Transportation

Ganduje Asks FG to Re-Open Kano Airport for International Flight
Covid-19, Finance, News, Nigeria, Safety, Transportation

Ganduje Asks FG to Re-Open Kano Airport for International Flight

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has asked the Federal Government to re-open the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, Kano, to permit the resumption of international flight operations. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Abba Anwar disclosed this in a statement issued in Kano. Ganduje made the appeal when he led a delegation of legislators, business, traditional and civic leaders to pay a courtesy visit to the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, in Abuja. The governor said that the continued closure of the airport has caused untold hardship to international travelers from the North, as well as negatively impacted on the ease of doing business in Kano. He said, “The closure of MAKIA has impacted negatively on the business environment in Kano, which is ...
Abuja Air Crash Victims to be Buried on Thursday
Armed Forces, Aviation, News, Nigeria, Safety, Transportation

Abuja Air Crash Victims to be Buried on Thursday

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, has announced that the Seven officers who died in the air crash that took place in Abuja on Sunday will be buried at the National Cemetery, Lugbe, Airport Road, Abuja, on Thursday. This was disclosed by NAF on Wednesday in an invitation to journalists. The officers were victims of the fatal Beechcraft King Air B250i crash that occurred close to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after reporting engine failure. Among the deceased were the Captain, Fl. Lt. Haruna Gadzama; Fl. Lt. Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot); Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System Specialist); Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist); Fl. Sgt. Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist); Sgt. Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist) and Aircraftman Adewale Jo...
BREAKING: Seven Dead in Abuja Jet Crash – Air Force
Aviation, News, Nigeria, Transportation

BREAKING: Seven Dead in Abuja Jet Crash – Air Force

Seven passengers aboard the Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft lost their lives when the jet crashed in Abuja on Sunday (today), the Nigerian Air force has disclosed. The crash took place close to the runway of the Abuja airport after the jet which was on its way to Minna, Niger State reported engine failure. Reacting to the development, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a statement said the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal IO Amao, has ordered an immediate probe of the accident. Daramola said, “This is to confirm that a Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft crashed while returning to the Abuja Airport after reporting engine failure enroute Minna. First responders are at the scene. Sadly, all 7 personnel on ...
NDLEA Seizes Cocaine Worth N28bn From Hair Stylist, Others at Lagos Airport
Aviation, Crime, Drug Abuse, Law Enforcement, News, Nigeria, Transportation

NDLEA Seizes Cocaine Worth N28bn From Hair Stylist, Others at Lagos Airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, recovered cocaine worth N21bn from a hairstylist, identified as Jennifer Onyejegbu at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Reports say the operatives also discovered another drug confirmed to be cocaine worth N7bn in luggage abandoned at the E-arrival hall of the airport after the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian airline. It was gathered that information on the luggage tag suggest it arrived in Nigeria from Sao Paulo, Brazil, a destination classified as a high-risk country going by records and trends of arrest and seizures. The agency arrested four persons; Abubakar Aliyu, Ikechukwu Eze, Emmanuel Aniebonam and Onwurah Kelvin in connection with the drug. The two seizures were reportedly made ...
Slash on Imported Vehicles’ Duties Commences Next Week – Customs
Finance, News, Nigeria, Trade, Transportation

Slash on Imported Vehicles’ Duties Commences Next Week – Customs

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has said the reduction in the duties on vehicles and tractors from 35 to about 10 per cent might begin next week. This was disclosed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, in a chat with reporters in Abuja, noting that service was anticipating an official communication from the finance ministry on the issue any moment from now. Ali said the vehicle tariff reduction, as contained in the 2020 Finance Act, was initiated by the NCS to ease the cost of transportation in Nigeria. He said, “We are the proponents of the new tariff. I’ve been torn apart by many people criticising it, saying I used my connection to get it done. But it is in the overall interest of Nigeria. “Now, it has become a law. We are now waiting for the finance minister...
Ban Flights from UK, Atiku Urges FG
Aviation, Covid-19, News, Nigeria, Press Statement, Safety, Transportation

Ban Flights from UK, Atiku Urges FG

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has advised the Federal Government to act quickly to avert preventable casualties by banning fights from the United Kingdom as the country battles the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election urged FG to learn from European countries that banned flights from the United Kingdom. This was contained in a statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja titled ‘An Ounce of Prevention Is Better Than a Pound of Cure’. Atiku said, “We must face the reality that our health sector is not sufficiently prepared to handle a sudden and unpredictable surge of this pandemic. We have already lost lives needlessly. We need not lose more. “Already, prudent nations are taking prompt action, ...
Amaechi Apologises for Abuja-Kaduna Train Breakdown
Nigeria, Transportation

Amaechi Apologises for Abuja-Kaduna Train Breakdown

Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi on Monday apologized to Nigerians for the breakdown on the Abuja-Kaduna rail locomotives, which happened between November 18 and 20. The minister made the plea at the Moniya rail station during the routine inspection of the ongoing rail project in Ibadan. He said: “I want to apologise to Nigerians for what happened at the Abuja-Kaduna rail station. “We now have new locomotives and we have called the Chinese because we never expected the mechanical fault at this early stage. “On behalf of the Federal Government, the ministry, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation, we apologise to Nigerians and I have instructed the NRC to fix it or invite the Chinese. “If this is happening now, then they should bring back our old locomotives, it will j...
How Travelers Were Stuck at Itobe Bridge, Kogi, for Several Hours (See Video)
Infrastructure, News, Nigeria, Transportation

How Travelers Were Stuck at Itobe Bridge, Kogi, for Several Hours (See Video)

Travelers who traveled to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Friday were halted by massive traffic jam at the Itobe Bridget, Kogi State, African News Today has gathered. Motorists and commuters plying the Itobe-Ajaokuta- bridge in Kogi State linking the Eastern part of the country to Abuja were left sweating at the bridge for several hours after a trailer broke down in the middle of the bridge, causing gridlock which started around 4:00 pm. One of the lanes of the two-lane bridge had been barricaded for repair works since the beginning of the year, leaving motorists with only one lane in the ever-busy highway. The effect of the breakdown of the trailer in the bridge caused great difficulty to vehicles that plied the road as they had to wait for long period before interv...
Ondo 2020: Boat Conveying INEC Officials Capsizes in Ilaje
Elections, News, Nigeria, Transportation

Ondo 2020: Boat Conveying INEC Officials Capsizes in Ilaje

A boat conveying officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to their polling unit in the ongoing Ondo State governorship election has capsized. A video shared on Twitter by a user identified as @snapandsend and obtained by African News Today shows individuals struggling to swim in the river while onlookers were capturing them with mobile devices. The twitter user claims the incident took place in riverine area of Ilaje in Ondo state as INEC officials were being conveyed to polling units. Three major candidates are slugging it out in the Ondo state gubernatorial election for the number one citizen of the state, among whom are incumbent governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressive Congress, Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party and former deputy g...
Ondo2020: INEC to Adopt No-face-mask-no-voting  
Covid-19, Crime, Elections, News, Nigeria, Press Statement, Security, Transportation

Ondo2020: INEC to Adopt No-face-mask-no-voting  

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has directed the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce no-face-mask-no-voting rule in the Saturday governorship election in Ondo State. The PTF National Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu said this during a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday. Aliyu expressed the determination of the taskforce to ensure that elections are conducted under safe environment. He said that Ondo state boasts of over 1.5 million prospective voters in 3,000 polling units which makes the election a huge exercise which would also come with its risk. Speaking on the resumption of international flights, Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha said that there has been an increase in the nu...