₦airaland Forum

Melagros:
COMRADES are astonished over this matter

So MURIC is now the spokesman for the sultan of Sokoto

Well, the governor is a moslem, the sultan too is a moslem, what is my business?

Suspected bandits have attacked Kakangi ward in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, killing four vigilantes and Mobile Police Force (MPF) officer.

The bandits also abducted unspecified number of villagers near a farm in the Sabon Layi area of the same ward.

Yahaya Musa Dan Salio, member representing Kutemeshi ward at the Kaduna State House of Assembly, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Monday.

He said, “Yes, among the victims were local vigilantes and one other killed by the bandits on Sunday. There were other villagers abducted on their farms around Sabon Layi too, all under my constituency.”

“When we received the information that bandits attacked people on their farms, the divisional police officer and the hunters posted in the area mobilised and repelled the attack. In the process three local vigilantes and a mobile policeman were killed. While several bandits were also neutralised and others escaped with bullets wounds,” he said.

iwaeda:
In the days of GEJ, it is was his cluelessness,but under Muslim-Muslim, it will now take decades to exterminate your brain child. Nlfpmod, may God revert the brains of these people.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, says it will take decades for the bandit-ravaged North-West geopolitical zone to come out of the menacing security challenge.

The President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) stated this at the North-West Peace and Security Summit in Katsina State on Monday.

“What we must do is to challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry and insurgency on our lives. But it will take decades to get out of it if all we get out of it. We all know the consequences and the problems,” he said.

The Sultan expressed the readiness of traditional rulers to partner with security agencies and the seven governors of the geopolitical zone to “save our region from the numerous problems” of banditry and insurgency.

He believed that at the end of the summit, proposals to bring insurgency to the barest minimum for people to go about their lives and businesses would be arrived at.

The summit was graced by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu; ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, governors of the seven states in the North-West geopolitical zone, service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police.

Banditry became a phenomenon in Kaduna, Kastina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, and Jigawa in the last one decade as a spillover of the intractable Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East zone.

Thousands of people, mostly vulnerable persons, have been killed and displaced by the bloodthirsty marauders who mostly disguise as herders. A very large number of people have also been kidnapped for ransom as the AK-47-wielding bandits multiply across the North-West zone and penetrate the North Central zone.

Non-kinetic approaches explored by governments at different levels have failed over the years as bandits continue to sack farmers from their farmlands, significantly affecting the food production of the country.

The Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, allocated a total of N14.77 billion for the repair and maintenance of Nigeria's presidential air fleet over an 11-month period, according to a State House report.

The payments, executed in 11 separate tranches spanning from July 16, 2023, to May 25, 2024, were processed through the 'Presidential Air Fleet Transit Funds' account at the State House headquarters, a report by Sunday PUNCH said.

The allocation coincides with ongoing deliberations in the National Assembly regarding the acquisition of two new aircraft. This move comes after concerns were raised about the functionality of the President's 19-year-old Boeing 737 and other aircraft in the fleet, which have experienced operational challenges.

A report from the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence highlighted the urgent need for additional aircraft, estimating the procurement cost at over $623.4 million or N918.7 billion. The committee stressed the critical importance of maintaining a reliable and safe fleet, crucial for the duties and security of the President and Vice President of Nigeria.

The condition of the presidential air fleet has sparked significant debate, despite substantial past expenditures by previous administrations. The current situation has led President Tinubu to occasionally charter private jets, while Vice President Shettima had to cancel international trips due to technical faults with official aircraft.

According to the Sunday PUNCH report, as of now, the Presidential Air Fleet consists of six main aircraft: a Boeing 737, Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream GV, two Falcon 7Xs, and a Challenger CL605, alongside six helicopters. During the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, N62.47 billion was expended on the fleet's operation and maintenance. However, pledges to reduce fleet size to cut governance costs were not fully realized, with allocations fluctuating over recent fiscal years.

GovSpend, a civic tech platform, confirmed that President Tinubu's administration authorized the disbursement of N14.77 billion within a year of assuming office. This expenditure excludes costs related to the President's and Vice President's domestic and international travels.

Payments commenced with N1.52 billion approved in July 2023 for maintenance, followed by subsequent disbursements: N3.1 billion in August, N1.26 billion in November 2023, N2.54 billion in March 2024, N6.35 billion in April 2024, and N1.27 billion in May 2024.

