MAY 20, 2024

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has lamented that he confronts obstacles as an investor, because he needs different 35 visas on his Nigerian passport to travel within Africa.

The 67-year-old business mogul said he does not have the time to move around the continent to drop his passport at embassies to get visas, adding that it is a big challenge.Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, Dangote said his counterpart in France does not face the same problem.

Dangote said, “I still complained to President Kagame. I told him that as an investor, I have to now apply for 35 different visas on my passport.

“And I told Mr. President, I really don’t have the time to go and be dropping my passports in embassies to get a visa.

“But you see, the most annoying thing is that yes, if you are treating everybody the same, then I can understand.”

In his explanation, Dangote said the Chairman of Total Energies, Patrick Pouyanne, does not need 35 visas on his French passport to gain access to African countries.

“You don’t need 35 visas on your French passport. This means you have a freer movement than myself in Africa,” he said.

In his submission about businesses within Africa, Dangote said, “Our main job is to make sure the regional markets all work. Once they work, then we can now go to the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). But then, for AfCFTA also, we need to make sure that it works”.

“We cannot have a very promising continent and our intra-trade rate is less than 16 percent. Okay, so we Africans will have to do it. If we are waiting for foreigners to come and do it, both the development of Africa, it’s not going to happen,” he said.

“So it can only happen to us Africans. We must risk our sources and make sure that we lead, then we will have people who actually trust and believe in Africa like Patrick to come and help us to push to the next level.”

At the event, Dangote said Nigeria will stop importing fuel by June, as his refinery begins production of the product.

“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of litre,” he said.

Consequently, Dangote said the shortfall in the supply of petrol will be addressed not only in Nigeria but other West African countries.

“We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa. We have enough diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa,” he added.

MAY 21, 2024

There may be flight disruptions and cancellations as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will Tuesday commence the picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos.

The picketing is in a bid to make the carrier reinstate staff that were allegedly dismissed, forced to abandon duty or forced to resign, including those victimised for their union membership in 2020.

The NLC in a notice of picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos signed by Chris Ufot, its Acting General Secretary, stated that all affiliate unions in aviation are particularly charged to mobilise heavily for the picketing action without fail, adding that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council is to stand by in case there becomes a need to escalate the matter to Abuja airport.

According to the group, Turkish Airlines management had continued its determined bid to exterminate the union, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) from the airline.

It noted that in this latest onslaught, the management had dismissed seven out of eleven members of the union without benefits under trumped-up charges, using a disciplinary committee constituted outside the dictates of the prevailing condition of service as negotiated with NUATE.

More provoking according to the NLC is the plan to get rid of the remaining four members to pave the way for the engagement of new staff who would be compelled not to join the union or in the alternative procure a General Sales Agent (GSA).

By the above action of unjustified dismal of their workers, the management of Turkish Airlines was said to have allegedly put to waste ten, fourteen years of service. “And fate has befallen these hapless workers purely on account of exercising their constitutional right to belong to a trade union. Congress will not tolerate this situation.

“Therefore, the Lagos State Council of NLC is hereby directed to commence picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos with effect from May 21, 2024, until all staff of Turkish Airlines who have been sacked, dismissed, forced to abandon duty, or forced to resign under duress, including those victimized for their union membership in 2020, have been fully restored to their jobs without any losses of any kind,” the statement by the labour union read.

MAY 21, 2024

BY Siddharth Philip and Katrina Nicholas, Bloomberg News

    

, Photographer: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Singapore Airlines Ltd. said one person was killed and several others injured after a flight from the UK to Singapore encountered severe turbulence in the skies over Asia and was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand.

“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” the carrier said in a statement. “We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.”

The widebody aircraft with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board was traveling from London Heathrow and diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after encountering the turbulence. Unverified photos posted on social media showed food and other loose items strewn across the cabin floor. 

Airports of Thailand said in a separate statement that medics were dispatched to the scene to assist passengers, and that those with minor or no injuries are awaiting transfer to the original destination. Singapore Airlines said 18 individuals have been hospitalised, and another 12 are being treated in local hospitals.

Fatalities are extremely rare in incidents of turbulence, particularly during travel at cruising altitude that’s considered the most stable part of the journey. Carriers routinely caution passengers to keep their seat belts fastened even when they have been switched off as unforeseen turbulence may still occur. 

Wake Vortex

About 240 events of severe turbulence were reported to European planemaker Airbus SE between 2014 and 2018, with injuries to passengers and crew occurring on 30% of long-haul flights where such events were reported, and 12% of short-haul flights, according to a briefing document on the phenomenon.

