Aero: Travellers face bleak Easter over flight shortage

Intending air travellers within the country during the Easter holiday period may be in for a tough time because of a looming scarcity of flights to different destinations following the suspension of operations by Aerocontractors Airlines, the second largest domestic airline by passenger traffic.

Internal labour crises have left Aero grounded for almost two weeks. The airline’s management is battling almost 1,300 employees over alleged poor condition of service among other related issues.

The development has had an adverse effect on domestic air travel, which is currently dominated by Arik Air and Aero, in terms of large route network.

Already, passengers are facing hard times getting seats on the South-South and South-East routes operated by only Aero and Arik. Destinations on these routes are Benin, Calabar, Uyo, Owerri and Enugu.

Other domestic carriers such as Dana Air, IRS Airlines, Medview Airlines and Chanchagi Airlines operate from Lagos to Abuja and a few cities in the North.

Medview operates flights to only one South-South destination, Port Harcourt.

Findings by our correspondent on Monday revealed that intending passengers to the South-South and South-East regions were not getting seats easily on the available flights.

Our correspondent observed at the Lagos airport that majority of the intending passengers were forced to book for flights two days ahead, a departure from the former situation where they would get to the airport before buying tickets on their travel days.

Further findings revealed that passengers at Benin, Uyo, Calabar, Enugu and Owerri airports were also scrambling to get tickets. It was learnt that majority of them had been forced to postpone their flights.

Also, passengers flying to Accra in Ghana are also having hard times getting seats as the route, prior to the current crisis, was operated by both Arik and Aero.

The development has made airfares to start going up. Already, flights from Lagos to any of the South-East and South-South states, which used to cost a little less than N30,000, now go for about N35,000.

Also, return ticket between Lagos and Accra, which used to go for between N50,000 and N70,000, now go for between N90,000 and N100,000.

This is coming just as the hope of Aero resuming operations before the Easter holidays appears bleak, thereby threatening the hope of several passengers who had booked Aero flights online for the Easter season before the crisis.

Efforts to get the airline’s management to comment on the fate of such passengers did not yield results.

The Aero spokesman said the managing director was not available to comment on what the fate of such passengers would be.

But the Assistant General Secretary, Airline Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said it was high time the government intervened in the labour crisis in Aero through the Minister of Labour.

He also alleged that some business interests were sponsoring the crises in the aviation sector, and that the government needed to investigate the various crises that had befallen the airlines.

Tukur said, “It is a very unfortunate situation at Aero at the moment. If you look at the way things are going, there are plans by some powerful interests to frustrate some airlines. Some people are benefiting from the crises in the sector. I only pity our brothers flying from overseas and Lagos to celebrate the Easter in the East and South-South.

“My advice is for the existing airlines to add frequencies to the South-South and South East routes so that they can help evacuate passengers during the Easter. I don’t see Aero coming back soon. I don’t know why the Aero management allowed this to happen to them.

“Some airlines benefited from bail-out but they are not flying today. I mean, some airlines got bail-out funds and closed shop. These are issues the government needs to look into because jobs have been lost.”

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said it had intervened in the crisis in Aero and discussions were ongoing with the management of the airline. It, however, refused to comment on the fate of intending passengers who had bought Aero’s tickets for the Easter season.

INEC may register mega opposition party as APC

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega

The opposition coalition party, All Progressives Congress, on Monday ‘won’ its first victory with the Independent National Electoral Commission refusing to register the African Peoples Congress, thus creating an opportunity for the coalition platform to register its preferred acronym, APC.

The INEC said promoters of the African Peoples Congress failed to meet the requirements for the registration of parties and that the association breached Section 222 (a) of the 1999 Federal Constitution, as amended.

The Commission’s Director of Information, Emmanuel Umenger, confirmed that a letter signed by INEC’s Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, refusing the association registration had been sent to the promoters.

A copy of the letter, obtained by our correspondent, read,  “The Commission has observed that your association is in breach of Section 222 (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which stipulates as follows:

“No association by whatever name called shall function as a political party unless; the names and addresses of its national officers are registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission; a close observation of your submitted form PA 1 established that it does not contain the addresses of your national officers as stipulated in the provisions above.

