International Airlines to Reduce Flights to Nigeria Next Year

Citing Nigeria’s slowing economy amid scarcity of foreign exchange,international airlines that operate to different destinations in the country plan to reduce flights to Nigeria from early 2016, THISDAY investigations have revealed.

The airlines, according to sources, are aggrieved that they cannot exchange billions of revenue in Naira in their possession to dollars and repatriate to their various countries because of the new fiscal policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), recently pleaded with the Governor of CBN, Godwin Emiefele to intervene in the matter and make dollars available to the airlines. Nothing has been gone anything yet; although he gave assurances to the world body, a close source told THISDAY.

The foreign airlines also had met with the Minister of Transportation, ChibuikeAmaechi and urged him to look into their case but nothing concrete has been done on the matter.

THISDAY gathered that from March 2016, British Airways would reduce its flights to Nigeria by bringing in aircraft with smaller capacity than the traditional Boeing 747, which operates the lucrative Lagos-London route.

It was also gathered that other foreign airlines may either change their aircraft type and operate ones with smaller capacity or reschedule and reduce the number of flights to Nigeria and those which have not been recording high load factor in the Nigerian route may stop flights to the country.

An informed source from one of the major international airlines, which operate daily to Lagos told THISDAY that next year would be scary because things are not looking so good.

“The situation is scary. Things are not looking so scary. Some parents whose children are in school overseas are considering withdrawing them as our economy, which has become the strongest economy in Africa is grinding to a halt. We don’t want to make our plan to reduce operations public because we don’t want to cause any panic. This will affect everybody; it is going to also affect my staff because some of them might lose their jobs. BA will definitely reduce service; it is a decision we must have to take,” the source said.

The source noted that failure to repatriate the airline’s revenue is affecting aircraft leases and fuelling as the money so generated is used to pay for fuel and renew aircraft leases.

“We have so much money which cannot be released because there is no foreign currency. Now, we cannot accept dollars from passengers; unless they are paying with credit cards, so if a passenger comes to buy ticket with dollars we will not accept because of the new policies. I do not believe that they want to make us suffer but they should have directed these policies to the areas where they import toothpick, glasses and others, not on air transport and other sectors that are critical for the economy to thrive and grow. It is not only BA that will reduce its operation; every international airline will reduce something,” the source also said.

The source also suggested that CBN should endeavor to provide foreign exchange to the essential service sector so that the economy would not grind to a halt.

“I am worried about all these but we have to be seen to be supporting government so I do not wish to raise any alarm, but the truth has to be said. We need prayers right now; we need to pray for those in government for them to have wisdom to take the right decision for this country,” the source also said.

The source said that marketers had dropped notice that airlines would start paying for aviation fuel in dollars from next year.

“Without fuel, how can we operate? The situation is very scary,” the source added.

darlenese:


OK, the government told u their intension is to increase it, and cause hardship right ?

chinchum:
No, you are not getting the point, the increase in tarriff for prepaid meter users does not necessarily mean they will now pay more, for some it might mean they will pay less now., and in some cases they will pay more. Anyone paying roughly 2,500 per month using prepaid metre in time past will still pay roughly the same with increase in tarriff , courtesy scrapping of service charges.

suxkill:
Last warning 0p!!!



You've been warned by Lai Mohammed not to report any BH attack.cus the have meet the december deadline.



Lmao!!!

Suspected Boko Haram fighters launch four strikes on Lake Chad area

Source: Reuters - Wed, 23 Dec 2015 21:31 GMT
Author: Reuters
* Five killed in attack on Niger's border town

* Two killed in Cameroon bombing

* Three suicide blasts reported on Chad island

* More than 2 million displaced in fragile region (Adds Cameroon suicide bombing in paragraph 6)

By Madjiasra Nako and Abdoulaye Massalaki

N'DJAMENA/NIAMEY, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Suspected Boko Haram militants launched four attacks over 24 hours on villages in Niger, Chad and Cameroon, killing at least seven people, security and administrative sources said on Wednesday.