Turbulence describes an event when an airplane hits a strong wind current that can push or pull. The phenomenon can be caused by pockets of hot air rising, or weather systems such as cumulonimbus clouds. At higher altitudes, aircraft might encounter clear air turbulence caused by the differences in speed of air masses. 

Smaller planes can also encounter turbulence from larger planes that shake up the air with their engines. Since 1969, multi-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 747 or Airbus A380 have been given a wide berth from other large planes because of what’s called wake vortex, requiring to stay several miles apart as they arrive or depart.

Read More: Why Climate Change Could Make Your Next Flight a Bumpier One

In cases where turbulence cannot be avoided, Airbus recommends pilots fasten their shoulder harnesses and secure loose objects in the cockpit, leave autopilot systems on and possibly descend to a lower altitude. 

Weather Conditions

Singapore Airlines hasn’t yet provided details of the accident. The airline has a robust safety record, consistently ranking among the world’s safest. The last fatal accident involving the carrier occurred in 2000, when one of the airline’s Boeing 747 crashed while attempting to take off in the middle of a typhoon, killing 83 people.

The aircraft involved in Tuesday’s incident took off from London at 10:38 pm local time the previous day, according to FlightRadar24. The plane operating flight SQ321 was 16 years old, and is one of Singapore Air’s 23 777-300ERs. Boeing Co. didn’t immediately have a comment on the incident.

In 2001, Singapore Air said four passengers and three cabin crew were hurt when a flight from Kolkata to Singapore experienced unexpected turbulence. Emirates, the Dubai-based carrier said in early 2010 that 20 passengers on a flight from Dubai to Kochi in India suffered “minor injuries” when the aircraft “encountered a short period of heavy turbulence prior to descent.”

A study by Reading University published in 2023 said that clear-air turbulence, which is invisible, had increased with climate change. While the US and North Atlantic had seen the biggest increase, routes over Europe, the Middle East and South Atlantic had also seen significant rises in turbulence.

--With assistance from Patpicha Tanakasempipat.

(Updates with details on turbulence)

MAY 21, 2024

ABUJA, May 16 (Reuters) – Dubai’s Emirates airline will resume flight schedules to Nigeria from Oct. 1, it said on Thursday, ending a close to two-year halt to flights.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) stopped issuing visas to Nigerians in 2022 after Emirates suspended flights between the nations because of an inability to repatriate funds from Nigeria.

“We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back on board,” Adnan Kazim, the airline’s deputy president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement.

The Lagos-Dubai service has been popular with Nigerian customers in the past and Emirates said it hopes to reconnect travellers to Dubai and onwards to more than 140 destination with its resumption of services.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met last September in Abu Dhabi and discussed the lifting of the visa ban and new investments into Africa’s most populous country.

The resumption of schedules also includes cargo flights, the statement said.

(Reporting by Ope Adetayo; Additonal reporting by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Jason Neely and David Goodman)

MAY 21, 2024

Y Eamon Akil Farhat, Bloomberg News

, Copernicus Climate Change Service

(Bloomberg) -- Europe is bracing for its first hot spell of the summer, with Germany and the Nordics set for unusually high temperatures next week.

In Berlin, the maximum temperature is set to soar to 28C (82F) on May 30, according to Weather Services International. That means the German capital will see demand for cooling offices and homes well before air conditioners are usually turned on.

Sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic have soared to their highest in at least 40 years, suggesting the coming summer will be hotter than usual. March was the Earth’s 10th consecutive month of record-breaking heat, with populations across much of the northern and southern hemispheres experiencing temperatures overshooting climate targets. 

On the Greek island of Crete, the mercury climbed to 38.6C over the weekend, according to Meteo Gr. Temperatures are forecast to remain above the norm in the coming days.

The heat will boost power demand for cooling and could lead to price spikes in countries, such as Italy and Spain, that rely on air conditioning. In southern Spain, Seville is forecast to experience highs of 35C on May 27, while the capital Madrid will exceed 30C for the first time this year. 

Nordic capitals are also set for much hotter weather than usual. In Oslo, the mean temperature is forecast to rise as high as 19C on May 24, 8 degrees above the 30-year norm. Helsinki is expected to be 7 degrees above the norm that day, while Stockholm is forecast to exceed the norm by 6 degrees on May 31.

Global warming is not only increasing the intensity of heat waves — with 2023 the hottest year on record — but also hurricanes and typhoons as warmer water and moister air provide additional fuel for storms. The past 12 months have been 1.58C above pre-industrial temperatures, exceeding the 1.5C limit that policymakers and scientists warn could threaten life on the planet.

