Biden Tests Positive

 President Joe Biden Tests Positive for Covid- 19, has mild symptoms

ZAINAB JUNAID

... with Agency Report

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has tested positive for COVID-19, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Thursday morning. 

“This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19,” She said in a statement. “He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms.” She added, “He has begun taking Paxlovid. Consistent with CDC

"Biden, 79 years, is fully vaccinated after getting two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office, a first booster shot in September and an additional dose in March 30," Washington AP News had reported. 

SAHCO Appoints Two New Non -Executive Directors

SAHCO Appoints Two New Non -Executive Board Members 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

As part of its commitment to building a diversified Board, Management team and staff with expertise that spans industry circles to cater for its growing list of clientele, Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) PLC has announced appointments of two new non-Executive Directors, at the company’s 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Marriott Hotel, Ikeja in Lagos, recently. 

This was disclosed in a statement made available and signed by the company’s Corporate Head Communications, UANSOHIA Adetola Venessa. 

The two new non Executive Directors are Laila Jean St. Matthew-Daniel and Dr. Bukola Bello Jaiyesimi and were to replace Barrister Chike Ogeah and Mr. Ariyo Olutoye who resigned their appointments in January, 2022.

Laila Jean St. Matthew-Daniel started her schooling at Our Lady of Apostles in Lagos, she went on to St Louis Grammar School, Ibadan, for her “O” Levels, and then Queens College, for her ‘A’ Levels, before going to the United Kingdom (UK) for graduate studies at the Cripplegate Institute/London Guildhall University. She began her career in the corporate world in the UK, and later Nigeria, before boldly taking the entrepreneurial step in 1983, by opening one of the ‘first’ indigenous Furniture Manufacturing Company, during the 1980’s as a result of Government’s ban on the importation of furniture. 

As one of the premier female furniture manufacturers in the early 80’s to early 90’s, she initialized private training programmes for artisans in the furniture industry to boost Governments’ National Directorate of Employment’s empowerment efforts, and pioneered seminars for public enlightenment on relationship between stress and furniture ergonomics apart from winning various awards for unique designs. She coordinated interior fix-outs from conceptualisation, implementation, FF&E & execution of residential, Corporate & hotel projects and has won various awards for unique designs.

Dr. Bukola Bello Jaiyesimi on her part, Is a confirmed Pan-Africanist, lobbyist, developmental and legacy strategist with a passion for mankind and institutional development. She started her academic journey in 1982 at St Luke’s Model School, Lokoja, she proceeded to Command Secondary School, Kaduna in 1988.

Dr. Bukola Bello Jaiyesimi gained admission into University of Abuja where she bagged a Diploma in Banking and Finance in 1995.

She relocated to study in Canada in 1998 and proceeded to Queens School of Business, Ontario, Canada and graduated with a BSC in Marketing in 2001.  She went further to London School of Business and Finance, UK and she graduated with MBA in Entrepreneurship at The Institute of Transformative Thoughts and Learning Doctoral Research Centre (ITTL-DRC). She is also a recipient of the following; Metropolitan Institute of Business and Management - Special Executive Masters in International Business Law (LLM)-2013, CGUI, Boston, Massachusetts - Doctoral Research 2017, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, United Kingdom - Diploma in Public Relations 2018.

NCAA Suspends Dana Airlines...

 NCAA Suspends Dana Airlines Operations Indefinitely 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airlines' Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) indefinitely, with effect from midnight of Wednesday, 20th July, 2022.

The suspension according to the agency was made pursuant to Section 35(2), 3(b) and (4) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3(a)(1) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs), 2015.

The suspension order, which was handed down by the Director General, Captain Musa Nuhu, has since been communicated to the management of Dana Airlines.

The decision is the outcome of a financial and economic health audit carried out on the Airline by the Authority, and the findings of an investigation conducted on the Airline's flight operations recently, which revealed that Dana Airlines is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations.

The NCAA on its website acknowledges the negative effect this preemptive decision will have on the Airline's passengers and the travelling public and seeks their understanding, as the safety of flight operations takes priority over all other considerations.

However, the airline in a statement made available to journalists attributed their shortcomings to recent skyrocketing costs of JetA1 which now stand at 830 per litre,  unavailability of forex, inflation among others as contributing factors to their financial setback. 

FG Hightened Surveillance at Border Entry over

FG Hightened Surveillance at Border Entry over Marburg Virus Disease

ZAINAB JUNAID 

The recent confirmation outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg Disease in Ghana has prompted the Federal Government of Nigeria to place the Port Health Services under the Federal Ministry of Health at the nation’s seaports, airports and land borders on red alert. 

This followed warnings received from medical expert that Nigeria could be at high risks for its proximity to Ghana. 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in a statement affirmed that based on available data assessed by experts, the overall risk of both importation of the disease and its potential impact on the Nigerian population is on the Moderate but given the proximity (same region), high traffic from Ghana and countries that share borders with Ghana, the incubation period of 21 days of the virus, the center has heightened surveillance at all entry points of the country to avert any sighted incident. 

The Center further confirmed that the risk of importation may be further reduced as the current situation in Ghana is under control as reported by Ghana Health Service. Active case finding is ongoing in Ghana while there is heightened surveillance in Togo and Benin as well. 

Marburg according to World Health Organisation (WHO) causes a rare, highly infectious disease and severe haemorrhagic fever (MVD) in humans and non-human primates just like the Ebola virus,  

It is another example of a zoonosis such as Lassa fever, etc. The natural animal reservoir/host are fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). Following the transmission from infected animals to humans, it spreads in humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, and contaminated materials and surfaces. The virus can enter the body through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth.

