Business
‘Second Abuja Airport Runway Project, A National Priority’
Guest Lecturer at the 5th Triennal Delegate Conference of NAWOJ, Rivers State, Mrs Victoria Opara (right) former Chairman, Rivers State, Mrs Uche Atuzie (middle) and Director, Publication ,Rivers State Newspaper, Mrs Juliet Njiowhor at the Ministry of Women Affairs, Port Harcourt, recently.
The Federal Government has said that the second runway project at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, would be treated as a national priority.
The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Aviation, Capt. Shehu Iyal, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents on the achievements of the Jonathan administration in the sector.
To this end, Iyal said that President Goodluck Jonathan had given aviation authorities a marching order to immediately revisit the project and bring it to fruition.
He said “President Goodluck Jonathan has approved and directed the authorities to revisit the second runway project immediately and it is being revisited.
“I am proud to inform you here that I am part of the committee of the second runway project and it is going to be treated as a priority.
“There will be a second runway in Abuja for safety, for security and for efficiency.’’
The senior special adviser said that the project would ease the busy traffic on the existing runway and minimise the delay in take-off and landing, currently experienced by passengers at the airport.
On the issue of missing luggage and touting at the nation’s airports, the president’s aide said government was aware of the situation and was putting measures in place to address them.
He, however, said that missing of luggage was not peculiar to the nation’s airports, adding that it was a global challenge in the aviation sector.
“Luggage get missing both locally and internationally. Personally, I have experienced two instances; one coming from Frankfurt in Germany of all places.
“The second instance was at the Heathrow airport in London, where I lost a luggage while coming to Nigeria; such things happen.
“I am not saying that we are right and so we should leave it unchecked. I am sure the people in charge of that are looking into it,” he added.
On touting, Iyal said that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was currently training and retraining its security personnel to deal with the problem.
He said the Federal Government had resolved to assist airports with policemen and soldiers to check the activities of touts.
According to Iyal, the Jonathan administration has raised the country’s aviation sector to global standard in the last six years.
One of the greatest achievements, he said, was the retention of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One Status, which Nigeria achieved in 2010 after a rigorous audit by FAA.
He said “just last month (September), we were able to retain the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One Status, which we got in 2010.
“It will interest you to know that India, which is one of the top 10 economies in the world, just lost their own Category One status, but we are able to retain our own.
“I think this is an achievement all Nigerians need to be proud of.”
The President’s aide said that the election of Mr Olumuyiwa Aliu as President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council was another major achievement of the Jonathan government.
He explained that Aliu’s election had placed Nigeria in the league of countries doing well in the global aviation sector.
“Coming back home, we have today, what is called Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), which actually started some years ago.
“The completion of the TRACON project under the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was completed under the leadership of Jonathan.
“What TRACON means is that anywhere within the Nigerian airspace, we are able to track every aeroplane that is either flying in or out.”
Iyal said that the role played by the aviation sector in the success story of the fight against Ebola could not be overstressed.
According to him, the U.S. has started replicating the Nigerian example at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. (NAN)
ARU/VI/HA
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with a firm, Sweetcrude Ltd., has announced detailed selection criteria for the inaugural “Champions of Nigerian Content Awards”, designed to honor outstanding contributions to local content development in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The Tide learnt that the event, scheduled to hold 21st May, 2025, at the NCDMB’S content tower headquarters in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, will recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing Nigerian Content in 2024.
The Tide further gathered that the ceremony will coincide with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF), which promises to spotlighting industry excellence and contributions to national economic transformation.
A statement by the Board’s Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination says the event has 12 Award Categories, which include, “Nigerian Content Icon of the Year”, “Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Nigerian Content International Upstream Operator of the year”, and the “Nigerian Content Independent Upstream Operator of the year”.
Others are, “Nigerian Content Midstream Operator of the year”, “Nigerian Content Downstream Operator of the year”, “Nigerian Content International Service Company of the year”, Nigerian Content Indigenous Service Company of the year”, and the “Nigerian Content Innovator of the year”.
Also included are, “Nigerian Content Financial Services Provider of the year”, “Nigerian Content Media Organization of the year”, and “Women in Leadership Award for Promoting Gender Equality and Empowerment”.
According to the NCDMB, the criteria for oil and gas operators will include key and empirical benchmarks such as Production output for crude oil and gas volumes, Compliance with Nigerian Content Plans (NCPs) and Nigerian Content Compliance Certificates (NCCCs).
