₦airaland Forum

Air Nigeria terminated its operations on Monday due to “staff disloyalty and environmental challenges”, the latest setback for the country’s aviation industry after a rival’s plane crash in June killed 163 people. According to Reuters, it is now shutting down operations and sacking over 500 staff in a
move that has prompted union protests over
alleged unfair dismissal and unpaid salaries. Investors behind the airline have struggled to
deal with $250m (£157m) of debt taken on
when they bought the carrier from Virgin two
years ago, BBC said. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority suspended
Air Nigeria in June due to financial concerns,
although some flights were allowed to
continue. “Corporations are like individuals, who
naturally will get sick, and the usual thing to
do is to admit them to hospitals, either for
corporate surgery or for treatment, as the
case may be,” a statement from the company’s
Chairman Jimoh Ibrahim said. Ibrahim said Air Nigeria would close
operations for at least a year but he hoped
to resurrect the airline in the future Privately-owned Air Nigeria was part of
Richard Branson’s Virgin fleet until he pulled
out in 2010, selling his minority stake. It operated flights across West Africa and to
London. The demise of Air Nigeria leaves the country
with just four domestic carriers operating
scheduled flights.

Ten years after the 9/11 terror
attacks, Barack Obama joins
thousands of Americans to honour
the 2,977 who died that day.
Victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks
will be remembered today at a new
World Trade Centre where workers
are completing the last floors of the
main 104-storey-tower. US officials and selected family
members of the nearly 3 000 people
killed in the United States on
September 11, 2001, will meet at dawn
in Lower Manhattan to remember
them in a commemorative service held each year on the anniversary to mark
the tragic event. The names of all the victims will be
read, including 2 740 in New York and
the other people killed at the
Pentagon and in Shanksville,
Pennsylvania. New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg and top US officials in New York and New Jersey
will be present, but none of them will
deliver speeches. The low-key anniversary in New York,
as in past years, will focus on
remembering the dead. Similar services
will take place in Washington and
Shanksville. President Barack Obama
will attend a ceremony at the White House's South Lawn this morning. "This anniversary is about them,"
Obama said in a radio address on
Saturday. "It's also a time to reflect
on just how far we've come as a
nation these past 11 years." The attacks "brought out the best in
the American people," Obama said,
noting the more than 5 million men and
women who have volunteered to
serve in the military since the attacks. White House spokesperson Jay
Carney said Obama "certainly hopes
and knows that Americans across the
country will take a moment to reflect
upon the events of September 11,
2001, and all that our country has been through together since then,
and especially, I think, take that
moment to remember the victims and
their families from that terrible
event." Obama was briefed on security on
the eve of the anniversary, discussing
"specific measures we are taking in
the homeland to prevent 9/11 related
attacks as well as the steps taken to
protect US persons and facilities abroad, as well as force protection,"
the White House said. The World Trade Centre site is no
longer referred to as Ground Zero,
the name it had been given after 2001
to describe the massive destruction
caused by the terrorist attacks. New high-rise buildings and office-
business towers have been sprouting
at the site in the past years, costing
more than $10 billion. Last year, the
National September 11 Memorial and
Museum opened to the public and some 4.5 million people have visited in
the past year. Names of all the victims
have been etched on the walls of the
memorial. One World Trade Centre, known as
Freedom Tower, will open in 2014 with
its 3 million square feet of office
space being filled with some of the
world largest corporations. The tower will reach the height of
592 metres, symbolic for the year
1776 when the United States adopted
the Declaration of Independence
from Britain.
www.sabc.co.za/news/a/604eb2804cad1bbcbf92bfc6a116673e/US-remembers-911-victims-20121109

