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Dogara mourns ex-IG Coomasie
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speaker of the house of representatives yakubu dogara has expressed grief over the death of former inspector-general of police and chairman arewa consultative forum alhaji ibrahim coomasie who died on thursday1 dogara in a message signed by his special adviser on media and public affairs mr turaki hassan in abuja on friday described the late sardaunan katsina as an illustrious nigerian and eminent statesman1 he noted that the deceased served the country meritoriously and dutifully both in his eventful career in the nigeria police and in retirement1 this is indeed a huge loss especially at this trying time of security challenges when the country is in dire need of professional advice and elderly guidance from people of the ex-igps calibre1 but we must take solace in the fact that the late coomasie left a legacy of professionalism and selfless service to the country and humanity1 he will continue to be remembered for his outstanding courage discipline and exemplary leadership both in service as the police helmsman and in retirement1 my sincere condolences to his immediate family the government and people of katsina state over this great loss he said1 born on march 18 1942 the late coomasie had his education within and outside nigeria including the detective training college wakefield uk and washington dc u.s1 -
eSwatini gets EUs $44m loan
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source63 the kingdom of eswatini former swaziland and a small landlocked monarchy in southern africa has received a loan of 44 million from the european investment bank eib1 the money which will be directed towards funding an agricultural project was presented by a delegation from eib which was led by head of division africa public sector diederick zambon1 it was received by finance minister martin dlamini at his offices1 also to witness the presentation was economic planning and development minister prince hlangusemphi who said this will finance the third phase of the lower usuthu smallholder irrigation project lusip iii1 the country known for its wilderness reserves and festivals showcasing traditional swazi culture was presented the money on thursday1 lusip is a poverty alleviation initiative situated in the lowveld vegetation region of eswatini1 it is project aims to benefit 4 600 households 34 000 people through transforming subsistence farmers into commercial farmers of irrigated lands producing cash and food crops1 in its first phase the project has constructed dams and a tertiary distribution system to irrigate the first 6 500 hectares1 in phase ii the water delivery system was extended by 36km and there was construction of a tertiary distribution system to irrigate a further 5000 hectares of crops1 the prince said this project will benefit about 2259 homesteads 59 per cent of which are led by women by completion of an off-river storage reservoir to impound 155 million cubic metres of water harvested from wet season flood flows in the usuthu river1 -
Kenya increases shares in Africa50
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source63 kenya has resolved to increase by 50 per cent its shareholding in africa50 a continental initiative for funding infrastructure development1 kenya which initially had a share capital of 50 million is one of the founder investors in the venture fund which is supported by the african development bank afdb1 he made the announcement at the official opening of the 53rd shareholders meeting of africa50 in nairobi1 kenyatta said that kenya was pleased with the role the fund was playing in the transformation of africa1 kenyatta noted that kenya was particularly pleased that investments by africa50 gave market rate returns1 i am pleased to announce that kenya will double its investment in africa50 to 100 million said kenyatta 1 president uhuru kenyatta of kenya said the countrys shares has been increased to 100 million1 kenyatta observed that africa50s vision is supportive of kenyas big four development agenda which includes universal health care food security affordable housing and enhancing manufacturing to create more jobs1 he observed that infrastructure attracts investment and forms the backbone upon which his administrations big four agenda will be achieved1 infrastructure development is crucial because none of the big four will be achieved without proper infrastructure. it is a key enabler for development said kenyatta1 the chairman of the board of directors of africa50 dr. akinwumi adesina said kenya has achieved tremendous infrastructure development under president kenyatta1 adesina who is also the african development bank president said africa50 provides a new framework to address africas development needs adding that the continent has an infrastructure funding gap of as much as 108 billion1 while praising the growing number of projects financed by africa50 in kenya he underscored the importance of private sector in bridging investment gaps on the continent and challenged africas private sector to set a good example by investing in africa so that other investors from around the world can have the confidence to channel their funds to the continent1 -
Senate to investigate FGs appointments
