Travel News

BY Chinedu Eze with agency report 

There are indications that after almost two years Boeing 737 MAX grounded for two tragic accidents would soon take to the sky again, as the aircraft is getting closer to being certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Reuters also reported that Boeing may not launch a new plane in the near future until it settles with the recertification of B737 MAX expected to regain its position in the market. The MAX is expected to win safety approval within weeks following a 19-month grounding in the wake of two crashes, Safran Chief Executive, Philippe Petitcolin said.

“We are doing everything with Boeing to put the MAX back in service in the best possible conditions,” he told reporters. Boeing, suppliers and leasing companies – all of whom invested heavily in the MAX – have pushed back against the idea of replacing it despite mounting cancellations. But Boeing is expected to try to capture eye-catching orders to recover some of the share lost to Airbus, especially the increasingly dominant A321neo.

Reuters reported that if airlines stop buying the MAX or fail to reabsorb it into their fleets, there has been speculation Boeing could obliquely begin the process of replacing it by first developing a replacement for the out-of-production 757. This is a slightly larger single-aisle jet occupying a spot in the market overlapping with the MAX and A321neo family.

It is therefore seen as a possible starting point for a design that could eventually pivot to a full MAX replacement. Petitcolin said the 737 MAX was likely to stay in service until 2035, implying development of a successor would not start until 2027 with pre-marketing starting in 2025.

If the MAX failed to reassert itself in the market, Boeing could theoretically be tempted to bring that forward to 2022-23. “The success or otherwise of the return to service of the MAX could – I am speaking hypothetically – influence Boeing’s decision whether to launch a plane earlier,” he said.

A new model is, “in the realm of possibilities even if today it is not the solution or option that we consider the most probable,” Petitcolin told reporters.

Boeing, which has repeatedly said it is focusing solely on the MAX, was not immediately available for comment. Reuters first reported in April that Boeing had been studying a possible 757 replacement to thwart the A321neo, though plans for this and a potential revamped 767 cargo jet had been placed on a back-burner during the crisis.

Fresh reports pushed up Boeing shares, as senior industry sources said Boeing would not launch a new jet soon, though some analysts have urged it to do so.

Boeing is meanwhile studying refinements of larger MAX variants including the MAX 9, they said. The Air Current reported this week that Boeing was looking at updating the MAX 10.

Despite the groundswell of opposition against floating a new national airline, Nigeria Air, the Federal Government, last week, said there was no going back on its plans to float a national carrier. Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika, even set a 2021 delivery timeline for the project. This has prompted renewed calls by aviation experts and stakeholders for government to rethink the project considering the prevailing lean financial resources, difficulty in securing investors, and downtime in global aviation, among others. Aviation Correspondent KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports 

His resolve to see the emergence of a more vibrant and competitive aviation sector, capable of holding its own in the global aviation industry, has never been in doubt. However, if one of his approaches to achieving this is by floating a new national carrier, then it is doubtful if the Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika, will ever enjoy the support of stakeholders and experts in the industry.

This is because each time the matter comes up, following the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, 16 years ago, it’s always a subject of intense controversy, perhaps, outright condemnation by those who feel that floating a new national carrier will not be in the interest of the industry and the country generally. And Sirika, who, in recent times, has been at the forefront of the push to float a new national carrier, has been in the eye of the storm.

The Minister literarily put himself up again for scathing criticisms by concerned aviation experts and stakeholders when, last week, he said there was no going back on the Federal Government’s plans to float a national carrier. That was when he appeared before the National Assembly to defend his ministry’s budget. He said government planned to spend over N78.9 billion on the proposed national airline and other critical aviation projects in the 2021 budget.

But, as usual, the plan has not gone down well with those who are opposed to the idea of floating a new national carrier. In fact, it has forced renewed calls on the government to apply caution and, possibly, rethink its plans to float a national carrier.

From industry groups such as Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI), Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and labour unions and other interest groups, the clamour is that government pulls the breaks on the issue.

Their argument is that global models for setting up and running airlines have moved from public ownership to privately-run enterprises so, Nigeria should not be an exemption. As far as they are concerned, government’s decision to float a national carrier is coming at a time many countries are jettisoning public ownership of airlines.

