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Economic meltdown hits Nigerian airlines, may fold up
By Wole Shadare

THE global economic recession seems to be taking a toll on domestic airline operators, as many of the carriers are in deep financial crisis.



There are strong indications that many of the airlines may go under before the end of the year, as they can no longer pay salaries and meet up with their obligations of operating profitably.

To remain afloat, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body for domestic airlines in Nigeria has decided to approach the Federal Government for stimulus package and a waiver, or reduction on some of the charges it pays to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

This is coming at a time the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its report stated that cumulatively, African Airlines might lose over $600 million to the economic recession.

The operators cited the example of countries, particularly the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK) as helping their carriers to overcome the economic crisis and reduce unemployment, which they feared could lead to social crisis.

In the UK, members of parliament (MPs) recently

called on the government to reinstate plans to replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) with a per-plane tax to make airlines fill flights more efficiently.

The problem is not unconnected with the drop in air traffic as many Nigerians who hitherto travel by air now prefer to travel by road to save cost.

Also worrisome is the sharp decline in patronage of the business class seats, which cost thrice the fare of an economy class on the domestic route, depending on the destination.

An airline operator who spoke to The Guardian yesterday under anonymity, painted a very gloomy picture of the domestic airline industry, saying that most of them are seriously indebted to banks, FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, the operators of the new domestic Murtala Mohammed airport (MMA2), and as a result may wind up their operations.

The source disclosed that most of the airline operators owe their workers over four months' salaries, a situation he described as "not too healthy for airline operation."

He disclosed that even the few strong ones are feeling the pinch.

According to the source who works for a popular domestic airline owned by a northerner, stated that capacity on the domestic route is shrinking seriously, coupled with high cost of maintenance and airport charges, which are regarded as the highest in the world.

He noted that even with the retrenchment of some airline workers by virtually all the carriers, the airlines are still facing hard time.

Speaking to The Guardian, the Director, Corporate Communications, Afrijet Airlines, Alhaji Muhammed Tukur described the situation with airlines as "critical", adding that the situation is more serious than it is being taken by government.

According to Tukur, who is also the Assistant Secretary-General of AON, government's intervention is needed at this point in time. He noted that many carriers fly less than 30 passengers from Lagos to Abuja with the situation being worse on other routes.

He hinted that the only way out to prevent unprofitability was for airlines to interline their operations to save cost.

Interlining is a voluntary commercial agreement between individual airlines to handle passengers travelling on itineraries that require multiple airlines.

When a ticket is issued for an interline itinerary, one of the carriers marketing flights in that itinerary will be selected by the ticketing agent as the "plating carrier".

The plating carrier collects the entire fare from the customers and is responsible for distributing the proceeds to other carriers in that itinerary only as those carriers carry the passenger. A plating carrier therefore gets the benefit of cash flow.

Behold Davidson and Oluwaseun, Nigeria's computer whiz kids
By David Ibemere

THERE may be more young Nigerians eager to follow the footsteps of their 'uncle,' Philip Emeagwali, the internationally acclaimed computer expert.


Two [b]kids, Davidson Oseremen, 12 years old and Oluwaseun Alade, 13, both Senior Secondary One Science students of Doregos Private Academy are now certified as Microsoft Professionals, making them the youngest ever in Africa.

They passed the requisite examinations conducted on-line in flying colours in February.

Speaking at the presentation of the whiz kids to the media on Wednesday at Babatola Drive, Ikeja, Lagos, Managing Director of New Horizon Computer Learning Centre, Tim Kayode Akano, who in partnership with Daregos Private Academy trained the two pupils, expressed the hope that when the children come of age, and with the additional training, they are likely to receive, this qualification would translate to real, marketable job skills, ready to be used immediately.

He further said that for Nigeria to be re-branded, emphasis should be placed on technology, which has the potential of generating national income to the tune of $50 billion just by selling information every year.

This, he said, would increase the country's foreign reserve and also reduce overdependence on oil exportation for foreign exchange.

He called on well-meaning Nigerians, government and corporate bodies to assist New Horizon in empowering youths as that is a sure way of alleviating poverty and also gainfully employing the youth as well as guarantee reduction in criminal activities.

The government, he said, should make computer training compulsory in all schools from primary level up to the university.

Development Platform Manager for Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, Ken Spann at the presentation revealed that the two kids have shown that Nigeria needs to be properly explored as huge intellectual potentials abound in the nation.

"Microsoft is giving out $7 million worth of software to private and public schools as a means of getting students acquainted to the working of computers.

Who knows if another Bill Gate could be discovered in Nigeria."?[/b]Country Manager for Microsoft Nigeria, Emmanuel Onyeje said he believes that if given proper training and platform to express themselves, Davidson Oseremen and Alade Oluwaseun would definitely go places

The father of Oluwaseun Alade, Mr. Femi Alade, an engineer, thanked New Horizon and Microsoft for making the dream of his daughter become real.