The Islamist militants are mostly based in northeastern Nigeria but have become a major threat to wider regional security by carrying out attacks in the lawless Lake Chad zone where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet.

In the most deadly of three attacks since Tuesday, militants killed two soldiers and three civilians in Niger's southern border town of Abadam overnight, the sources said.

About 150 km (90 miles) east in Chad, three militants were killed when they detonated suicide bombs after being found out by a group of local people as they sought to embark from an island to a lakeside market in Bol. A fourth set off his bomb but survived.

"They were intercepted by villagers who wanted to search them and they resisted," said a local official who asked not to be named. Three other militants managed to shed the explosives they were carrying and swim away, he added.

A female suicide bomber blew herself up on Wednesday in the town of Nguetchewe in Cameroon's Far North Region, also killing a small girl accompanying her and a local resident.

In northern Cameroon, several suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked three food trucks near the Chadian border on Wednesday, officials said. Cameroonian Special Forces (BIR) arrived shortly afterwards and there were no deaths or injuries.

Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people and driven more than 2 million people to flee their homes during its six-year insurgency in one of the world's poorest regions.

Regional governments including Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin have pledged to destroy the group using an 8,700-strong regional task force. The United States has also sent troops to supply intelligence and other assistance.

But joint operations have yet to begin, leaving it up to national armies to tackle the group individually.

In the absence of effective coordination, security sources have warned this often means that soldiers just drive the militants across each other's borders.

Both Chad and Niger have declared a state of emergency for the regions of Lake Chad and Diffa respectively which have been hit by dozens of attacks this year.

Aid agencies say they often struggle to provide food and other support to the vulnerable local populations because of the security challenges. (Additional reporting by Josiane Kouagheu in Douala and Sylvain Anzongo in Yaounde; Writing by Emma Farge and Joe Bavier; Editing by Dominic Evans and Richard Balmforth)

Dannyset:

Can you pls help us with the calculation?

Tho I knew it immediately it was said, that if the thing is properly calculated, we'll be at the losing end.

Please help if you can.

chinchum:
20% increase for you, it could be 20% decrease for others or more. It is not simply black or white.

The fixed charge used to be n750/monthly, so if you use avg of n1,000 supply monthly 1.e a total of 1,750, you will now pay 1,450(45% increase over 1,000), you can see in that scenario, it is a reduction in power cost.
if ur monthly avg consumption costs is 1,500, before removal of service charge, you paid 2,250, now u will pay 2,225,i.e about the same price.

chinchum:
No point, they should rather fight hard to ensure prepaid meters are distributed at no cost, and the value can be recouped over the years. There are no service charges any longer on the prepaid meters.

slimfit1:
If you check out the purpose of this article, you will find out that there is an attempt to create fear. Both physically and mentally poor people find it hard to see that with these method of governance there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Saifullah01:
This article was written few months into the buhari first stint as military head of state. And we all agree that the general consensus is that if buhari had stayed longer then Nigeria would have been on an irreversible positive trajectory.

If anything this article should give us reassurance that buhari is strong willed, steady hands meticulous planner, this time with the international community at his side.

Bigprozzie:


Key observations:




Actually this is excellent revisionism that shows that we made the right decision to vote for Buhari

The article shows that Buhari has a long history of fighting corruption!

Unlike 1983 when he was a military Head of State, he now has a 4 year mandate (at the least). I am almost 100% sure, he will rule this country till 2023. By then, we will have institutions that no longer tolerate or aid corrupt practices.

Buhari should take his time to address corruption. This is the main issue facing Nigeria. Under Jonathan, within the space of 5 years, the country lost over $30 billion to corruption. That is enough money to provide 24/7 electricity, clean up most of the environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, build roads and necessary infrastructure.

This is dejavu but a positive one.

NIGERIAN MILITARY IS SEEN AS LOSING SUPPORT
By CLIFFORD D. MAY
Published: May 1, 1984


LAGOS, Nigeria, April 29— Four months after seizing power, Nigeria's military leaders appear to be suffering an erosion of popular support.

Last Dec. 31, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Buhari led a group of young officers in a coup against the civilian Government of President Shehu Shagari, saying the takeover was necessary to save Nigeria, Africa's richest and most populous nation, from economic collapse.

The military intervention appeared at the time to enjoy enthusiastic support from a broad range of Nigeria's population.

Many intellectuals argued that the corruption and incompetence of the Shagari administration had made drastic action both necessary and inevitable. Traders, merchants and people in the streets welcomed the soldiers and looked forward to a quick improvement in their standard of living.

Growing Disappointment

Recently, however, there seems to be growing disappointment with both the military Government's approach and pace.

''Since coming to power, this Government has not found a single problem,'' said Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, a prominent lawyer and a longtime opponent of the Shagari administration. ''But it has managed to alienate the judiciary, the press, labor and students - all the groups that supported it just a few months ago.''

Critics of the military Government point out that it has yet to present its budget. Loan negotiations with the International Monetary Fund continue but Western economists say that Nigeria and the I.M.F. appear to be further apart now than during the final days of the Shagari administration.

Early indications that General Buhari would agree to devalue Nigeria's currency, liberalize trade and reduce domestic petroleum subsidies have so far not materialized. Prices Have Climbed

In addition, prices for food and other essential commodities, which fell in the first weeks after the coup largely because of the presence of soldiers in the marketplaces, have now returned to or exceeded their levels before the coup. Unemployment has been rising, and many of the imported raw materials and spare parts needed to keep factories running have been lacking.

Critics note further that political activity and even debate have been banned and some students organizations have been outlawed. There has been a clampdown on Nigeria's press, and the country's traditionally independent judiciary has also seen its role sharply diminished.

''At the moment we're looking at a clear movement toward authoritarian dictatorship,'' said Stanley N. Macebuh, executive editor of The Guardian, an independent newspaper that had often taken the Shagari administration to task. ''It's a trend that disturbs a lot of people, not least those who welcomed the change of government.''

Spokesmen for the military leadership maintain that they know what they are doing and refuse to be rushed. They deny the charges of inaction, saying that steps have been taken. Trials Being Prepared

The Government, they say, has put much energy into investigating the corruption of the Shagari administration and in preparing tribunals to try the accused, close to 500 of whom are now under detention.

Officials say about 2,000 illegal aliens have been ejected from the country and several thousand people have been detained in a crackdown on suspected criminals and Moslem extremists.

They say Nigeria's bloated bureaucracy has been streamlined through the dismissal of thousands of officials and civil servants.

Three weeks ago an agreement was reached in London on converting a part of Nigeria's uninsured trade debts into loans.

The Government's critics respond that the economic initiatives treat symptoms rather than causes and aid the larger issue of how to restructure Nigeria's economy.

A Western diplomat said General Buhari ''could have accomplished so much if he had moved quickly and boldly in the early days when his popularity was still so high and when he could have credibly blamed everything on Shagari.''

http://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/01/world/nigerian-military-is-seen-as-losing-support.html

Senate proposes 2-year jail term for offenders of false statements on social media


A bill seeking a two-year jail term for any person who makes false allegation or publishes any statement or petition in the newspaper,radio or medium of whatever description against another person,institutions of government or any public office holder, passed second reading in the Senate on Wednesday.
The bill also prescribed that anybody or group of persons who send any false text message or post false message on the social media against another person shall be jailed for two years upon conviction by the law court.
The bill,tagged: “A Bill for an Act to Prohibit frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith”, sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’Allah, APC, Kebbi South, compels petitioners to accompany their petitions with sworn court affidavit, failure of which attracts a six- month imprisonment upon conviction.
But the bill provides for an option of N4 million for persons convicted of false newspaper,radio and television statements and N2 million for offenders of false phone text messages or messages on facebook,twitter,instagram,or whatsApp.
“Where any person in order to circumvent this law makes any allegation and or publish any statement,petition in any paper,radio,or any medium of whatever description, with malicious intent to discredit or set the public against any person or group of persons, institutions of government,he shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction,shall be liable to an imprisonment term of two years or a fine of N4,000,000.00”,the bill specified.
On the social media,the bill read: “Where any person through text message,tweets, whatsApp or through any social media post any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the public against any person and group of persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established by law shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction,shall be liable to an imprisonment for two years or a fine of N2,000,000.00 or both fine and imprisonment.”
The bill said it shall be an offence for any petition to be submitted without a sworn affidavit from the law court.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/senate-proposes-2-year-jail-term-for-offenders-of-abusive-statements-on-social-media/