According to them, strong carriers across the globe, including Delta Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France /KLM, are private sector owned and run entities compared to gulf carriers — Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways— which are owned by the government.

To further drive home their point, they said in Africa, a few of the government-owned and run carriers – South African Airways, Kenyan Airways, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and RwandAir- were struggling.

Perhaps, more worrisome to them is the N78.9 billion government said it planned to splash on the proposed national carrier project, among other critical projects in the 2021 budget.

Government, in its 2021 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly,  also plans  to spend N14 billion on the construction of the second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja  and 10 new airports across the country to boost civil aviation.

It also plans to build seven new airports in Anambra, Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Ebonyi and  Gombe states, in addition to taking over airports in Kebbi, Osubi, in Delta State and Dutse Airport in Jigawa State.

The huge capital outlay involved in these projects, analysts say, does not make economic sense at a time the government is experiencing lean resources coupled with downtime in global aviation.

In the 2020 budget, the Ministry of Aviation proposed to spend over N4.6 billion as working capital on the national carrier project, which has been in limbo since October 2018.

The development, which has triggered confusion in the sector, was again ignited by an  appropriation bill sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari recently, where the ministry proposed to pay N250 million  as “consultancy fee” for the establishment of the national carrier.

Investigations by The Nation reveal that  government had proposed to spend N6.7 billion on the aborted national carrier project in the last two years, with N5.6 billion  set aside as  “ongoing” sum for the project and another N554 million as “consultancy”.

Although the Federal Government unveiled the controversial national carrier at the Farborough Air Show in the United King­dom on July 18, 2018, the project was suspended by  following a series of unanswered questions bordering on equity structure, alleged lack of transparency, aircraft acquisition deal, and  incomplete incorporation of the airline company, among others.

Before the temporary suspension of the project in October 2018, the government had scheduled the airline to begin operations on December 24, 2018, with a target of 81 routes covering local, regional and international operations.

The government also planned to lease 15 aircraft, though the airplane types were not disclosed as its promoters consolidated plans to acquire additional aircraft under its fleet ownership to 30 airplanes within three to four years.

Sirika, who pilots the project, said government was expected to spend $55 million on it in 2018, $100 million in 2019, while $145 million was expected to be expended on the project in 2020. According to him, government had planned to spend over $300 million on the airline project in three years.

While industry experts and players raised concerns about the equity structure of the project, Sirika said government would not own more than five per cent of the airline, which he put at $55 million. He said government would not interfere with the recruitment and appointment of technical persons and management of the new airline as agreed with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) guidelines.

According to the ministry, “This funding can be in the form of equity or debt. In order to ensure take-off of the airline in 2018, the government will provide $55 million upfront grant or via­bility gap funding to finance start-up capital and pay commitment fees for aircraft to be leased for initial operations and deposit for new aircraft, whose delivery will begin in 2021.

“The company’s shares will be sold through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) after which the government will own five percent equity. Government’s equity share held in trust for Nigerians will be devolved to Nigerians via an IPO.

“The government will retain only five percent equity, the list of shareholders then will be available to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange.”

But, Sirika’s explanations may have failed to sway those vehemently opposed to the proposed new national carrier, with many of them calling on government to jettison the idea, and, as a matter of urgency, embrace fashionable models obtainable in other countries.

Some experts, who spoke with The Nation, said government, as aviation sector regulator, had no business in setting up an airline. Rather, it should encourage private sector investors by creating a more conducive environment for them to do their business.

For instance, the immediate past Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggison, said the government had no business setting up a national carrier. What government should do, he said, is to empower existing private sector airlines as flag carriers who will represent Nigeria in the international arena.

According to the former leader of the umbrella body of indigenous carriers, the government should empower existing domestic carriers by reducing multiple aeronautical and airport charges to enable them actualise the bilateral air services agreement it signed with many countries.

Listing Air Peace, Overland Airways, AZMAN  Air, Aero Airlines, Arik Air, Dana Air, Medview Airlines as carriers designated on international routes, Meggison said such carriers should be encouraged to reciprocate Nigeria’s bilateral air services agreements on such international routes rather than push for a national airline.