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the senate on thursday mandated its committee on federal character to investigate alleged lopsided appointments into federal government agencies1 the decision followed a point of order by the deputy president of the senate mr ike ekweremadu at plenary1 ekweremadu alleged that appointments by the present administration were skewed in favour of a particular region of the country1 the point-of-order followed a letter from president muhammadu buhari seeking senates confirmation of appointment of mr tunde lemo as chairman federal emergency road maintenance agency ferma and six members1 lemo is a former deputy governor of central bank of nigeria cbn1 ekweremadu pointed out that some of the appointments by the administration were not in tune with the federal character principle1 he said that the constitution provided composition of government or its agencies should reflect federal character principle so as to promote national unity1 he added that it should be done in a manner that avoided the predominance of persons from a few states or from few ethnic or sectional groups in the government or in any of its agencies1 in his contribution sen. chukwuka utazi pdp-enugu said that most appointments of the present government were lopsided1 in his remarks president of the senate dr bukola saraki mandated the committee on federal character to investigate the matter and report back on tuesday1 -
Catholic bishop donates relief materials to IDPs in Plateau
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one of the worst events of life is for one to be forced out of the comfort of his home and his source of livelihood destroyed. such act is humiliating frustrating and inhuman1 most rev. michael gokum the catholic bishop of pankshin diocese in plateau on thursday donated relief materials to internally displaced persons idps in daffo district of bokkos local government area1 many villages in the district experienced attacks which led to loss of lives and property1 the bishop had before now visited the victims immediately the incident occurred1 you will recall that immediately the incident happened some months back we came here to sympathise and encourage you to live in peace. today we are here again to do same1 gokum preached peaceful coexistence among inhabitants of the area1 so we have come with some few items to provide succour and alleviate your sufferings1 let me seize this opportunity to encourage all of you to imbibe the culture of tolerance and forgive one another for the growth and development of our state he said1 gokum urged the youth to desist from being used by self-seeking politicians who would use them to perpetrate evil in the society1 the bishop held peace talks with community and religious leaders and advised them to preach peace at all times1 items donated include 40 bags of maize 20 bags of rice 20 bags of salt 20 cartons of seasoning three bags of millet 28 bags of used clothes and three bags of used shoes1 -
One in 10 North Koreans are modern-day slavesrights group
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the findings indicated two key drivers of modern slavery highly repressive regimes in which people are put to work to prop up the government and conflict situations which result in the breakdown of rule of law social structures and systems of protection1 one in 10 north koreans are modern-day slaves according to a human rights report released on thursday1 researchers interviewed 50 defectors from north korea on their experiences as part of the report. all but one described mandatory unpaid communal labour for adults and children1 pyongyang reportedly relies on large-scale forced labour to operate its mining industry including through prison-camp labour1 the government also reportedly assigns low-class individuals to work in mines in roles that are often passed down from generation to generation1 eritrea burundi the central african republic and afghanistan were among the top 10 worst offenders in the foundations analysis which estimates levels of forced labour debt bondage forced marriage slavery and slavery-like practices and human trafficking1 modern slavery estimates for the us australia britain france germany and the netherlands were also higher than previously thought but these countries were taking the most action to tackle slavery the report noted1 the rogue nuclear nation led by kim jong un has the highest prevalence of state-imposed forced labour according to the modern slavery index released by the walk free foundation1 but the report also pointed the finger at g20 countries for sourcing an estimated 354 billion dollars worth of products at risk of being produced by forced labour each year1 computers mobile phones fish and timber are among the highest-risk items1 the foundation urged countries to enforce sanctions passed by the un security council such as the ban on trading north korean coal1 despite the recent summit between kim and us president donald trump the us and other un security council countries have said sanctions must stay in place to keep up pressure on pyongyang to denuclearize1 the un special envoy for human rights in north korea tomas ojea quintana recently called for human rights to be included in any future talks1 the foundation compiled publicly available data and information from ngos and academic institutions to estimate how widespread modern slavery is in 167 countries1 -
Fayemi presents certificate of return to Buhari
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it is obvious that the wishes of the people have prevailed especially at a critical period in ekiti he said2 olayinka said the total valid votes in the election was 384594 while total votes cast was 403451 with 18857 votes invalidated1 prof. idowu olayinka the chief returning officer for the election and vice chancellor of the university of ibadan said fayemi polled 197459 votes to emerge winner1 olayinka made the declaration at the headquarters of independent national electoral commissioner inec in ado-ekiti on july 151 according to the result fayemi defeated the peoples democratic partys pdp candidate prof. kolapo olusola who came second with 178121 votes1 other results declared by olayinka were accord 250 action alliance 41 acd 1149 ad 216 adb 1082 ada 107 agao 31 anrp 125 apa 1199 and apda 4641 also declared were apga 70 anpp 14 da 14 dpc 147 dpp181 fjp 42 gpn 20 i.d 31 kowa 23 lp 280 mmn 35 mpn 23 ndlp 44 npc 353 pandel 74 and pgc 12421 the rest are dpa 632 ppn 107 sdo 367 udp 29 upn 33 ydp 31 and ypp 491 fayemi