Does 1 Nigeria Really Favour All Nigerians ?

Dicussion between a Yoruba Man and his Igbo friend, why he is not supporting one Nigeria ........

Yoruba Man : Under what conditions would you support One Nigeria and let go of the Biafra struggle?

Igbo Friend: if I am to support 1 Nigeria, the Federal government should ..

1. Close down Lagos ports and Open up PH,Calabar, Onitsha and Warri ports

2. Cancel all direct and major connecting flights to Lagos and Abuja airports...only local or minimal connecting flights will be allowed. While this is been done, open up Enugu, Owerri,Asaba, Uyo and PH to international flights...direct and major connecting flights.

3. Ask all international and diplomatic missions to move their embassies and consulates from Lagos and Abuja to Enugu, PH and Calabar.

4. All federal governments’ agencies in Lagos and Abuja shall be relocated to Enugu, PH and Calabar. CBN, NNPC, e.t.c shall and must relocate to PH, Calabar and Enugu.

5. All multinational companies in Lagos and Abuja, shall and must relocate their offices to PH, Calabar and Enugu.

6. When all these conditions are met, we can try one Nigeria and let's see if you Hausas and Yorubas will like it for a month.

Meaning, Yorubas and Hausas needing to get visas shall travel to PH, Calabar or Enugu to do that. Same with flying or connecting flights, same with shipping and importing their goods, e.t.c.

The yoruba Man replied: WHAT!!!! You can't be serious, this is Wickedness!!!.

Igbo Friend : REALLY? Don't you think Igbos and south south have been suffering and enduring this very same WICKEDNESS for over 50 years now?

Yoruba Man : (was quiet for a few seconds and said): WOW!!, you are right but it never occurred to me.

Igno Friend : That's the problem with One Nigeria, those who are benefiting love it and would love to maintain the status quo.

For those of you who are Yorubas, Hausas, Fulani insulting the igbos and showing hatred will never keep the 1 Nigeria dream alive, you are actually fueling the agitation, you are making them see clearly why they should leave.

You can not preach 1 Nigeria by hating and insulting and intimidating the igbos politically

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King, Jr

alutarabbi:
the fuss is about pple like u accepting anytin on Nigeria, slowly bt steadily that's how a country losses its reputation. Where foreigners ar so comfortable sayin anytin about ur country and wen they find out you're doin well in theirs, they start Xenophobia!! We av to stp acceptin evrytin under d guise of joke or celebrity hype.

hotdi:


Mind you, the economy was already in recession before they left, they were only claiming economic growth on paper. A sound economy as they claimed ought not to have shown such devastating signal if it is what they claimed it was.
Now that the cabinet is setup you wld see the dividend of a true economic growth on the citizenry, courtesy of this administration.

henryhemon:


Yes she won't cuz she will be far much better than NOI,what achievement did NOI leave us? a tattered economy? gejites the man has moved on and you guys are crying and hating on his behalf...senseless folks.

hotdi:


What do u mean. Is Okonjo an Island? Is she a born-economist? Kemi Adeogun can surpass her by far if she focus on the right areas.
Okonjo could not even perform optimally because of the corrupt environment she found herself then. If you agree with me, a lot of her initiatives were frustrated and rubbished by corrupt officials all over in that administration.

shizzy7:
but you don't even know what you are talking about.

Tunami:
hope she's not another okonjo iweala?