Meggison said government needed to step up its support for carriers including Air Peace, which operates on the Lagos/Sharjah/Dubai route and its plans to open up the Lagos- Johannesburg route, as well as the Lagos-London, China, and U.S routes, to strengthen their operational capacity rather than struggling to set up a national carrier.

Without mincing words, Meggison said: “At this time when the country is experiencing limited national resources, floating a national carrier is not ideal. National carrier is an obsolete idea. Business and pride don’t go together.

“All over Europe, South America, and the United States today, 90 per cent of their carriers, including Lufthansa, British Airways, are flag carriers which are completely private entities.

“Nigeria does not need a national carrier. Like what operates in advanced countries of the world, what Nigeria needs are strong private airlines that are allowed to operate in a friendly operational environment with a level playing field and policies that ensure their survival.”

Similarly, the Executive Director, Aviation Development Initiative, Babs Yusuf, urged the government to rethink the idea of floating a national carrier. According to him, it’s no longer fashionable.

“What is the sense in implementing a national carrier at a time of lean resources and downtime in global aviation? What is the lure for Nigeria, given our antecedents with such business ventures? Yusuf asked, pointing out that “national carriers are no longer fashionable. Besides, credible investors are scarce.”

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Continuing, Yusuf asked: “Is this (national carrier) not another white elephant project? What is wrong in government retaining its regulatory role, improving the toxic business environment and supporting private business to grow and fill the vacuum?”

On his part, the former Director of Human Resources at the defunct Virgin Nigeria, Victor Banjo, said the project fell short of requisite structure for success.

Similarly, the President, Sabre Travel Solutions, Gbenga Olowo, said government should empower existing flag carriers rather than dissipating energy and resources in setting up a national carrier.

Olowo said existing flag carriers should be supported through policies that enable them to forge alliances as global players. “This is easily achievable through economic policy of cooperation, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions,” he said.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, African Aviation Services Limited, Nick Fadugba, said although the idea of a national carrier was welcome, but for it to succeed it needs a sound business plan, strategic industry partners, and adequate funding.

Other success factors, according to him, include experienced management team, well-trained staff, a fleet of modern aircraft, comprehensive route network, on-time performance, good customer service and non involvement by government.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, said Nigeria needed strong flag carriers to enable it play on the continental sphere.

Nnaji expressed worries that the country had remained passive in the continental aviation market in recent years despite its huge daily passenger traffic.

However, he said floating a fully government-owned airline may not be an alternative According to him, the committee will work closely with the Federal Government to ensure that competent local airlines are supported to assume the status of flag carriers and operate internationally.

But, the Chief Executive Officer of Kitari Consult Limited, an aviation consulting firm, Mr Ali Magashi, holds a contrary view.  He said he was in support of the establishment of a national carrier. According to him, a national carrier could be used to promote the country’s brand to the world.

He said a national airline was like an embassy with wings, transporting its country’s talents, skills, commerce, culture, cuisine, human resource and goodwill around the world. “Conventional wisdom suggests that developing countries with small economies and high growth potential invest in national airlines.

“Dubai and Singapore have successfully made their airlines their main brands, driving their national identity and growth strategy, and so have Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir done here in Africa,” Magashi said.

The aviation expert added that among other benefits, a national carrier run efficiently would reduce the country’s transport infrastructure deficit, help in the development of the economy and provide multiple jobs, as well as help in developing aviation leasing companies, maintenance hangars, flight simulators and related training facilities.

He also said it would stimulate the development of more travel agencies and the hospitality industry, and bring about economic empowerment to many people through forward linkages in aircraft leasing and finance, and backward linkages of hospitality and air travel support.

“The aviation industry supports about 62.7 million jobs around the world. As such, a national carrier airline will help in boosting economic activities and stimulation,” Magashi said.

By Neil Callanan and Siddharth Vikram Philip

•  EasyJet likely to cancel most of U.K. flights during lockdown
•  Carriers in survival mode, having cut jobs and raised funds

Overseas travel from England that’s not related to work will be prohibited to help curb a resurgence of the coronavirus, throwing airlines into a fresh crisis.