former minister of mines and steel development was the candidate of the national ruling all progressives congress apc in the july 14 governorship election1 fayemi is expected to take over from the incumbent mr ayo fayose on oct. 16 20181 an official of the alliance for credible elections dr omilusi mike commended the massive turnout of voters for saturdays governorship election in ekiti and the transparency of the electoral process1 i want to sincerely commend the turnout of the people from across the nooks and crannies of ekiti to vote for their chosen candidate1 the determination displayed by the people on saturday was unprecedented and unbelievable1 i saw the number of people coming out from their villages and homes contrary to the rumour of riot and crisis being spread across the state a few days to the election1 ekiti state governor-elect dr. kayode fayemi on thursday presented his certificate of return to president muhammadu buhari1 inec issued the certificate of return to fayemi early in the week1 -
Ortom meets Oshiomhole, denies leaving APC
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this he said was evidence of the fact that the apc was a free democratic party adding that it was the responsibility of the its leadership to help aggrieved members to find a common ground1 governor samuel ortom of benue state denied dumping all progressives congress apc confirming apc chairman adams oshiomholes claims that the governor was going nowhere1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that ortom on monday announced that the benue chapter of the apc had given him a red card1 he likened himself to a footballer who was out of the football pitch waiting to be picked by another club1 the governor and sen. george akume also a former governor of the state had been having a running battle over who controls the state party structure1 it was the benue apc that gave me a red card not the national apc and that was enough to make myself available out of the pitch1 but the leadership of the party told me that its decision is superior to that of any individual or group of people and i think that is good enough1 they have spoken to him and have spoken to me and the state stakeholders are going to be spoken to and thats where i belong1 we have not concluded the matter its an ongoing process i have always stood for peace and i always want peace to prevail thats what i call for1 i am here in apc i am a member of apc i am still flying the flag of apc i only said i was given red card but i have been corrected by the national secretariat he said1 the benue governor appreciated the partys leadership for intervening in the matter and expressed hope that it would be able to resolve the differences1 oshiomhole while reacting to the development said the apc does not have red cards in its cupboard and could not give what it doesnt have1 he noted that there could however be legitimate legal issues and disagreements in some of the partys states chapters1 ortom on thursday in abuja told newsmen after a closed door meeting mr adams oshiomhole the apc national chairman1 oshiomhole added that the issues in the benue chapter of the party were not too fundamental that it could not be resolved1 he expressed confidence that the issues between sen. akume and gov. ortom would be resolved by the partys national leadership1 he maintained that sen. akume was a very respected leader of the party and would recognise the need for peace adding that the apc leadership had what it would take to make peace1 in benue we are going for a win-win solution. gov. ortom is not going anywhere he is a very prominent member of our party and we appreciate his leadership in benue1 the peoples democratic party pdp that is hovering around must know that it is only people without honour that will vomit in the morning and convert it to lunch in the afternoon1 people like ortom cant leave pdp three and half years ago with his eyes open and two three years later because of some tension he is thinking of returning1 he is a man of honour and he knows that once you move one step forward you will want to take the second step to consolidate the first step thats the way to go1 be assured that the pdp can go and do whatever they want to do but it wont change the situation in the minds of those who are convinced in building the futureoshiomhole said1 this he said would not be without contestation but would be based on the understanding the party had the qualities required to resolve issues on a win-win manner even when contestations comes up1 he assured that such tools would be deployed in benue to make both gov. ortom sen. akume and the people of the state not just apc members happy1 he further assured that the apc leadership would do everything possible to help those who had issues to have those issues resolved1 oshiomhole stressed that the apc leadership would do everything possible to address crisis within its states chapters and ensure that its committed members remain in its fold. nan1 -
Apapa gridlock: Lagos Govt. turns to FG for solution
