Connect with us


BIG STORY

Some Private Jets Are Used For Money Laundering, Drug Trafficking — Aviation Minister Keyamo

Published

on

Nigeria’s minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, says some private jet owners use their aircraft for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Keyamo made this know on Thursday, during the inauguration of a ministerial task force committee on illegal private chartered operations and related matters in Abuja.

The minister stated that he had established a five-point plan of action to direct him and his group in carrying out President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directives upon taking office.

According to him, the agenda comprising five points covers safety, infrastructure, revenue generation, assistance for local operators, and human capacity development.

Consequently, he declared, the ministry has found problems in the aviation sector “that we must attack aggressively.”

“It has come to my attention, through a series of disturbing reports, that the practice of illegal charter operations is thriving within the aviation industry, thereby undermining the efforts of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory bodies,” he said.

“These illicit activities have not only resulted in significant financial losses to the Federal Government but have also raised security and safety concerns as the operations of private aircraft owners have remained largely unchecked and unregulated.”

This, Keyamo said, has also resulted in using private aircraft for other illegal activities.

“Last week, the National Security Adviser wrote to us, alerting us of the spike in money laundering, drug trafficking and other illegal activities through the use of private aircraft in the country,” the minister said.

“It appears that Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) operators have become increasingly emboldened, continuing their illegal operations with the assistance of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders who collect tolls and list these illegal charters under their AOCs.

“We have received alarming reports that some crew members have not attended mandatory simulator trainings for nearly three years and are flying with fraudulently-obtained renewed licenses.

“Many of these individuals are operating planes registered under PNCF but are conducting illegal charter operations with impunity.

To combat the illegal operators, the minister announced the immediate composition of a ministerial task force on illegal private charter operations and related matters.

He said some of the responsibilities of the task force include taking “inventory of all permit for non-commercial flights (PNCF) holders and air operator certificate (AOC) holders, to determine why the practice of illegal charters by PNCF holders persists in the country despite regulatory controls”.

The task force, according to the minister, was also created to “call in all professional licenses of pilots and crew in the country and determine their authenticity and validity, and to recommend to the Minister any additional measures to be taken by regulatory agencies to stem this ugly tide”.

He said the committee is expected to recommend appropriate penalties to be imposed by the regulatory agencies on defaulters and additional measures to monitor private aircraft operations in Nigeria.

The minister added that the members of the task force have been carefully selected from within the aviation industry and are people of high repute and integrity.

He named Ado Sanusi as chairman of the committee, Roland Iyayi, as vice-chairman, and acting director of air transport, aviation ministry as secretary.

Other members of the committee, he said, include Theresa Babayo, director of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Olayinka Oyesola, commander of the presidential air fleet; Daniel Quansah; Patrick Ogunlowo; and Obafemi Bajomo, Keyamo’s special assistant (SA).

BIG STORY

BREAKING: President Tinubu Arrives National Assembly To Present N47.96tn 2025 Budget

Published

on

Barring any last-minute twist, President Bola Tinubu has just arrived at the National Assembly Complex with his entourage to present the 2025 budget proposal before a joint session of parliament.

The Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the N47.96tn budget estimate for the 2025 fiscal year.

Consequently, security agents, including operatives of the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Sergeant-At-Arms, and the Federal Road Safety Corps, are restricting access to the complex, assuring that only those with legitimate business related to the proposed budget presentation are allowed entry through the gates.

Staff members of the National Assembly providing clerical and other auxiliary services were on Tuesday instructed to remain at home until the President’s visit was over.

 

More to come…

 

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

After Spending Over 14 Yrs In Prison, Governor Adeleke To Pardon Man Sentenced To Death For ‘Stealing Chicken’

Published

on

Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, is seeking to pardon Segun Olowookere, who was sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly stealing a fowl and eggs in 2010.

In an interview with Biola Adebayo, a Nigerian actress, the parents of the victim claimed that police officers from the Osun command arrested Olowookere for an offence he did not commit.

Olowookere Olanrewaju, the man’s father, said a divisional police officer (DPO) asked him to pay N30,000 for his son’s release, but N20,000 was all he could raise at the time.

“We are here to beg Nigerians to help us. In 2010, I was at the shop where I was renting out cassettes, and at about 11am, some police officers came around,” he said.

“We later found out some students from Segun’s school were in their vehicle and they said they were arrested because of the theft of a chicken and eggs.

“Truth be told, Segun does not eat chicken. Because I trained broilers. He refused to run away, telling us that he didn’t know anything about the theft of the chicken.

“They came back around 9pm in the night and he was eventually arrested. It was when I visited the station that I knew who owned the chicken and eggs. He was just like a brother to me.

“I was told by the DPO in charge to bring N30,000 so my son could be released but after running around, all I could raise was N20,000 which he refused to collect.”

Folashade Olowookere, mother of the victim, said her son, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, has now spent over 14 years in prison since he was sentenced.

In a statement on Wednesday, Adeleke directed the attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Osun to commence a full probe into the matter.

“I have received the report of a case of a young man reportedly sentenced to death by hanging in Osun State for stealing a fowl,” the statement reads.

“Consequently, I have directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Osun State to commence full investigation into the matter and initiate processes to grant the prerogative of mercy to the young man.

“Osun is a land of justice and equity and must ensure fairness and protection of the sanctity of lives.

“I assure members of the public that this matter is receiving my direct attention with every sense of urgency also attached to our response to the matter.”

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

Two LAUTECH Students Win N20m In NOA Campus Debate Competition

Published

on

  • Extra N1million from NELFund

 

Two students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Adekunle Ayomide and Oladeji Oluwashina, have won the 2024 National Orientation Agency (NOA) campus debate competition.

The competition, organized by the NOA, featured two university representatives from each of the six geopolitical zones, debating the topic “Criticising and dissenting peacefully while maintaining love for one’s country.”

The LAUTECH representatives emerged victorious in the debate, receiving a prize of N20 million.

The students were also awarded an additional N1 million from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund).

Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and the University of Ilorin were the first and second runner-ups, winning N750,000 and N500,000, respectively.

Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt, Gombe State Polytechnic in Bajoga, and the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu secured the fourth, fifth, and sixth positions, respectively.

Speaking during the event on Tuesday, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the NOA director-general, stated that the debate aims to engage the youth in governance matters.

Issa-Onilu emphasized that while criticism is essential for nation-building and democracy, it must be constructive to ensure peace and development.

He congratulated the participants for their thoughtful strategies in engaging with the government constructively.

“Constructive criticism is not rebellion; it is a cornerstone of democracy and a vital tool for nation-building,” Issa-Onilu said.

“Patriotism is not silence. Loving your country does not mean turning a blind eye to its shortcomings. It means recognizing those shortcomings, speaking up against them constructively, and working together to find solutions.”

Akintunde Sawyerr, managing director of NELFund, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerian students have access to quality tertiary education through its education loans.

Continue Reading



 

Join Us On Facebook

Most Popular