Last Wednesday, SaharaReporters reported that President Tinubu departed Lagos for South Africa to attend the inauguration of the country’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa in a private jet belonging to his Lebanese ally, Gilbert Chagoury.

The Nigerian President arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base on the outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, on Tuesday evening.

Video and pictures released by the South African presidential media team showed Tinubu disembarked from a Dassault Falcon 8X aircraft.

However, SaharaReporters gathered that the private jet marked 9H-GRC was owned by Chagoury Group, a conglomerate owned by Gilbert Chagoury, a known business partner of the Nigerian President.

A further check by SaharaReporters on an aircraft registration database revealed that the private jet and others owned by the group are operated by Hyperion Aviation.


The Dassault Falcon 8X was first operated by Aviation SA before it was transferred to Amjet Executive.

The aircraft was also briefly registered under Chagoury Group for some days before its operation was moved to Hyperion Aviation.

Hyperion is an air charter company operating business jets, headquartered in Malta.

SaharaReporters had reported how a Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-700) marked 5N-FGT owned by the Nigerian government incurred parking charges running into millions of Naira since it was transported to Germany on March 25 for repairs.

The amount accounted for the aircraft’s parking charges for over 80 days, at the rate of €5,000 (N8million) at the rate of N1613 to €1.

In April, the President was forced to travel to Saudi Arabia on a charter flight for the World Economic Forum in Riyadh from the Netherlands.

At the time, the President left Nigeria on a Gulfstream Aerospace GV-SP (G550) with registration number 5N-FGW and serial number 5310 (Mode-S 0640F2) because the Boeing 737-700 marked 5N-FGT was undergoing rehabilitation in Germany.

However, the second aircraft he was travelling on developed a fault in the Netherlands.

The Nigerian leader arrived in The Hague on April 23 from Nigeria for a series of economic and diplomatic engagements at the instance of Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

It was reported that the Nigerian President learnt shortly before he was scheduled to depart the Netherlands that his plane had suffered unspecified problems, one of which an official identified as including an oxygen leak.

The president and his delegation left the presidential aircraft behind and opted for a charter jet company to take them to Saudi Arabia for the forum.

The aircraft, a Gulfstream G550 class, was originally dedicated to Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

benuejosh:
i blame Peter Obi for giving you a say.

iwaeda:
APC has brought tears and sorrow (apology to baba 70), we are not in conventional wars, but millions are living in IDPs, Nlfpmod. You wonder how people still vote for these heartless leaders.

Anunakeeh:
23 trillion pere. The thing no even much.

iwaeda:

iwaeda:
The builder of Lagos, throwing the whole nation into monumental debts just in a year, but people that don't want Nigeria to be free are supporting their own slavery. Nlfpmod, they are only ruling by propaganda. Travel through from cities to cities, check the roads.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria has announced that the nation’s total public debt has increased significantly to N121.67 trillion (approximately $91.46 billion) as of March 31, 2024.

According to a statement from the DMO, this figure encompasses the combined domestic and external debts of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the thirty-six state governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In comparison, the total public debt as of December 31, 2023, stood at N97.34 trillion (approximately $108.23 billion). This represents a substantial increase of N24.33 trillion or 24.99% within a three-month period.


The increase is driven majorly by naira devaluation, as the total debt is reduced in dollar terms.

The breakdown of the total debt as of March 31, 2024, shows that the domestic debt component was N65.65 trillion (approximately $46.29 billion), while the external debt component amounted to N56.02 trillion (approximately $42.12 billion).

Bobloco:
I use to think that LASTMA is a traffic management Authority, have they now become a revenue generating agency.

Anyways, revenue must be generated anywhere, anyhow

President Bola Tinubu has said that Nigerians are not the only ones facing poverty in the world.

While admitting that there are poverty and suffering in the land, Tinubu said the challenges must be tackled.

One of the ways of tackling them, he explained, is to eliminate banditry and terrorism so that farmers cab return to the farm.

According to a statement on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Ajuri Ngelale, the President said this in Lagos on Monday when he received a delegation from the National Assembly who came to felicitate with him on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir.

The delegation was led by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, alongside the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, among others.