Opposition against moves by the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi, to introduce the N5,000 note
has gathered momentum in the Senate. Daily Sun investigations indicated that
senators have resolved to take on the
CBN over its stance that only a
presidential approval was needed for
the introduction of the N5,000 note
and a restructuring of the nation’s currency. It was gathered that some senators
had already met on the issue and
were perfecting strategies on how
to stop Sanusi when they resume from
the summer recess. Senate is on recess and will resume
plenary on September 18. But unconfirmed reports indicated
that the resumption might be a week
earlier. Three weeks ago, the Senate, through
its Committee on Banking, Insurance
and other Financial Institutions,
directed the CBN to stop the
proposed move to introduce the
N5,000 note and the restructuring of the naira. The chairman of the committee issued
the directive in Abuja. Thereafter, the committee reportedly
met with the CBN, but details of the
meeting were not made public. Regardless, some members of the
nation’s upper legislative chamber,
opposed to the new naira note, had
met, reviewed the Senate’s response
and had tacitly endorsed what they
termed the ‘quick intervention.’ A member privy to the meeting, but
who was not authorised to talk on
behalf of the group, told Daily Sun at
the weekend that some senators
were not happy with the CBN for not
carrying the National Assembly along on such a sensitive issue as the
issuance of the N5,000 note. He added: “In any democracy
anywhere in the world, the parliament
is always involved in crucial economic
and monetary issues; particularly as it
affects the citizens. “It was an embarrassment for the
leadership of the National Assembly
to read reports that even the
President had been briefed as far
back as December 2011, yet, we only
got to read of the policy just as any Nigerian on the pages of
newspapers.” Asked whether President Goodluck
Jonathan had already briefed the
National Assembly leadership that in
turn decided against telling other
lawmakers, the lawmaker retorted:
“That’s a plausible thing to say. It is not possible for the President to tell
our leaders and they will not, at least,
discuss it during one of the routine
meetings of the body of principal
officers. “No, the National Assembly was not
briefed at all. Besides, the Presidency
has not even gone about this matter
the right way. Imagine that there is a
bill pending before the Senate on the
autonomy of the CBN and the same apex bank has gone ahead to
disrespect the National Assembly. “At the right time, we will tell Sanusi
that he cannot be greater than
Nigerians. We are the representatives
of the people and if you listen very
well, they are saying that they don’t
want the new note at this point in time.” Another senator, who was not a part
of the meeting but who declined to be
named also added: “The CBN governor
is not even discreet about his role in
the Nigerian economy. We are still
considering amendment of the CBN Act, which will hopefully address the
autonomy of the apex bank and here
he is, restructuring the nation’s
currency without the input of the
National Assembly. “We heard that the CBN and his
directors have met the Banking
Committee, but they should know that
the matter has not ended there. When
we resume, some of us will take up the
matter.” Adding his voice to the debate, the
Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Rules and Business, Ita Solomon Enang,
submitted that in line with
international standard practice, the
CBN and the ruling government ought to brief the National Assembly before
going public about the new note. Enang said this during a meeting of
the Nigerian Bar Association (Class of
1985). His words: “I want the NBA, and in
particular the Law Class of 1985, to
take interest in this matter and join
the debate. And the debate is: Can the
CBN issue a currency and re-
denominate the currency of a country without the legislature? “Is the exercise of this power within
the exclusive powers of CBN? Should
the president or government in power
be parties to the action that is
happening? “Is the denomination of the currency
of a country not an economic matter
for that country and should
standard practice all over the world
not be a guide? “In the United States of America or
the United Kingdom and other
standard democracies, should it not
be a matter that should be debated
and agreed upon? “Should it not be a
matter that should be a major campaign issue (in) the presidential
election that should we re-
denominate our currency? “Should we allow our economy to be
run and dictated outside of Nigeria
or have posted persons into Nigeria in
the name of public offices? “I want us to ask ourselves since we
grew up to travel and to see the
currencies of other countries have
we seen any currency or Pound
Sterling higher than the £50? “I don’t
remember seeing the U.S Dollar more than a hundred dollar bill. I want us
as a body to stand up and discuss
this matter because I’m not asking
for discussion only…On my own as a
person and as a representative, I am
opposing it. “I am not speaking for the Senate and
I’m not speaking for others, but I’m
saying that I, Senator Ita Enang,
representing the Akwa Ibom North-
East Senatorial District and this class,
I’m opposing the introduction of N5,000 note and please we should do
this to the end. “I want this class and this Assembly to
take interest in these matters
because if we keep quiet today it
affect our currency and our country
tomorrow.”
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/national/n5000-note-well-stop-sanusi-senators/

Kim Kardashian and Beyonce are not “beefing” even though it has been widely reported that they are. It seems that on the contrary, they are actually friends. A lot of reports were circulating, this past week, that Beyonce allegedly had it out with Kim K at her Husband, Jay-Z’s Made in America event in Philadelphia . The R & B star allegedly told Kim to stop drawing attention to herself by posing for photos because they were taking attention away from her husband.

Director, Ron Howard, who was also at the event is said to have had a conversation with Kim K in which she asked him to consider her for a role in one of his movies. According to media reports, that was also the reason why Beyonce was upset with the reality television star. According to TMZ, their sources say that Beyonce and Kim K did not have a confrontation and are still friends.

The two friends are reported to have watched their men perform from back-stage. As Kanye and Jay-Z performed at the event, Kim K and Beyonce are reported to have been laughing and hugging while they enjoyed the show. A TMZ sourse says, “They love each other — they talk fashion, family, Beyonce’s baby all the time.” As for Kim K asking Ron Howard for a part in a movie, it is false. Kim is reported to have not even spoken to him that day.
www.ynaija.com/ticker-beyonce-theres-no-beef-with-kim-kardashian/

All is now set for Friday’s burial of
Cynthia Udoka Osokogu, the 24-year
old daughter of retired Major
General Frank Osokogu, who was
murdered by friends she met on
Facebook. Cynthia will be laid to rest in her
father’s residence in Boji-Boji Owa,
Ika North Local Government Area of
Delta State, south south Nigeria. Boji-Boji Owa is an elitist town in
Agbor city that hosts many
dignitaries, including Senator Ifeanyi
Okonwa whose residence is a stone’s
throw from Osokogu’s residence. The Governor of Delta State,
Emmanuel Uduaghan, commissioners
and other dignitaries in the state, will
be attending the burial, the family
said on Thursday. At the General’s residence, a throng
of sympathisers came all day to
present their condolence messages to
General Osokogu. Obituary posters were seen all over
the sprawling residence, including on
the window of a bedroom where
Cynthia always spent Christmas and
New Year celebrations in. Canopies and chairs were in the
compound and music was playing all
day. Cynthia, the only daughter and last
born of a family of four was on 22
July tortured, raped and strangled
by her Facebook friends.
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