they are not moving out of Lagos. Every ethnic group feels comfortable in Lagos, some as a second home and others as the only home they known. So why would anyone in his right mind leave Lagos where they make their money and live peacefully to go anywhere else in Nigeria they do not feel as safe beats anyone’s imagination.

It will be hypocrisy if the feelings of other ethnic groups regarding settling amongst the Igbo are not shared here. Some think they are not as tolerable as they demand from others outside their base. May be if the gesture of tolerance is reciprocated in Igbo land, we will see more accommodation in the Country as a whole. It may be wishful thinking. But it is better to separate than kill off one another living together. Except that we cannot. So after each crisis, Nigerians will always return to where they can make a living. Igbo also have their grievances against “Yoruba diplomacy”. They claim you cannot hold Yoruba to a deal without expecting them to betray you. So the suspicion is mutual on both sides. No matter how we view the suspicion, it has served Nigeria well and held the whole Country together. Imagine the Yoruba and the Igbo as political ally, they would oppress the rest of Nigerians; and where is the President going to come from?

Let us be fair, Yoruba and Igbo do not always go after one another’s chin. After all, they dine, play, work and sleep together. But when it comes to politics, it is a no-go area. Their most recent encounter was the leadership of the House. As usual, they contested for it until the North came to the rescue. Some level headed people from each ethnic group have wondered if the Yoruba would support the Igbo for presidency in 2015. Of course some Yoruba would support Igbo for presidency. Whether they are going to get majority of the Yoruba support is sheer speculation at this point. There is time to kiss and make up. Some Igbo have even said it publicly that they would cross that river when they get there and there is nothing to be worried about right now. Whatever each ethnic group can get right now is fair political game. After all, they always fight and make up.

However, some Nigerians are wondering if it makes any sense to be rotating presidency between North and South. They postulate that we should allow the most competent man rule, no matter where he comes from. By now, we have had every region in the Country rule by hook or crook, by coup or militia. So do not be surprised to see potential presidential candidates coming out from every party regardless of their regions vying to be the Vagabond In Power. They are not different once in office.

Don’t you forget, the incumbent have not made any concrete promise to any party, region or cabal that he was not going to seek a second term as a matter of right. Nigeria is not the same country as South Africa and what may hold in that country does not necessarily hold in Nigeria. Indeed, some members of MEND are already warning others to stay clear. What we cannot predict is if Ebele will get votes from every region as he did before.

http://www.ngex.com/news/public/article.php?ArticleID=2128