Other criteria are adherence to NOGICD Act reporting requirements, such as submission of Nigerian Content Performance Reports and Employment & Training Plans.
The Board’s statement added that similar criteria will apply to financial institutions, media organizations, and individuals, ensuring a transparent and merit-based selection process.
“Winners for the Nigerian Content Icon of the Year, Innovator of the Year, and Women in Leadership Award will also be selected based on measurable performance indicators.
“The Advisory Committee of Industry Titans will Oversee the process to uphold the prestige of awards. The Committee consist of distinguished experts set up to oversee nominations and validate winners”, the NCDMB said.
Members of the committee, according to the Board, include: Pioneer Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Dr. Ernest Nwapa; Secretary-General, African Petroleum Producers Organization, Dr. Omar Farouk; and former Zonal Operations Controller, DPR, Mr. Woke Akinyosoye.
The Statement quoted the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, as emphasizing that the awards aim to becoming the oil and gas sector’s equivalent of the Oscars, celebrating genuine impact rather than mere participation.
“This recognition is reserved for those who have gone beyond compliance to drive tangible growth in Nigerian Content.
“With a focus on credibility, compliance, and measurable impact, the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards is poised to set a new standard for excellence in Nigeria’s energy sector”, the NCDMB Executive Scribe said.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Nigeria’s apex Banking institution, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has declared that Federal Government’s debt servicing increased to N696billion in January 2025.
The CBN’s recently published Economic Report revealed a precarious fiscal position, which worsened in January 2025 as debt servicing obligations exceeded total retained revenue by a wide margin.
According to the report, the Federal Government’s debt servicing obligations for the month stood at N696.27bn, while total retained revenue amounted to only N483.47bn, indicating that debt service alone consumed about 144 per cent of all government earnings.
This development highlights the growing debt burden and dwindling fiscal space facing Africa’s largest economy.
According to the report, despite slight improvements in some revenue categories, the retained earnings were grossly inadequate to cover obligatory debt repayments, exposing the government’s continued reliance on borrowing to meet basic obligations.
The report further revealed that retained revenue in January 2025 only recorded a marginal 0.89 per cent increase when compared with the N479.21bn generated in the corresponding month of 2024.
”FGN retained revenue declined in the review period, owing largely to lower receipts from Federal Government Independent Revenue and FGN’s share of exchange gain.
“At N0.48tn, provisional FGN retained revenue was 69.19 and 70.40 per cent below the levels recorded in the preceding period and monthly target, respectively”, it revealed.
While this points to stagnation rather than growth, the marginal rise was wiped out by the overwhelming debt service obligations.
The retained revenue components showed that the Federation Account contributed N167.69bn, while the VAT Pool Account delivered N90.73bn.
By: Corlins Walter
The Federal Government has announced plans to commence the payment of the outstanding N35,000 wage award arrears owed workers in the Federal Civil Service.
A statement issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), which was signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, said the outstanding arrears will be paid in instalments, with workers set to receive N35,000 per month for five months.
It clarified that the first tranche of the wage award arrears would be released immediately after the April salary payment.
“The wage award arrears was not paid with the April 2025 salary; it will come immediately after the salary is paid”, the statement read.
The Federal Government had earlier disbursed wage awards to federal workers for five months as part of efforts to cushion the impact of economic reforms. However, five months’ arrears remained unpaid.
The AGF office further reiterated the government’s commitment to fully implementing all policies and agreements relating to staff remuneration and welfare, noting that such efforts were geared towards enhancing productivity and operational efficiency across ministries, departments, and agencies.
The N35,000 wage award was introduced in 2023 as a palliative measure to support workers following the removal of the petrol subsidy and other economic adjustments.
In January this year, the Federal Government assured workers that it would clear the arrears of the N35,000 wage award, just as it also said the government had resumed the payment of the wage award.
The government also reiterated its commitment to addressing issues in the National Minimum Wage agreement reached with the Organised Labour in 2023.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, had disclosed the government’s commitment towards implementing agreements with trade unions during separate meetings with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress and Congress of University Academics, in Abuja.
The Nigeria Labour Congress had criticised the Federal Government over the delay in the payment of the minimum wage for certain workers in the federal civil service.
Also, the Federal Government had earlier blamed the delay in payment on the prolonged approval of the 2025 budget.
By: Corlins Walter
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