BUDGET SUPPORT
On the budget support facility, Finance Minister observed that the deductions for repayment by States are meant to resume in May. The Governors however requested for an extension considering the economic challenges in the States.
The Central Bank Governor explained the technical challenges involved should there be a further postponement of the deductions. The Vice President then directed that a meeting be held soon after today’s NEC where the issue would be properly considered and a decision reached.
The VP will chair the meeting and the Governors would be represented by Governor Kayode Fayemi, while the Finance Minister and the Central Bank Governor both of whom attended the meeting today will also participate.
Chinedu Eze
The federal government’s delay in issuing notice to airmen (NOTAM) and low passenger turnout are key factors delaying the resumption of international flights from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa; and the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
This is just as THISDAY learnt on Wednesday that the alleged insistence by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that only Emirates Airlines would be allowed to operate to Dubai from Nigeria has prompted the Minister of Aviation to deny the Middle East airline the approval to resume flights to Abuja and Lagos.
THISDAY investigations revealed that after the special flights operated by Ethiopia Airlines and Egypt Air on April 6, 2021, from Kano to Addis Ababa and Cairo respectively, international flight service was expected to have officially opened from the Kano airport, but airlines are yet to complete their documentations to kick-off operations from there.
Regular flights from Port Harcourt to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja will depart at 3:00 pm daily while flights from Abuja to Port Harcourt will depart at 4:30 pm every day.
Head Corporate Communications of the airline, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, in a statement disclosed that United Nigeria will also operate regular flights from Port Harcourt to Lagos every day at 6:00 pm.
This will remain a regular schedule of United Nigeria Airlines on the Port Harcourt route, he stated.
United Nigeria Airlines commences scheduled flights to Port Harcourt vanguardngr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vanguardngr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The authorities could do more to secure the airports
A recent memo from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to some airport chiefs across the country on the need to beef up security measures is timely. The memo hinted of a planned attack on the Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos airports and urged the authorities to submit a list of existing and additional countermeasures to address the threat, along with their cost implications where applicable. Although the nature of the threat is not immediately known, we assume that the alert is borne out of fear that terrorist groups might be planning to hit soft targets in our aviation sector. It is a threat that should be taken seriously.