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he blamed the renewed congestion on the recalcitrance of owners and drivers of tankers and trucks to fully comply with the subsisting directive that restricts their movement within the state. bamigbetan also attributed the worsened situation to the ongoing industrial action by a section of workers at the apapa ports.1 the lagos state government on thursday sought the intervention of the federal government in enforcing the rule that all haulage operators must have designated parks immediately1 bamigbetan sympathised with the commuters and residents of apapa and other parts of the state over the lingering gridlock created by trucks and articulated vehicles1 he expressed sadness over the difficulties faced by motorists and commuters seeking the use of the apapa-oshodi highway and other routes leading to the ports1 the commissioner assured residents that the state government had directed security agencies to deploy their officers to the areas to further control traffic and bring immediate succour to the people1 bamigbetan said president muhammadu buhari had assured lagos state that the federal government would tackle the matter decisively noting that the latest hardship made the much needed intervention extremely imperative1 the commissioner for information and strategy mr kehinde bamigbetan made the assertion in lagos on the chaotic traffic situation in the state1 according to him this has slowed down the pace of goods clearance as well as the slow pace of repair works on the roads leading to the ports most of which are federal roads1 bamigbetan said the recent rehabilitation of the truck park at orile iganmu with capacity to take 3000 trucks showed the commitment of the state government to address the enormous traffic challenge1 he urged the haulage stakeholders to save residents from the threat of carnage on the highways by adhering to the directive and also invest in truck terminals themselves1 the commissioner regretted that the ongoing rehabilitation of roads in apapa and its environs and the efforts toward sanitising truck entry procedures had pushed the trucks to other parts of the city1 he said this was all because the haulage operators had continued to illegally turn major roads to parks thereby using public facilities to increase their private profit1 bamigbetan said that the state government would not allow its highways to be turned to death traps calling for speedy delivery of the roads under reconstruction within the axis1 -
Suspect who receives N5,000 to facilitate suicide bomb attacks
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on two occasions i was paid n200 000 for the successful execution of bomb attacks1 by rabiu sani1 kori 25 is among the 22 people arrested by the police in borno and yobe for their alleged involvement in suicide bombing activities carried out by the insurgents1 he told the news agency of nigeria nan that he received n5 000 as payment for facilitating the execution of each suicide bomb attack in maiduguri and its environs1 kori who was a security guard at a fuel dispensing station in dalori area of maiduguri said that he participated in several suicide bomb attacks in recent months in the metropolis1 my role is to keep the improvised explosive device ieds for onward delivery to another person who will carry out the attack1 on different occasions two of my acquaintances gave a parcel to keep for somebody who will come and take it1 i normally kept the parcel in my duty post the appointed person would come and picked it after successful delivery they paid me n5 0001 we reside in the same neighborhood in maiduguri they always told me that the parcel was given to them by one baadam and asked me to keep it1 they introduced me to baadam who is the mastermind of the attacks he revealed1 on his part adam mustapha a.k.a baadam admitted that he coordinated various suicide bomb attacks which resulted in the death of hundreds of people in maiduguri1 baadam 20 narrated that he had coordinated several bomb attacks at bulukuntu baga road 333 artillery gate customs post office and muna garage areas of maiduguri1 abubakar kori a dwarf who facilitated the suicide bombing activities of boko-haram insurgents said he was paid not less than n5 000 for each suicide bomb attack carried out by the insurgents in maiduguri1 most of the time i had to pester them before payment could be made to me he said1 when asked whether he had cause at any time to regret his actions baadam said that he was never remorseful at any given time1 another suspect ibrahim mala 48 also admitted to aiding suicide bomb attacks in maiduguri sales of rustled animals and supply of logistics to the insurgents in the bush1 mala a butcher and resident of dalori-kakere village in the outskirts of maiduguri revealed that the insurgents were supplying sheep and provided him with n180 000 loans to enable him to run his business1 they paid me n5 000 for safe keeping of ieds and they also sent me on errands to buy consumable items for them1 i bought the items at the market and kept it at my home some persons would come at night pick and deliver same to members of the group hiding in the forest1 some of the items included torch lights matches sandals kola nuts cubes and clothing materials1 i saved money in dealing with the group and bought a plot of land worth over n420 0001 i know that they are boko-haram insurgents and my wife was not happy with my dealings with them she asked me to stop but it is too late he narrated1 commenting on the arrest mr abba kyari the dcp intelligence response team irt said that the suspects were apprehended by the police in various communities in borno and yobe1 kyari called on members of the public to report suspicious persons and movement to the security agencies1 he also called on the people to cooperate with the police and other security agencies to end insurgency and restore peace to the north-east sub-region1 -
Old Russian warship with almost £100 Billion worth of Gold found off south korean island
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old russian warship with almost £100 billion worth of gold found off south korean island1 a south korean salvage team has discovered the wreck of a russian warship that was sunk in a naval battle 113 years ago and is believed to still contain a trove of gold bullion and coins worth 150 trillion won1 or £100 billion1 -
FAAC, wage trouble governors