The new rules, part of a wider partial lockdown by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will apply from Thursday until Dec. 2 and come as the industry struggles to survive a collapse in demand. Airlines hadn’t been informed about the restrictions before Johnson’s announcement Saturday evening, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Carriers were already reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic. They have eliminated jobs, retired older fuel-guzzling aircraft and turned to capital markets and asset sales to survive a slump in travel. Many have slashed capacity further in the wake of the resurgence in Covid-19 infections during the slower winter season.

EasyJet Plc, Europe’s second-biggest discount carrier, said it will operate its planned flights until Thursday. “It’s likely that much of the U.K. touching schedule will be canceled during lockdown with our planned flying set to resume in early December,” it said in a statement. British Airways said it’s assessing the new information and will keep its customers updated on changes to travel plans.

“Without targeted support to help protect the U.K.’s aviation industry, tens of thousands of jobs across the country will be lost,” Heathrow Airport said in a statement, calling on the government to put in a place a package of measures including business rates relief for airports and a Covid testing regime for passengers.

According to restrictions announced late Saturday, “overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed -- including holidays in the U.K. and abroad.” All but essential shops will close, as will restaurants, bars and gyms, though schools and universities will remain open.

“Christmas is going to be different this year, very different, but it is my sincere hope and belief that by taking tough action now, we can allow families across the country to be together,” Johnson said at Saturday’s press conference.

Under the package announced by Johnson, state payments will be made to furloughed workers of as much as 80% of their wages through the new lockdown period. This could offer some relief to airlines -- along with other businesses -- as employers will only have to cover some tax payments for furloughed workers, a more generous system than at present where firms have to pay 20% of their wages.

Read this: Johnson Announces Partial England Lockdown as Virus Surges

British Airways’ owner, IAG SA, said this month it would operate only 30% of its 2019 capacity in the current quarter. EasyJet has raised almost $400 million through a sale and leaseback transaction for some Airbus A320 aircraft.

England’s new lockdown measures follow similar moves in countries including France and Germany. Even before the latest round of restrictions, the International Air Transport Association had predicted that the global airline industry was on track to burn through $77 billion in cash in the second half. In Europe, about 193 out of 740 airports will soon struggle to pay their bills while government-imposed quarantine requirements remain in place, the Airports Council International Europe said last week.

“The winter period is always tough for the travel sector but this is set to be ultra-cruel,” said Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency. “Job losses and company casualties are going to be widespread sadly and my fear is that lockdowns will be harder to ease than they are to switch on.”

(Updates with Heathrow Airport’s comment in fifth paragraph.)

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Enugu State Government has lifted the 13-hour curfew imposed on Enugu East, Enugu North and Enugu South Local Government Areas, in the wake of the untoward activities of hoodlums and miscreants, who hijacked the otherwise peaceful #ENDSARS protests in the state.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, the decision to lift the curfew was “after a considered review of the overall situation in the three local government areas” and in furtherance of the state government’s commitment to “total return of normalcy and sustained economic activity in the overall interest of Ndi Enugu”.

Aroh therefore announced that “the 13-hour curfew imposed on the three (3) local governments of the Enugu Capital Territory namely Enugu East, Enugu North and Enugu South Local Government Areas, is hereby lifted with effect from 6am on Monday, November 2, 2020”.

The Information Commissioner added that consequently “normal social and economic activities will resume effective from 6am on Monday, November 2, 2020, without prejudice to all existing regulations put in place by the Federal Government as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“Ndi Enugu are therefore advised to go about their lawful social and economic activities, while remaining vigilant and law-abiding as usual,” he said.

• Stakeholders kick over credits, unremitted charges

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, yesterday, disclosed that the local airlines’ total debt burden to regulatory agencies stood at N22 billion. A breakdown showed the sum of N19.37 billion and $6,993,284 million (N2.7 billion) as unremitted Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) collected on behalf of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and its sister agencies.    The minister voiced out at the on-going three-day public hearing on new aviation bills at the National Assembly, following an appeal by the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) that the mandatory five per cent TSC and CSC should be scrapped or reduced to support the operating airlines.    Counsel to the AON, Chinasa Unaegbulam, had urged the Senate to repeal Clause 23 of the Civil Aviation Act on five per cent TSC/CSC, adding that operators needed a lifeline and a voice in industry’s regulations.    In a reaction to the appeal, Sirika raised a point of order that the debts in question were not general charges as erroneously stated by the AON, but a mandatory charge on passengers and cargo, which the airlines had collected on behalf of the NCAA and other regulatory agencies, but were not remitted.    

