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Airline Operators Urge Reduction In Cost Of Aviation Fuel

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11 years ago

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Airline Operators of Ni
geria (AON) has appealed to the Federal Government to reduce the cost of aviation fuel for airline operators to remain in business.
The Chairman of the AON, Capt. Nogie Meggison, who made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos  said that airline operators were spending up to 40 per cent of their operational cost on fuel.
He said that high cost of buying fuel was crippling the operations of many airlines and forcing them to close shops.
Meggison said that as an oil bearing country, Nigerian airlines should not be paying the current high price of N170 per litre for gasoline.
He appealed to government to support indigenous airlines by reviewing the price of aviation fuel downwards.
He said a Boeing 737 aircraft consumed about 2812.5 litres of fuel for a 50 minutes flight from Lagos to Abuja.
“When multiplied by N170.00 per litre, this will cost an airline with that aircraft type about N478, 125 for that 50 minutes flight,’’ the AON chairman said.
He suggested that government should invite oil marketers to a roundtable to see how they could reach a compromise to bring the cost of aviation fuel down.
He also complained of high charges by aviation agencies, including the five per cent tax on tickets by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
“These multiple charges are paid to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency,’’ Meggison said.
Meggison said that the charges were stifling the growth of indigenous airlines.
The chairman stressed that the situation explained why it was difficult for many investors to venture into the aviation sector, adding that it also explained why Nigerian operators had limited capacity.
Meggison lamented that Nigeria having over 170 million people had barely six operating airlines, many of them with few aircraft in their fleet.
“The challenge in running an airline in Nigeria is enormous. It is just the matter of doing something that made us go into the business.”
Meggison, however, lauded government for the waiver on customs duty for commercial planes and parts imports, saying that the Nigerian Customs Service was cooperating to make the waiver work.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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19 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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20 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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20 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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