According to him, it is imperative for Nigerians to have a change of value system for the nation to make progress.

“Yes, there is poverty; there is suffering in the land. We are not the only people facing such, but we must face our challenges.

“We must find a way to eliminate banditry and terrorism so that farmers can bring out food from the farmland.

“If you do not have good roads to bring the food to the population, even if you grow the food and you are losing 60-70 per cent to damages, you will pay the price,” the President said.

He challenged citizens to have a change of mindset about Nigeria if the nation is to overcome its current challenges.

“The need (for some citizens) to change the rent-seeking mindset and become more productive to the economy is a challenge. The need to stop smuggling and all economic sabotage.

“Why should we have people removing rail tracks and all that, stealing electric cables and sabotaging the economy?

“We must embrace the campaign to change our value system. We must tell our people that the challenge we face is for all of us to change our mindset about our country,” Tinubu stressed.

The President also commended the leadership of the National Assembly for the support extended to his administration, which he said had resulted in some of the important developments recorded by his administration.

“It is great pride for me to have the best of partners in the National Assembly. We have to drill down and be all-inclusive in our bid to satisfy our people.

“It is daunting, but we cannot run away from the fact that this country must survive the hardship,” he stated.

The President acknowledged the challenges and the task ahead, assuring the nation of his unwavering determination to turn things around.”

Fresh indications have emerged revealing that some domestic airlines’ operators may close up shop due to inability to access forex required to either return or take their aircraft outside the country for checks.

Vanguard learnt that the country’s 12 scheduled airlines with different range of airplanes from Boeing 737 series, Airbus A320-300, A220-300, ATR, Embraer CRJ, Embraer E2, Embraer ERJ-145, Dash 8 to MD 83, among others, had suffered severe fleet depletion, leading to reduction in capacity.

It was also gathered that the instability in exchange rate was affecting the cost of aircraft spare parts, forcing operators to constantly adjust airfares.

Stuck aircraft

A senior member of Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, and the Chief Executive Officer of Top Brass Aviation Limited, Captain Roland Iyayi, lamented the paucity of rex, calling for an urgent fix.

He said: “I know of a domestic carrier that has as many as 13 aircraft stuck at various maintenance facilities worldwide. The same operator, in the course of putting in bid for forex, has domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, $14 million worth of naira. A year and half on, he is yet to receive the dollars.

“They have a situation where, because of this paucity or unavailability of forex, they are stuck with having about 30 per cent of their operational fleet stuck with maintenance facilities worldwide.

‘’That has depleted their fleet availability and schedule reliability. So, when you hear a lot of domestic airlines cancelling and delaying, it is not completely unconnected with the fact that they have not had FX available to be able to recover their airplanes to optimize operations.

Unsustainable

“It is not sustainable. That is the reason a fleet of about 30 aircraft is now down to 21. Some airlines with about 10 airplanes are now down to four. What that translates to ultimately is an increase in fares because if there is no capacity and demand is higher, fares will increase. The lack of forex is a major factor in how domestic airlines fare.

“Right now, I think government should declare a state of emergency in aviation. If we continue at this rate, the fleet size of the domestic market may be reduced to as low as between 35 and 50 per cent within the next three months, meaning airfares will increase.”

Instability

Also speaking to Vanguard, the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, said: “There is no part of the aircraft that is manufactured in Nigeria. So, whenever there is a rollercoaster of exchange rate, it translates directly to the price of spare parts being bought. ‘’That is what has translated to the number of aircraft we currently have in the country. The aircraft that are down for maintenance is a direct relationship to the exchange rate.

“If the foreign exchange could be stable, the airlines will adjust their tickets to reflect the foreign exchange. The problem lies in the rollercoaster of foreign exchange. And that is where airlines experience challenges to remain in business.

‘’However, when there is long-term stability in the FX market and the margin between the naira and dollar is not so wide, then one can plan.

Fiscal policy

“Thank God the fiscal policy of current government is showing that we will probably have it stable between N1,400 and N1,500. If it remains, then I believe airlines can now adjust their tickets prices to reflect the exchange rate that would give them a good picture to plan ahead and make a good budget.”

The United Nations Children’s Fund has urged the Lagos State Government to urgently provide high-standard water and sanitation facilities to communities to curb the cholera outbreak in the state.

Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucrier made this call on Saturday following the current cholera outbreak in the state which has spread across multiple Local Government Areas with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths.

To reduce fatality associated with the disease, UNICEF asked the state government to strengthen its healthcare systems and make them capable of responding to the demand in times of outbreaks.

The international organisation also urged the state government to lead educational campaigns on cholera prevention to protect children and the population at large.


Lafoucrier said the cholera outbreaks underscore the urgent need for improved access to clean water and sanitation in many areas.

The state Ministry of Health, on Saturday, confirmed 350 suspected cases of cholera in 29 wards across multiple LGAs in the state, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said Nigeria recorded 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths from 1 January to 11 June across 96 local governments in 30 states.


Cholera is a highly contagious food and water-borne disease. It spreads through direct transmission by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, and indirect transmission due to poor sanitation and lack of handwashing.

Symptoms of cholera include acute, painless watery diarrhoea of sudden onset, with or without vomiting. It may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting, and fever.

Lafoucrier noted that despite the state government’s efforts to provide water to its population, the current outbreak demonstrates the need for an urgent government focus on ensuring the water provided to the population was clean and risk-free.

She said, “Addressing the challenges of cholera outbreaks requires a deliberate focus of state policies to provide high-standard water and sanitation facilities, as well as strengthened healthcare systems capable of responding to the demand in times of outbreaks, and state-led educational campaigns on cholera prevention to protect children and the population at large.

“To alleviate cholera outbreaks, a comprehensive approach is essential. Sustainable WASH infrastructure and strengthened health systems capable of anticipating epidemics as well as, effective community engagement strategies are crucial to halt transmission.”

According to her, preventing cholera ultimately centres on good sanitation and hygiene practices.

“This includes enhancing water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, implementing rapid surveillance, promoting social mobilisation, administering treatment, and utilizing oral cholera vaccines.



“Key actions include proper disposal of faeces, eliminating open defecation, and ensuring access to potable water. Regular handwashing with clean, running water and soap is vital.

“Additionally, avoiding the consumption of uncooked vegetables, unwashed fruits, raw or undercooked seafood, and food from street vendors is important to reduce the risk of cholera infection,” she said.

Lafoucrier affirmed that good water and sanitation infrastructure play a crucial role in reducing disease outbreaks, such as cholera, which causes an estimated 100,000 deaths annually.

She noted, “Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions are fundamental in preventing and responding to cholera epidemics. Safe water supplies, hygienic sanitation, and effective water management are key elements in this effort.

“Increasing access to safe drinking water, improving sanitation and hygiene, and better water management can prevent almost one-tenth of the global disease burden.

“Community access to sanitation, like simple latrines, prevents drinking water contamination from human waste, reducing infections.”

She also disclosed that regular handwashing with soap and safe drinking water storage are also high-impact practices.

“Investing in drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and water resource management systems is economically beneficial.

“Each dollar invested yields up to eight dollars in benefits. Safer water could annually prevent 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhoea, 500,000 deaths from malaria, and 860,000 child deaths from malnutrition, and protect 10 million people from serious illnesses like lymphatic filariasis and trachoma”, she said.

She also emphasised the impact of the disease on the health of children saying recurrent cholera outbreaks critically affect children and populations at large.

She noted that these vulnerable groups face substantial health risks, particularly those under five who are prone to severe dehydration and higher mortality rates.

Lafoucrier added, “Educational disruption is yet another critical consequence of cholera outbreaks, as illness and the need to care for sick family members lead to school closures and reduced attendance, hindering children’s learning and development.

“Similarly, post-recovery issues in children can include malnutrition, stunted growth, and weakened immune systems, increasing susceptibility to other diseases.”

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose by 0.26 percentage points to 33.95 percent in May from 33.69 per cent in April.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, disclosed this today in its Consumer Price Index, CPI, report for May 2024.

NBS also said that the food inflation also increased to 40.66 percent in May from 40.53 percent in April.

This was due to increases in prices of Semovita, Oatflake, Yam flour prepackage, Garri, Bean, etc (which are under Bread and Cereals Class), Irish Potatoes, Yam, Water Yam, etc (under Potatoes, Yam and other Tubers Class), Palm Oil, Vegetable Oil, etc (under Oil and fat), Stockfish, Mudfish, Crayfish, etc (under Fish class), Beef Head, Chicken-live, Pork Head, Bush Meat, etc (under Meat class).