There are about 37 sundry charges in the local aviation industry of which TSC and CSC are just two of them. Sirika said the AON currently owes $6, 993,284 million and N19,365 billion on the five per cent currently shared by the regulator, the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
  
Currently, there is a plan to change the dynamics of the sharing formula but as it stands the NCAA gets 56 per cent, NAMA 22 per cent, NiMET nine per cent, NCAT seven per cent, and AIB six per cent.
  
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Smart Adeyemi, earlier said the amendment of the operating Act of the NCAA was crucial and timely, saying its essence is to encourage cross fertilisation of ideas with a view to improving the sector and removing all forms of ambiguity.
  
Senator Bala Na’Allah said the TSC was not money charged to airlines but money that passengers pay for safety, infrastructure and the likes.
Na’Allah said it was wrong for the airlines to make it look like the monies were charges, adding that those funds must be recovered.
  
Recall that the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian’s (FAAN), Captain Rabiu Yadudu, had in July, told the House of Representatives’ Committee on Aviation that a local airline owed FAAN N13 billion of unremitted revenue. 
  
Chairman WestLink Airlines, Captain Ibrahim Mshelia, yesterday said it was wrong for any airline to collect monies on behalf of any government agency and refuse to remit it, especially as the monies in question were already paid.
  
He said: “I am a member of the AON, but I have a different opinion especially on the five per cent TSC/CSC. Why would I collect money on behalf of the government and not remit it, especially as I collect before the flight?

“Except it is some form of online transfer that is difficult money can be remitted on or before 90 days, give me 90 day and I’d remit if I am owing. Some of us are remitting these five per cent charges and we’ve been doing so for years without default.”
  
Also speaking on the TSC, a former Director-General, NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, said the history of the charge dated back to 1989, and was done for good and specific reasons.
  
Demuren advised that the charges should not be reviewed downwards any further, adding that they were initially canvassed for 10 per cent when it was Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FAA).
  
“Federal Government built all these airports and wanted a return on investment and was advised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to do what was done in America to enable them to maintain these infrastructure by introducing these charges.
  
“The TSC was introduced because of NCAA and NAMA but now others have been added which is all good since they are part of aviation but I beg you, do not review the percentage shared to the NCAA downwards as these monies help in training engineers, inspectors and other critical areas,” Demuren said.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s airports and airlines need urgent support to survive the “very bleak future” posed by a new lockdown in England, warned the boss of one of the country’s biggest airport groups.

Very low levels of travel in recent months have put airlines and airports under renewed financial strain after they were effectively shut during Britain’s first lockdown, and they now face another month without income during its second.

“An urgent package of support must materialise,” said Manchester Airport Group’s (MAG) chief executive Charlie Cornish in a statement on Monday.

He said the new lockdown for England, due to start on Thursday and which bans international leisure travel, will make parts of the aviation sector unsustainable.

Before the pandemic, Britain had a thriving aviation sector. Air transport and related supply chain activity plus tourist arrivals supported 1.6 million jobs and accounted for 4.5% of UK GDP according to an IATA study.

But more than 20,000 jobs have now been lost at UK airlines like British Airways ICAG.L and easyJet EZJ.L, and Heathrow, once the busiest airport in Europe, has lost its crown to Paris.

Industry executives blame the UK government’s 14-day quarantine rules, and the comparatively slow adoption of allowing testing to replace the need for isolation, for exacerbating the pain.

Industry bodies Airlines UK and the Airport Operators Association called on the government to bring in business rates relief for airports, waive the air passenger duty tax, and quickly bring in a testing regime to save jobs.

On top of job support schemes, Britain has provided extra help to train and bus operators and the hospitality sector during the crisis, but aviation has been ignored say bosses, despite promises made by the finance minister in March.