According to Davidson's mother, Mrs. Theresa Oseremen "my child has always shown promise.

At nine, my son and his friend, 10-year-old Riliwan Shittu, assembled a Personal Computer System at Sheraton Hotel & Towels in 2006, to the amazement of everyone present.

The two, Davidson and Oluwaseun, could not hide their excitement, thanking God and New Horizon for helping them achieve such a feat.

According to them, it would have been impossible without Divine help and New Horizon.

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Nigeria among top world asylum seekers - UNHRC

By Our Correspondent

Nigerians have been ranked high among the people seeking asylum in the world, especially in industrialised nations, Empowered Newswire, a US-based news agency reported on Thursday.

According to the asylum statistics of the world released earlier this week by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Nigeria is among the nationalities responsible for the rise in asylum levels globally based on UNCHR figures for 2008 released in Geneva.

According to the UNHCR, the leading country with asylum applicants in 2008 was Iraq with 40,500 citizens seeking refuge in industrialised nations of the world.

Iraq was followed by Somalia (21,800), the Russian Federation (20,500), Afghanistan (18,500) and China (17,400).

But Nigeria was listed among the countries recording a significant rise in asylum applications along with Afghanistan, whose rise in asylum seekers rose by 85 per cent, Zimbabwe by 82 per cent and Somalia by 77 per cent.

In the case of Nigeria, asylum seekers from the country in 2008 rose by 71 per cent) and Sri Lanka by 24 per cent). The UN report categorised these nations as having "experienced unrest or conflicts in 2008."

Nigeria also made the top 10 list of people seeking asylum.

For instance, in Italy and Ireland, Nigeria was the number one country of origin of applicants.

In Italy last year alone, there were 5,333 new asylum seekers from Nigeria and 1,008 in Ireland.

Italy was also the country with the highest number of Nigerians seeking asylum last year.

In the same 2008, 970 Nigerians sought asylum in the United Kingdom, 765 in Canada, 801 in Spain, 500 in Germany, 535 in Austria, 746 in Greece, 436 in Norway, 223 in Malta and 988 in Switzerland.

Nigerians also made the top 10 in countries like Slovenia where seven Nigerians sought asylum, Poland, where 19 sought asylum, 27 in Republic of Korea-that is South Korea, eight in Portugal, 56 in Hungary, 18 in Bulgaria, , 76 in Finland and 42 in the Czech Republic.

There were also five Nigerians who sought asylum in the extremely cold country of Iceland.

The report covered 51 industrialised countries which provided monthly data to the UNHCR.

Generally, the number of people seeking asylum in industrialised countries rose in 2008 for the second year in a row, partly due to an increase in applications by people from Afghanistan, Somalia and other countries experiencing turmoil or conflict, including Nigeria, says the report.

Pensioners sell Indian hemp in Abuja - Pensions board
Chris Agbambu, Abuja
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Military Pensions Board on Wednesday raised the alarm over “the unwholesome activities of some pensioners loitering the streets of Abuja and were arrested selling Indian hemp.”


The chairman of the board, Brigadier-General Bitrus Kwaji, who expressed the worries over the activities of some of these pensioners while parading 18 of them who were arrested in Abuja, said they had been paid up to March.



Two of the pensioners who were caught with large quantity of Indian hemp, all in wraps, said they were taking it on medical grounds, as their doctors said that it would help in the cure of hernia.



However, General Kwaji, who decried the activities of the pensioners, said they were portraying the board in “a very bad light,” adding that record showed that they were not owed.



He said those of them found in possession of Indian hemp would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.

Abia politicians duped over govt appointment
Written by ANAYO OKOLI
Friday, 27 March 2009
Umuahia—AS Governor Theodore Orji of Abia state is set to reconstitute his cabinet which he dissolved two weeks ago, dupes have cashed in on the planned reconstitution of the cabinet to extort money from desperate politicians with fake promises of securing them appointments.
The fraudsters, who drop the Governor and members of his famliy’s name, go about Umuahia and other parts of the state, parading themselves as the Governor and his family’s front, and extort huge sums of money from gullible and desperate politicians with a promise that the Governor will give them appointments.

The ugly situation has got to the knowledge of the Governor and his family, and they have distanced themselves from the fraud and warned the public not to succumb to such deceit.

“The attention of the State Governor, Chief Orji has been drawn to the on-going activities of some unscrupulous elements who are going about extorting money from people with promises of securing appointments for them in the soon to be constituted Abia state Executive Council.

“The individuals and groups often claim to have been mandated by members of the Governor’s family to negotiate such transactions on their behalf.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Governor or any member of his family has not sent anybody or organisation to solicit for funds on their behalf under any guise," the statement by the Mr. Hart, the Governor's spokesman said.

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