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the deadlock in the meeting of federation account allocation committee faac and the issue of national minimum wage were some of the troubling issues that occupied nigerian governors on wednesday1 the nigeria governors forum ngf met on wednesday night in abuja to discuss matters1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the june monthly meeting of faac in abuja ended in a deadlock1 the faac monthly meeting is the forum where money is shared among the federal states and local governments1 also on the meeting agenda was presentation by the chief executive officer of edumarshals on replicating edumarshals education project at the state level1 the postmaster general was also expected to make presentation at the meeting on the nigerian postal service in maximising revenue potential through electronic stamp solution digital addressing system and addressing verification system1 the governors were also expected to be briefed by world bank country director dr rachid benmessaoud on the states fiscal transparency and accountability sustainability fstas nan1 -
Osun APC governorship primary now holds Friday
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what that means is that every card carrying member of our party will participate in the process of nominating the flag bearer of the party2 this for us is the most democratic way to conduct election and is in line with what our critical stakeholders from that part of the country want and we are quite happy to oblige he said1 the statement added that a meeting between the primary election committee chaired by gov. abdulaziz yari of zamfara and osun apc stakeholders would hold in osogbo the state capital on thursday1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that mr adams oshiomhole the apc national chairman on monday july 16 said the party would adopt the direct primary to pick its candidate for the osun governorship election1 we have decided that in order to ensure popular participation and to deepen democracy in osun state in-line with the provision of our partys constitution which allows for either direct or indirect primary we have resolved that the governorship election primary will be conducted on the basis of direct primary1 the all progressives congress apc primary to elect its candidate for the forthcoming osun governorship election has been postponed from thursday july 19 till friday july 201 the party announced the postponement in a statement issued by malam bolaji abdullahi its national publicity secretary on wednesday in abuja1 oshiomhole had explained that the essence was to allow more party members to participate in the process of nominating its candidates and to remove issues of corruption or monetising the processes1 he added that the direct primary would give party members a sense of ownership of the outcome of the exercise1 nan reports that all 17 aspirants who obtained the partys expression of interest and nomination forms to contest its ticket forthe governorship election slated for sept. 22 had all been cleared1 all political parties fielding candidates for the osun governorship election has up to monday july 23 to submit the name of their candidates for the election to the independent national electoral commissioninec1 a political party could however substitute its candidate afterwards if the need arises1 -
Uganda remains in ICC after quit threats
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source63 uganda has finally decided to remain in the international criminal court after years of threats to withdraw from the hague-based court1 president yoweri museveni had publicly taken exception to the courts indictment of a sitting african head of state1 a uganda parliament statement said kadaga reassured the president of the icc that uganda will not withdraw from the rome statute but will continue working with the icc1 kadaga made the remarks in the netherlands at the commemoration of the 20 years of the rome statute and cleared any doubts as to the ugandan governments commitment to the court1 i also want to reassure you that because of that collaboration we are the first country to issue a reference for arbitration to the icc and we have continued to cooperate to date1 of course we are part of the african union and there have sometimes been difficult situations between the icc and the african union. there are areas of reservations a reference to a february 2017 african union decision to withdraw from the icc1 uganda voted in favour of the withdrawal after a divisive motion sponsored by kenya was debated by the heads of state summit held in addis ababa ethiopia1 ugandas speaker of parliament mrs. rebecca kadaga reaffirmed the governments commitment to the rome statute that established the icc1 kadaga described bashir as an important actor in the region stressing his centrality in prospects for peace in the war-torn and volatile south sudan1 uganda stands for a position where justice is not sacrificed at the altar of peace and peace is not sacrificed at the altar of justice according to kadaga1 during the first inauguration of kenyas president uhuru kenyatta museveni said africa supported the court in the spirit of abhorring impunity but that the court has since lost track and is being used as a tool of foreign domination1 kenyatta and his deputy william ruto became the first-ever sitting heads of government to appear before the court although charges against the duo were later dropped for lack of evidence1 meanwhile burundi and south africa had formally written to the icc seeking withdrawal but are yet to withdraw from the court1 the court has suffered heavy criticism for allegedly only targeting african leaders a claim the icc persistently denies1 the icc has always criticised uganda for warming up to sudanese president omar bashir who is wanted by the court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in darfur1 -
Nigerians want arrest of killers in S/Africa