“Government has neglected UK aviation and the role it plays in our economy from day one of this pandemic,” said Cornish, whose MAG owns Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.

France and Germany have both provided state-backed rescue packages to help Air France-KLM AIRF.PA and Lufthansa LHAG.DE survive the crisis.

Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

BY  Sunday Aborisade, Abuja

The Airline Operators of Nigeria and the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, clashed at the Senate on Monday when the aircraft owners sought the inclusion of their members on the board of the National Civil Aviation Authority.

The minister and the AON representative, Chinasa Unaegburam, tacked each other at the opening of a three-day public hearing on six executive bills meant to reorganise and restructure the six agencies in the aviation sector for efficiency and growth.

Unaegburam had proposed an amendment to Section 5 of the NCAA Act to make provisions for AON members on its board.

She said, “They (AON) are people who are operating the airlines and they can give a perspective to policies.

The AON also sought an amendment to Clause 23 of the NCAA Act, seeking a reduction of the five per cent contract and service charge.

Unaegburam said, “On the cost of imposing five per cent contract sales and service charge; that five per cent has been in law since 2006. Our proposal is that consideration be given to lowering that percentage.

“We propose 1.5 per cent but it is subject to negotiation. The operators have to operate efficiently which is a very important issue for the operators.”

Trouble started when the minister interjected and told the gathering that the AON could not speak on the occasion because there was a litigation it was battling with in court.

Members of the AON at the forum disagreed and shouted that they were not in court.

The Vice Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Bala Ibn Nallah, however, doused the tension.

He urged the minister to make peace with all stakeholders in the sector in order to succeed in his endeavour.

Sirika, however, said members of the AON have been making things difficult for the sector as a result of their huge indebtedness.

The minister said, “We have concerns and they are very genuine.

“NCAA operates on cost recovery basis. They (AON) are owing us $6.9m and another N19.3bn.

“She (Unaegburam) is proposing that the percentage goes down and the money is not there.

“These are monies we get from tickets and they ought to be remitting this money so that we can train more inspectors and keep the industry safe.

“We are here so we get a very robust Civil Aviation Act.”

Members of the committee cautioned the minister and urged him to allow stakeholders to express their views.

By Patience Yakubu

A 35-year-old travel agent, Alao Ganiyu, on Monday appeared in a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kaduna for allegedly defrauding a traveller of  N1.7 million.

The police charged Ganiyu with three counts of criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Sunday Baba, told the court that the complainant, Lawal Salami reported the matter on Oct. 25, through a petition to the Deputy Commissioner of Police State Criminal and Investigation Department.

Baba alleged that sometime in 2019, the defendant promised to secure a visa to the Bahamas for the complainant .

The prosecutor alleged that after collecting the money, the defendant converted it to his personal use and then forged a visa and ticket for the complainant which was rejected at the airport.

Baba said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 297, 345 and 307 of the Kaduna State Panel Code Law 2017.

After the charge was read to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Aisha Danja, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000, with two sureties in like sum.

Danja also ordered that sureties must be reliable and must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court with fixed residential addresses.

The  magistrate adjourned the case until Nov. 25, for hearing. 

(NAN)

The protesting students are among the 94 students of the Batch 2018 of the Niger Delta Development Commission foreign scholarship programme.

By Cletus Ukpong

Some Nigerian students, who are yet to receive funding back home for their postgraduate scholarship in the United Kingdom, are currently protesting in front of the Nigerian High Commission, London.

The protesting students, about 34 of them, have blocked the three entrances to the embassy’s building, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.

They were yet to be addressed by the officials of the embassy as at the time of filing this report.

The protesting students are among the 94 students of the Batch 2018 of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) foreign scholarship programme who are yet to receive tuition and allowance for their upkeep from their sponsor – the NDDC.

Their scholarship has not been funded at all, for two years now, while other students in succeeding batches have received remittances from the NDDC.

This is the second time in about a month that the students are protesting at the Nigerian High Commission over the yet to be resolved issue.

The last time the students protested was in September where they displayed their scholarship award letter to prove that they were not “hirelings masquerading as the Commission’s scholars” as alleged by the NDDC management.