According to the bureau, Kogi State had the highest rise in food inflation year-on-year,YoY, with 46.32 percent while Gombe State had the highest MoM rise with 4.88 percent .

NBS said: “In May 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 33.95 percent relative to the April 2024 headline inflation rate which was 33.69 percent .

“Looking at the movement, the May 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.26 percent points when compared to the April 2024 headline inflation rate.

“On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.54 percentage points higher compared to the rate recorded in May 2023, which was 22.41 percent.

“On the contrary, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in May 2024 was 2.14 percent which was 0.15 percentage points lower than the rate recorded in April 2024 (2.29 percent). “

On food inflation, NBS said: “The Food inflation rate in May 2024 was 40.66 percent on a year-on-year basis, which was 15.84 percentage points higher compared to the rate recorded in May 2023 (24.82 percent).

“The rise in Food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of the following items: Semovita, Oatflake, Yam flour prepackage, Garri, Bean, etc (which are under Bread and Cereals Class), Irish Potatoes, Yam, Water Yam, etc (under Potatoes, Yam and other Tubers Class), Palm Oil, Vegetable Oil, etc (under Oil and fat), Stockfish, Mudfish, Crayfish, etc (under Fish class), Beef Head, Chicken-live, Pork Head, Bush Meat, etc (under Meat class).

“Like the month-on-month headline inflation, the month-on-month Food inflation rate in May 2024 was 2.28 percent, also shows a decrease of 0.22 percentage points compared to the rate recorded in April 2024 (2.5 percent).

“The fall in the Food inflation on a Month-on-Month basis was caused

by a fall in the rate of increase in the average prices of Palm Oil, Groundnut Oil (under Oil and Fats Class), Yam, Irish Potato, Cassava Tuber (under Potatoes, Yam & Other Tubers Class), Wine, Bournvita, Milo, Nescafe (under Coffee, Tea and Coco Class).

“In May 2024, Food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis was highest in Kogi (46.32 percent), Ekiti (44.94 percent), Kwara (44.66 percent), while Adamawa (31.72 percent), Bauchi (34.35 percent) and Borno (34.74 percent), recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on Year-on-Year basis.
“ On a Month-on-Month

basis, however, May 2024 Food inflation was highest in Gombe (4.88 percent), Kano (4.68 percent), and Bayelsa (3.62 percent), while Ondo (0.02 percent), Yobe (0.95 percent) and Adamawa (1.02 percent) recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on Month-on-Month basis.”

Police did not rescue us, abductors collected N40m before releasing us – Nasarawa poly student

A student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, who was kidnapped alongside 29 others, has disclosed that the kidnappers collected about N40 million in ransom before they were granted freedom.

DAILY POST reported on Monday that about 30 travellers, including some students of the polytechnic, were abducted by kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.

Recall that the kidnappers ambushed the vehicles transporting the travellers and took them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State. A student among the abductees was travelling to her family in Abuja at the time of the incident.

Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday, the victim recounted how the seven-man gang ambushed their vehicles, shot at the tyres, and robbed them of their belongings before abducting them into the bush.

She further explained that once in the thick bush, the kidnappers allowed the victims to rest upon realizing some were exhausted.

She disclosed that around midnight on Saturday, the kidnappers instructed the captives to call their relatives to demand a ransom of N10 million each.

The victim also stated that after several pleadings, the kidnappers grouped them into students and non-students, demanding that students collectively pay N10 million while others should pay N10 million each.

She added, “We, who are students, started calling our relatives and money was rallied around to make the payment.

“There is an Alhaji among the other group who raised about N20m and other people raised about N10m. The total money they got was about N40m.

“During the whole incident, we did not see any police officer come around till we were released. It was after they said they had got the money that they allowed us to go. We have gone to the police station but were told to write a statement.”

A relative of the victim earlier stated that the victim had reached out to her family, notifying them of her release.

“She contacted us this morning, saying they had been released. I am on my way to the police station because the number she called us from has been unreachable since,” the relative said.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, were unsuccessful, as messages and calls to his phone went unanswered at the time of filing this report.