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the killing of nigerians in south africa had been on the increase in recent times2 dabiri-erewa stated that no fewer than 117 nigerians were extra-judicially killed in south africa between 2013 and 2018 for one flimsy reason or the other2 the senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs and diaspora mrs abike dabiri-erewa had expressed worry over the killings of nigerians in south africa2 lack of prosecution of these criminal activities has actually embolden a lot of people to feel that they can kill nigerians without any consequence he said2 he expressed concern that governments apathy to arrest and prosecute the killers has made the situation more complex2 at least 14 of the protesters were taken into custody and allegedly branded drug peddlers2 when there are no arrests no prosecutions criminals will have effrontery to go into crime without fear of retribution2 what we are demanding is that whosoever commits any crime should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others he said2 olubajo also urged both nigerian and south african authorities to work together to address the situation and reduce criminal activities against nigerians in south africa2 the wanton killings of nigerians in south africa had sparked a number of protests there2 there was also the killing of mr clement nwaogu a father of two who was burnt to death by his assailants in april2 the latest was the assassination of mr martin ebuzoeme by unknown assailant in yeoville johannesburg on july 12 2 another nigerian thankgod okoro was also reportedly shot dead in hamburg florida west rand johannesburg on april 9 by the south african police flying squad2 before then was also the killing of mr ozumba tochukwu-lawrence by an unknown gunman at 10 koppe middleburg mpumalanga on july 62 ramaphosa had during his visit on july 11 said that the killing of nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country was an act of criminality but not specifically targeted at nigerians1 the killing came barely 24 hours after the visit of south africas president cyril ramaphosa to nigeria1 the president of the union mr adetola olubajo blamed the incessant killings of nigerians in south africa on lack of prosecution of offenders by the authorities1 he however called nigerians in south africa to be law abiding and shun criminal activity1 people are emboldened to perpetrate the crime with impunity and without consequences because of lack of prosecution1 olubajo said that the inability of the south african government to bring to book those perpetrating the heinous crimes against nigerians has given the criminals free hands1 troubled by frequent killings of nigerians the nigerian union in south africa has called for the arrests and prosecution of killers1 -
Group praises Buhari over Nigeria Air
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it added that with the unveiling of the logo what many people had dismissed as a political gimmick has begun to manifest1 the buhari media organisation bmo has praised president muhammadu buhari for the unveiling of the logo and the planned take-off of nigeria air in december1 in statement bmo said it was gratifying that the nigeria airways killed by pdp government in 2003 was being brought back to life by buhari 15 years after1 the statement signed by the chairman of bmo mr. niyi akinsiju applauded the move and noted especially the acquisition of new boeing aircrafts1 this is a most welcome development which will benefit the country in more ways than one another promise kept and a further proof of president muhammadu buharis commitment to correcting the wrongs of the past1 the group recalled that when the president vowed to revive the nigerian airways that was liquidated by former president olusegun obasanjo in 2003 many nigerians were understandably cynical because of the failed promises of previous governments1 when the then candidate buhari gave his words on the national carrier many people who had been told that a government owned airline was not viable felt he was playing to the gallery but it is now clear that the president is a man of his words the group said1 bmo said on abuja that efforts of president buhari have gone beyond completing abandoned projects to resurrecting dead projects1 the group pointed out that many older nigerians would recall that as at 1984 when buhari was then a military ruler nigerian airways had 34 aircraft so he was understandably shocked that smaller countries were running well-managed airlines with private sector support and laid the groundwork for what we are seeing now1 the group reminded nigerians that the new national carrier is just one aspect of an aviation master-plan which included a maintenance repair and overhaul centre an aviation leasing company and airport concessioning -all designed to make the country the aviation hub for west and central africa1 bmo also commended the minister of state for aviation hadi sirika for running with the presidents dream from planning to execution while urging him to ensure that the december take-off date is sacrosanct1 it however urged him to learn from the missteps of previous administrations by ensuring that the publicprivate partnership arrangement is water-tight in order to realise the governments aspiration of profit within three years of operation1 on the possible benefits of nigerias investment in a new national carrier bmo noted that the vacuum created by the absence of a national carrier is costing nigeria 6.4 billion annually as a result of its inability to reap the benefits from 78 bilateral air services agreements basa from non-payment of royalty by foreign carriers1 this it says is an estimate provided by aviation experts of what international operators should have been paying but for the inability of nigerian airlines to reciprocate the number of flights operated by these foreign carriers due to lack of capacity and the fact that the country does not have strong airlines that operate many international destinations1 bmo says it was convinced that the buhari administration would put in place the necessary processes to ensure that never again will nigeria be deprived of a national flag carrier at a time smaller african countries are running viable profitable airlines1