Business

‘Second Abuja Airport Runway Project, A National Priority’

Published

11 years ago

October 15, 2014

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

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

20 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.

Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.

The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.

PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.

He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.

“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.

Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.

“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.

“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.

“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.

“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.

Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.

“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.

“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.

“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.

Business

SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

Published

20 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.

According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.

The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.

According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.

“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.

The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.

Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.

“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.

The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.

It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.

Business

NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products

Published

20 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.

The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.

NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu