Nigeria’s Aviation News Headlines for Thursday August 18, 2016
Aviation is a Catalyst for any Economy to Grow –Nogie Meggison
For more than three months, the
aviation sector has been grappling with the scarcity of aviation fuel,
resulting to incessant delays and cancellation of flights. This has also
resulted to loss of revenue for airlines. In this interview with Businessday, the President of Airline Operators
of Nigeria, (AON); Nogie Meggison,discusses on effect of aviation fuel scarcity and price
increase on airlines and the solutions to the problem. He also talks on how to
make aviation a catalyst for economic growth.
Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos photo credit: google.com |
What is the situation of JETA1 at
the moment after you called on the federal government to intervene months back?
It is sad and pathetic that for the past three months
now, we have been experiencing epileptic fuel supply. The fuel supply is affecting
airlines in different ways.
It is making us delay our flights and not being able
to provide services for our clients. Almost 50 percent of our flights are being
delayed.
A businessman comes to the airport for 9’0’clock
flight and departing at four. Most of them go back and those that go may
eventually miss their meetings. There is also lost of revenue.
This is inconveniencing the passengers who have
limited disposable incomes and are finding others sources of transportation.
People can transact using the internet or they can travel using the night bus
than coming to sit at the airport,
waiting for flights.
FIRS Seals Off Skyjet Aviation Services Limited In Kaduna
default.
The legal officer of FIR enforcement team in charge of Kano and Kaduna states, Umar Bukar Gana, who led the enforcement team to seal the aviation company, said they were acting on warrant of distraint following an outstanding tax liabilities being owed by
the company.
According to him, “Skyjet Aviation Services Limited is owing an outstanding liability to the sum of N178,475,209.34 being CIT and WHT effective from 2010-2015.”
http://leadership.ng/news/546516/firs-seals-off-skyjet-aviation-services-limited-in-kaduna
Row over Retirees ‘eviction from FAAN Quarters(Nation)
Plans by the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), to evict retirees living in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) quarters, Ikeja, Lagos has sparked a row.
Crisis is brewing among residents of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) quarters in Ikeja, Lagos as plans by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to evict a former Director in-charge of Safety and Eletronic
Services, Godfrey Eze; an engineer, as well as former General Manager, Administration, Alhaji Kolawole Moshood Jimoh, are generating misgivings.
Residents now live in fear as the quarters, also known as Strabag Estate, is becoming a battle ground between thugs allegedly hired by NAMA to evict the retirees, who insisted that the agency had no proprietary right to evict them until all
pending legal and administrative issues are resolved.
Last week, a battery of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel belonging to Operation MESA was drafted to the quarters to dislodge thugs allegedly brought in by NAMA to enforce an order of eviction secured by the agency.
http://thenationonlineng.net/row-retireeseviction-faan-quarters
High Lending Rate Rattles Manufacturers, Cripples Business Growth (Daily Trust)
Manufacturers are rattled that banks lend
finance at over 20 per cent interest, a development that has crippled business
growth in the sector.
Recently,
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which
is the interest rate benchmark for lending by 200 basis points - from 12
percent to 14 percent.
The latest
development further pushed up banks’ interest rates to above 20 per cent, a
rate which the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, recently said only drug
dealers and traders can afford to do business with.
The Manufactures
Association of Nigeria (MAN) is worried that the issue of funding remains a
challenge to the manufacturing sector and commercial banks are currently not
helping matters.
The President of MAN,
Dr Jacobs Udemba, said the current situation where manufacturers pay double
digit interest rate is not manufacturing-friendly.
“The banks are not
manufacturing friendly as their interest rates are usually very high and
therefore remain a major challenge to the sector,” he said.
Udemba also faulted
the recent lending rate framework of the Bank of Industry (BOI) because the
framework only financed machinery acquisition and did not cater for working
capital.
“This
notwithstanding, MAN is pleased with Bank of Industry for funding of machinery,
even though there is need for improvement,” he had said.
As a way out, MAN
wants government to pay attention to the manufacturing sector and continue to
play its role as wealth and employment generator.
“Government should continue to consult
manufacturers especially on policy issues,” the president said.
Comments
Post a Comment