Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed how illegal private charter operations plagued the country’s aviation sector for over five decades and cost the federal government an estimated ₦120 billion in lost revenue over the past 10 years.

The minister made the revelation during fourth edition of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation’s Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja on Thursday. Keyamo described the issue as a “hydra-headed monster,” revealing that 80% of private jet owners in Nigeria have the habit of obtaining Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) licenses but use their aircraft for commercial operations daily.

He said the PNCF license is intended for private use, such as transporting family members or attending social or business events and that it attracts a significantly lower fees compared to licenses for commercial charter operations, which require higher fees and stricter regulations. The minister explained that private jet owners exploit this loophole to avoid paying fees and taxes for commercial purposes. He said for instance, while a commercial charter operator might charge $10,000 for a flight from Lagos to Calabar and pay the required fees, private jet owners with PNCF licenses conduct similar operations without remitting the necessary revenue to the government.

Keymao said that in the past 10 years, Nigeria lost approximately ₦120 billion due to unremitted fees and taxes from illegal charter operations. “They go and obtain the PNCF license, the private one, but all of them are back every day for business. All of them. This is how the federal government has been losing revenue,” he said.

Keyamo said private jets which operate without proper documentation or passenger manifests, makes it difficult to track who or what is on board. He raised concerns that these jets could be used for illegal activities, including smuggling, money laundering, and even terrorism. “You don’t even have the manifest of those inside the aircraft. Sometimes, when there’s a near accident with a private jet, we struggle to find out who was inside. It’s totally unregulated.”

To address the issue, Keyamo established a task force last year headed by the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi to investigate illegal charter operations. The task force submitted its report last week, saying they uncovered “mind-boggling” findings. Among the recommendations the task force made is the total shutdown of the private charter wing at airports for a complete overhaul.

“The task force suggested shutting down the private charter wing for total reconfiguration in terms of security and the kind of machines we use to screen bags. We are still looking into how to implement these recommendations without disrupting passenger movement,” Keyamo said.

Daily Sun

We Are All Natasha (WAAN), a coalition of Nigerian women against injustice in a letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu and sent through the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has in strong term condemned what it describes as the “misogynistic behaviour,” alleged sexual harassment, and the subsequent suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Nigerian Senate.

WAAN in a letter, titled “Petition from Nigerian Women,” demanded that justice be upheld in the matter.

The letter was presented during a peaceful rally held Thursday in Abuja, where hundreds of supporters gathered to raise awareness about the ongoing injustices faced by women in the Nigerian Senate, particularly in light of the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan following her allegations of sexual harassment against President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio.

WAAN’s Coordinator, Ireti Bakare, conveyed the message through the coalition’s Secretary, Irene Anuwa-Ikyegh. Anuwa-Ikyegh pointed out that reports indicate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a petition accusing Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment and misogyny.

However, instead of addressing these serious allegations with fairness and transparency, the Senate unexpectedly suspended her for six months on the grounds of an alleged breach of Senate rules and ethics.

“This action appears to be a blatant attempt to silence Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and dismiss her claims without due process,” Anuwa-Ikyegh stated. “We implore Your Excellency to consider our petition, demanding justice for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. It is imperative that an independent investigation is conducted into her allegations.”

Anuwa-Ikyegh further emphasized that sexual harassment and misogyny should never be tolerated, and individuals who come forward with such claims must be heard, protected, and not punished. She called the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan an affront to workplace safety, justice, fairness, and equity.

“We stand with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in demanding a swift, impartial investigation and an end to the culture of silence, intimidation, and victim-blaming,” Anuwa-Ikyegh declared.

During the rally, founder of the Dorothy Njemanze Foundation, Dorothy Njemanze, addressed the crowd and condemned the silencing of women in politics. “If there’s any woman here who has campaigned during an election, do you know they ask for her vote? If they ask for her vote, that means they cannot enter office. No woman, no nation!” she exclaimed, urging for more female representation and respect for women in politics.

Another prominent voice at the rally, Gloria Odiahi, founder of Say No to Violence, expressed strong disapproval of the six-month suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, noting the that March is Women’s Month, a time to reflect on the need for justice and equality.

“We do not think, as women, that she should be suspended. All we want is a fair hearing. All we want is justice,” Odiahi declared.

Daily Sun

…assures legacy projects ready for Tinubu’s commissioning soon

Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed deep concern over attempts by indigenous inhabitants to sabotage government development efforts in Abuja due to compensation and relocation issues.