The first case of the Ebola-like virus in West Africa was reported in August 2, 2021, when a man from Guéckédou Prefecture, Guinea, died and was confirmed to have had Marburg Virus Disease by WHO. 

Previous outbreaks of Marburg virus disease, which is spread through contact with the body fluids of infected people or animals, have occurred mainly in eastern and southern Africa, report says. 

The public are enjoined to take precautions because there is no treatment or vaccine for MVD, however, infected persons can benefit from supportive care and treatment of specific symptoms which improve the chances of survival. Early detection and treatment improve prognosis.

APMT management REACTS to Union

 MWUN Shut down operations at APMT Terminal 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Wednesday morning obstructed activities at APM Terminals Apapa, Lagos over poor renumeration, bad welfare and ill treatment of workers by management of the terminal. 

This came less than 24 hours after the union issued a three day extension warning strike to the management of the AP Moller Terminals (APMT). 

MWUN General President, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju and other Dockworkers were seen at the entry point of the terminal putting a barricade and at the same time instructed workers to vacate premises. 

It was gathered that authorities of the terminals have refused to yield positively to the request of the union regarding treatment of its workers especially in area of salary review. 

While union insisted that the terminal will remain shut until the management of the terminal yield positively to the needs of the dock workers as the management of  APM Terminals are fond of taking Nigerian labour workers for a ride, there are strong indications that the issue will soon be a thing of past because the terminal management have quickly reacted to the earlier actions of the union through a statement. 

The statement with heading "Notice of Labour Action In APM Terminals Apapa" as at  12:05 pm on Wednesday and addressed to customers read partly,

"This is to inform you that APM Terminals Apapa dock employees have currently embarked on a strike this morning. We recognize that the action would impact our customers, Vessel, and the terminal; as most operations are impacted by the union’s strike action, causing operational disruptions as a consequence of the lockout.

“However, be assured that there are ongoing deliberations and discussions between the management and the labour union in the hopes of reaching an alignment as quickly as possible.

“With your unwavering support, we will do whatever we can to minimize the impact of the labour action and also keep you abreast of developments,” the statement read.

Aero Suspends Flights Operations Indefinitely

 Aero  Suspends Flights Operations Indefinitely 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

Harsh business environment, continuous increase in aviation fuel price also known as Jet A1 Fuel, high Foreign Exchange rates, among other multiple problems faced in the Aviation industry by local carriers on their daily operations, has prompted Aero Contractors, one of the local carriers to announced suspension of its scheduled Passengers Service Operations Indefinitely. 

The airline disclosed this in a statement on Monday saying it would temporarily suspend its scheduled passenger services operations with effect from July 20, 2022 

According to the management: “The decision was carefully considered and taken due to the fact that most of our aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance, resulting in their inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed customers.

“We are working to bring these aircraft back to service in the next few weeks, so we can continue to offer our passengers the safe, efficient, and reliable services that Aero Contractors is known for, which is the hallmark of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd.”

The airline maintained that the past few months had been very challenging for the aviation industry and the airline operators in particular, adding that with the high cost of maintenance, skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and forex scarcity resulting in high foreign exchange rates. These are among the major components of airline operations.

However, it was gathered that this development does not in any way affect the Maintenance activities of the Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) otherwise known as AeroMRO, the Approved Training Organisation (ATO) also known as Aero Training School, the Helicopter and Charter Services operations.

Aniebonam Calls for Peaceful Campaign towards 2023 General Elections

 Aniebonam Calls for Peaceful Campaign towards 2023 General Elections

ZAINAB JUNAID

The founder of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Dr Boniface Aniebonam has called on his members to adopt constructive and peaceful method of  campaign for the forthcoming 2023 general elections. 

Dr Aniebonam made this call while fielding questions with Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN) at NAGAFF Village on Monday, adding that the society at large must be engaged in the course of the movement. 

Reiterating the bad shape of the economy,  the NAGAFF founder maintained that all hands must be on deck to actualize the dream of New Nigeria. 

His words, “We must engage the society and be constructive in our dealings. There is no need to start blaming anyone for the system that is already in comatose. All we need now is to put all hands on deck to actualize the dream of New Nigeria. This election give room for multiparty system which provides opportunities for people to make choice of their own. We must utilize the opportunity. Besides, it was a call from God for me to initiate this party. As a spiritual leader, it was a divine speech that I received and I believe we will achieve our goals.”

While speaking on the recent developments in the maritime industry, Dr. Aniebonam who is also the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) argued that Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is not a government agency as it is misinterpreted and all measures are put in place to ensure that the council remains independent of the Ministry of Transportation. 

He explained that the council was never meant to be a government Parastatal but a professional body regulating activities of the freight forwarders. 

According to him, “CRFFN has not achieved the mandate in which it was established for since it has been misinterpreted to be a government agency. But our lawyer is in court on that matter. We all know that when money is involved, the issue of POF is a serious business, section 6 of the CRFFN Act tells us how to raise funds and administer the council, the POF falls under this purview.”

"When you look at the volume of money involved, the attention of the government has been brought there. It is only the National Assembly that can intervene on this matter. Recall that  I said we are still in court over this issue and we will get what we want,” he said. 

Dr Aniebonam later enjoined the New Minister of Transportation, Mr Mu’azu Jaji Sambo to utilize his new appointment and the little period remaining under the present administration to help resolve the salient issue of CRFFN.