“Consequently, the commission shall not register the proposed African Peoples Congress (APC) as a political party.”

The All Progressives Congress, formed by four opposition political parties – Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change, All Nigeria Peoples Party and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance – had in January announced the name of their new party and chose the acronym, APC.

But before the opposition parties could file their papers before INEC, two other associations – African Peoples Congress and All Patriotic Citizens –had submitted applications choosing APC as their acronym too.

But while the All Patriotic Citizens agreed to a change of name to avoid unpleasantness of similar acronym, the African Peoples Congress had remained adamant.

The All Progressives Congress, with an avowed mission to dislodge the ruling Peoples Democratic Party from power, had accused the PDP of sponsoring the African Peoples Congress in order to spoil the show for the opposition.

Curiously, the Protem Chairman of the African Peoples Congress, Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, had last Thursday flaunted before journalists a copy of the same letter Umenger confirmed was sent to the association on Monday, alleging that “dark forces” within INEC had perfected the plan to deny his association registration.

Umenger had earlier on Monday said the letter shown to journalists by Ikeagwuonu was not authentic because it was not signed.

He later confirmed the content of the letter as the same as the one sent to the rejected association.

He told our correspondent, “Yes, I am in receipt of a letter similar in content with the one you said was duly signed by INEC’s Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, and it has been delivered to the addressee (African Peoples Congress) and one Michael Ogani signed and collected the letter and dated it March 25, 2013.

“The content is what you read to me earlier. The point of departure as I spoke with you before now was that the letter you had was not signed and because it was not signed, we could not ascertain its authenticity and because of that I declined to speak on it. But as soon as it came to my table, I felt that it was necessary to call you and inform you that I am in receipt of a letter and its content; the letter has spoken.”

Reacting to the development on Monday, Ikeagwuonu said the refusal to register his association was a rape on democracy and threatened to challenge the decision in court.

He said, “The requirements of the laws have been complied with and we must forewarn that any trick against our registration shall be resisted as even the same Electoral Act which empowers INEC to register or not to register political parties equally gives us power to challenge the decision of INEC at the Federal High Court, up to Supreme Court where our constitutionally compliant application to register shall be upheld by the law court.”

Ex-Zambian president arrested over Nigerian oil deal

Zambian-ex-president-Rupiah-Banda

Former Zambian president, Mr. Rupiah Banda, was arrested on Monday by the country’s law enforcement agents over allegations of corruption and abuse of office, following a crude oil import deal with Nigeria.

Banda, according to an online news agency, hotnaijanews.com, was also alleged to have misappropriated about $11m during his three-year reign as President of the country.

The country’s authorities are accusing him of procuring oil which did not benefit the country.

He was said to have imported crude oil from Nigeria without actual deliveries, despite the fact that the funds were deposited into the bank account of his son.

Banda, who was released from police custody and is due to appear in court on Tuesday, however, said the moves against him are politically motivated.

He was questioned for close to three hours after his arrest related to the oil deal Monday before he was released on bail.

Banda denies the charges, and his lawyers claim the arrest is an attempt by current President Michael Sata to silence him.

After his release, Banda appeared before his supporters and told them to remain calm, reassuring them he would win his case in court.

Earlier this month,   parliament lifted Banda’s presidential immunity, clearing the way for him to be prosecuted for several corruption and abuse of office charges.

Banda lost to President Michael Sata in 2011 elections. The new government has been pursuing the corruption investigations against the former leader and his political allies.

Banda, born 13 February 1937, was President of Zambia from 2008 to 2011.

During the Presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, Banda held important diplomatic posts and was active in politics as a member of the United National Independence Party. Years later, he was appointed as Vice-President by President Levy Mwanawasa in October 2006, following the latter’s re-election.

He took over Mwanawasa’s presidential responsibilities after Mwanawasa suffered a stroke in June 2008, and following Mwanawasa’s death in August 2008, he became acting President. As the candidate of the governing Movement for Multiparty Democracy, he narrowly won the October 2008 presidential election, according to official results.

Opposition leader Michael Sata defeated Banda in the September 2011 presidential election, and Sata accordingly succeeded Banda as President on September 23, 2011.

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