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  • Buhari Suspends Hadiza Bala Usman as NPA MD

    Buhari Suspends Hadiza Bala Usman as NPA MD

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the suspension of Hadiza Bala Usman as the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

     

    In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, on Thursday, the suspension followed a recommendation by Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, to set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the management of the NPA.

     

    Buhari also approved the appointment of Mohammed Koko to take over while “the investigation is carried out”.

     

    The panel is to be headed by the director of maritime services in the ministry while the deputy director of legal in the same ministry will serve as secretary.

     

    Other members of the panel will be appointed by the minister.

     

    Bala Usman was first appointed as the NPA MD in July 2016.

     

    In January, President Muhammadu Buhari reappointed her as NPA MD, for an additional five-year tenure.

     

    She previously served as the chief of staff to Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, from 2015 to 2016.

     

    In 2014, she co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls campaign to advocate the rescue of abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

     

    Bala Usman is also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

    NPA recently launched Etó, an electronic truck call-up system, aimed at tackling the perennial logjam caused by articulated trucks within the Apapa ports corridor.

  • NCAA Suspends Azman Air Operations

    NCAA Suspends Azman Air Operations

     

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended Azman Air flight operations.

     

    In a statement on Tuesday, NCAA Director-General, Capt. Musa S. Nuhu, said the suspension was with immediate effect.

     

    The regulatory authority said that following series of incidents involving the airline’s Boeing 737 aircraft, it has to shut down the operations of the local carrier.

     

    “NCAA has pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015, suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 aircraft in the fleet of Azman Air Services Limited, with effect from March 15, 2021,” the statement said.

     

    The authority also explained that the suspension was to enable it conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause(s) of the incidents, and recommend corrective actions to forestall re-occurrence.

     

    “The NCAA regrets the inconvenience this action may cause to the public, particularly to Azman Air passengers but the need to ensure the safety of air transport and protect the public interest cannot be compromised.

     

    “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will viewed any violation(s) seriously,” the statement added.

     

    Earlier yesterday, Azman Air had sent a message through its twitter account, @AzmanAir that it would suspend its operations in order to carry out an audit of its safety processes.

     

    The airline did not say that it was directed by NCAA to do so.

     

    “Due to strong stance on safety, @AzmanAir will be undergoing an audit of its safety processes as supervised by the regulators. In this regard, all our operations are hereby suspended. We are on our toes to restore operations within a short period. Kindly accept our apologies,” the airline stated.

     

  • Emirates Airlines suspends flights from Nigeria

    Emirates Airlines suspends flights from Nigeria

    Emirates Airlines has suspended flights from Nigeria to Dubai for two weeks, until February 28 2021.

     

    It said travellers from both Abuja and Lagos would not be accepted for travel prior to the date, according to a statement issued by the airline on Wednesday.

     

    Also, the carrier warned that passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days would not be allowed entry into the United Arab Emirates (whether terminating in or connecting through Dubai).

     

    The statement read, “In line with government directives, passenger services from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) to Dubai are temporarily suspended until February 28 2021. Customers from both Abuja and Lagos will not be accepted for travel prior to or including this date.

     

    “Passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not allowed entry into the UAE (whether terminating in or connecting through Dubai).”

     

    Emirates noted that flights from Dubai to Lagos and Abuja would continue at the normal schedule as it urged travellers to contact the airline’s customer centre or their booking agent in terms of rescheduling.