According to a statement issued by the Director of Press, Anthony Ogunleye, Wike during a media chat, emphasised that compensations have been made years ago, and relocation processes are ongoing.

“Compensations have been made several years ago,” Wike stated. “For example, where I live near Kpaduma, in Asokoro, compensation has been given to them more than 20 years ago. But the government has not been able to move them out. They’ve come back to say they want compensation. But compensation has been paid years ago.”

Wike noted that the FCT Administration has doubled compensation amounts in some cases, but will only pay what is appropriate. He also clarified that alternative housing will only be provided when entire communities are relocated, not for individual houses removed for road projects. “The point we are making, if we are coming to a community to say let the entire community relocate, then you talk about building houses for them, not road corridor where 20 houses are affected,” he added.

Meanwhile, the minister on Wednesday undertook an extensive inspection tour of some major infrastructure projects slated for commissioning in May, to coincide with the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The projects include the construction of the 15-kilometer Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) from Ring Road 1 (RR1) to Wasa junction, the Life Camp to Karmo dual carriageway, and the comprehensive renovation of the International Conference Centre (ICC).

At the end of the tour, the Minister expressed profound satisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the projects. He conveyed confidence in the contractors, to deliver high-quality jobs within the agreed timelines. “I can tell you I’m very pleased with the quality of work going on by the contractors…the contractors are very reputable, Julius Berger, CGC and others. So, I’m very happy with what we have seen,” the Minister stated.

Ongoing renovation of the ICC, the Minister recalled the vision behind its establishment, as recently highlighted by former President, General Ibrahim Babangida, in his memoirs noting that the aim of constructing the ICC was to create a world-class venue for international conferences and meetings. He lamented the deterioration of the ICC under private concession.

However, the Minister expressed delight at the significant progress now being made in its rehabilitation. “This is at the cost of N39 billion that we are spending and all the materials are on ground. So, I can say that they are 70 percent (complete) and they have assured that they will complete it and handover by May,” he said.

The Minister emphasized that the ICC, upon completion, will be a source of national pride. He also used the opportunity to call for the continued support of FCT residents, including traditional rulers and youths, for the government’s efforts to deliver impactful projects. “We are not here to bring hardship on anybody but to improve our lives. I know how difficult it is but again everybody has to make sacrifices.

“We are pleading with residents to cooperate with the various contractors that are building road projects so that we can have it completed on time. When the rains come now, it will be a problem and they will begin to say it’s because of the rainy season. Now that we have good weather, let them utilize it for the benefit of the public. So, I still implore the traditional rulers, youths, chiefs, everybody to support what we are doing,” he said.

Speaking on efforts to improve public transportation in the FCT, Wike announced plans to “partner with the private sector to provide a safe and efficient transportation system in the FCT, and highlighted the construction of bus terminals in various parts of Abuja as part of ongoing efforts.

“One of the reasons why we are doing bus terminals is to have a new strategy for public transportation. So, we are going to partner with some private persons who are committed to public transportation. All we are doing is to provide infrastructure to enable the private sector to participate effectively”, he said.

Regarding youth empowerment, Wike expressed disappointment at the attitude of youths to empowerment programmes of government. The FCT Minister said he was “reliably informed that the vehicles procured for youth empowerment in the FCT have been sold off by the beneficiaries, as against the original purpose.

He said, “You remember we tried to empower the youths by giving them vehicles. I tell people, all these theories about youth empowerment, nobody has asked, are the youths willing to work? It’s not about government bringing policies to help you.

“We bought vehicles, have you seen any of the vehicles on the road? They’ve sold them. We are trying to empower you to own a business and you are sabotaging it.”

The Minister however expressed confidence that his recent investment driven trip to Italy where he interacted with the Lombardy Regional President, Attilo Fontana, alongside key agribusiness and vocational education investors, will provide further opportunities for the youths to be trained to become meaningfully engaged.

He said, “I’m very happy that it’s one of the trips that yielded results. The Mandate Secretary of Education and Mandate Secretary of Agriculture were part of the delegation, so they are working at the details now with the officials of Lombardy. I feel so happy that our youths will now have several areas where they can be trained and then try to be self-employed. I believe in the next one week, they would have finished all the documentations and then we will be able to send the first set of our youths to Lombardy for training”.

Giving insight into planned engagements in the FCT for the May 29 celebration, the Minister assured that key projects in both the city centre and satellite towns have been scheduled for commissioning to commemorate the event.