The NDDC management, which appeared to have had information that the students were planning a protest, issued a statement on Friday explaining the delay in the release of funds for the scholarship.

The commission appealed for understanding and patience from the students.

“Having concluded the verification exercise, which involved the registration of all scholars and the confirmation of their claims with the various universities, payment of the outstanding fees were to commence immediately.

“Unfortunately, some unforeseen circumstances, including the upheavals that followed the EndSARS protests by youths, constituted stumbling blocks for the speedy implementation of the payment plan,” said the statement which was signed by the NDDC spokesperson, Charles Odili.

Continuing, the NDDC said, “Before the protests, which slowed down activities, the NDDC Interim Management Committee, IMC, had released $5,910,000 million through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to offset all the verified outstanding foreign scholarship obligations, despite the non-passage of NDDC 2020 budget by the National Assembly.

“Obviously, the CBN was not immune to the sad realities bedeviling the nation in the past few weeks. However, the bank has promised to treat the case of the scholarship beneficiaries with utmost dispatch.

“We appeal for understanding and patience from the students. We urge them not to allow themselves to be used as tools by those sponsoring devious campaigns to discredit the IMC through protests at the Nigerian Embassy in London.

“We re-affirm our commitment to the Post Graduate scholarship Scheme, which is part of our efforts to develop professional manpower to help in the transformation of the Niger Delta region,” the commission said.

BY  Vicky McKeever

The U.K. goes back into lockdown this week — but in some cases, it still makes sense to plan for when restrictions go away. One British luxury train, in particular, certainly requires early booking.

This month, the Belmond British Pullman was named the best luxury train journey in the world by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2020 Readers Choice Awards.

The train comprises 11 carriages, each with its own name and history, restored to their art deco glory. They epitomize 1920s and 1930s glamor, harkening back to the “Golden Age” of train travel.

The history of the Belmond British Pullman

Originally, most of the carriages were part of different train services around Britain.

However, the oldest carriage, called “Ibis,” was first used in the Milan to Venice journey for the Simplon-Orient-Express in the late 1920s. It operated on the Deauville Express and was designed to entice wealthy Parisians to the Deauville Casino, in the wealthy French seaside resort town that still lies along the “Parisian Riviera.” 

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, commonly known as Kate Middleton, greets children aboard the Belmond British Pullman train. JONATHAN BRADY/AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, the “Phoenix” carriage was once used as a static restaurant in Lyon, France. Before that, it was the carriage of choice for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

The “Vera” cart was used by Prince Charles and Princess Anne for their first trip on an electric train in the 1950s.

Immortalized in books, film and television

The Belmond British Pullman train is sister to the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. One of the carriages from the original transcontinental service was once caught in a snowdrift outside Istanbul for 10 days, an incident which inspired Agatha Christie’s classic novel “Murder on the Orient Express.”

The Belmond British Pullman has its very own murder mystery lunch journey. In fact, two of its carriages — “Perseus” and “Cygnus” — appeared in the 1979 film “Agatha” starring Dustin Hoffman.

Riders toast aboard the vintage Belmond British Pullman train at Kent’s Ashford International station en route to London. Gareth Fuller - PA Images | PA Images | Getty Images

The murder mystery lunch is a popular journey, as is the trip to Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, better known as the titular setting for the popular TV show “Downton Abbey.”

Belmond released bookings for the trip to Highclere at the beginning of this year, and it sold out a year in advance. The next available journey is Sept. 29, 2021.

Other trips include train rides to the cities of Canterbury and Bath, known for their well-preserved, historical architecture.

The train normally departs from London Victoria station. 

The cost of traveling like a royal

Unsurprisingly, it’s expensive to travel like a royal for the day. Tickets start at around £250 ($323) and go up to more than £500 ($646). However, it’s an option for upgrading a staycation and offers an alternative to traveling by plane.

Prince Harry prepares to board the Belmond British Pullman train in London, England. Max Mumby/Indigo | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

To ensure safety, Belmond vice president of trains and cruises, Gary Franklin, said the service had reduced capacity and implemented social distancing on carriages.

“Each carriage has its own dedicated steward ensuring intimate service and allowing us to continue to offer our guests a truly exceptional experience,” he said.