MAY 23, 2024

Nigerian students at Teesside University ordered to leave UK after currency crash

University informs Home Office and withdraws sponsorship from those struggling with fees after drop in value of naira

Nigerian students at a UK university say they are devastated after some were thrown off their course and ordered to leave the UK when they got behind on their fees because of a currency crash.

Teesside University withdrew students who missed their fee instalments and informed the Home Office, after some students’ savings were wiped out when the value of Nigeria’s naira crashed.

The students, some who say they have been contacted by debt collection agencies, protested outside the campus on Tuesday, accusing the university of being “heartless”.

The university said it had “no choice” as failure to pay was a breach of visa sponsorship rules. It said it had made every effort to help the affected students, including with bespoke payment plans.

The BBC said a group of 60 students asked the university for help after they defaulted on their fees when their savings were wiped out.

Adenike Ibrahim told the BBC she was close to handing in her dissertation when she was kicked off her course because she was unable to make a payment.

Despite having now paid her fees in full, she will have to leave the UK with her young son and cannot re-enrol.

“I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees and I went to all of my classes,” she told the broadcaster. “I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.”

Nigeria is facing a severe economic crisis after the value of its currency dropped sharply amid reforms introduced by the president, Bola Tinubu, who came into office a year ago, aimed at balancing its economy. It is experiencing nearly 30% inflation, with the price of some key goods, such as rice, more than doubling in less than a year.

Many Nigerians are sharing pictures and videos online showing them reducing portion sizes and eating food that would normally be fed to livestock, in order to get by.

A university spokesperson said: “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its obligations regarding visa issuance and compliance. These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and is outside of the university’s control.”

The Home Office said a decision to offer or withdraw visa sponsorship rested with the sponsoring institution. It said when a visa was shortened or cancelled, individuals should “take steps to regularise their stay or make arrangements to leave the UK”.

In a letter, the Home Office told the students they did not have a right to appeal.

MAY 23, 2024

BY  Irina Anghel and Lucy White, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Net migration to the UK fell last year but remained at historically high levels, underlining the challenge facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as tries to show he is cracking down on overseas arrivals ahead of the July 4 general election.

An estimated 685,000 more people moved to the UK than left the country, according to the Office for National Statistics. That’s down from a record 764,000 in 2022, a figure that was revised up by 19,000.

Polls show immigration is one of the top issues looming over the election, and Sunak has made reducing the figures a core promise to voters. Net migration is still far higher than levels before the pandemic. The Tories had promised to get migration down to the “tens of thousands” but abandoned the pledge in 2019 when it became clear it was not deliverable.

Under Sunak, the debate has widened from stopping boats carrying asylum seekers to limiting legal migration even as businesses warned of worsening labor shortages. Sunak faces pressure from the right wing of his party, as well as from Reform UK, which backs a net zero migration stance luring Brexit supporters.

The Labour Party, leading the ruling Conservatives by 20 points in opinion polls, is likely the one that will have to deal with the issue in six weeks time. Leader Keir Starmer has promised to implement a new post of border security commander to tackle Channel crossings.

“Net migration remained exceptionally high in 2023 but is set to fall, possibly quite sharply, in the year ahead,” said Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities. “The reality is there are some tough choices on immigration which will need to be grappled with, whoever wins the upcoming election. Crude cuts could exacerbate staff shortages in health and care and imperil university finances.”

The debate over migration has pitted politicians against businesses and universities that rely on foreign workers and students. Many of the visas being granted are also for workers in public services such as health and social care, where staff shortages are acute.

The government has promised to tackle the issue by getting more British workers into work currently done by migrants. 

A promise to cut net migration to the “tens of thousands” was made by then-prime minister, David Cameron, in 2010 and maintained by the Tories for almost a decade — despite the fact the the figures remained well above that level throughout. Only in 2019, when Boris Johnson became Tory leader, did the party ditch the pledge. His successors, Liz Truss and now Sunak, have spoken of immigration being far too high but have shied away from putting a figure on what they think it should be. 

Since Brexit, most migrants arriving in the UK have come through humanitarian routes, such as those put in place for Ukranians, work visas, mainly for those with health and care jobs, and as students.

Net migration in the year to December was driven by the arrival of over a million non-European Union nationals, far outnumbering the 233,000 who left the country. In contrast, British and EU nationals brought down net migration down as more than 100,000 left on balance. 

Economists have warned that clamping down on migration risks depriving the UK of potential growth unless productivity dramatically improves. The recent increase in migration has boosted economic output and driven up tax revenues, helping Chancellor Jeremy Hunt deliver tax cuts. 

“The government may well have succeeded in putting immigration firmly on a downward path,” Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics at King’s College London, wrote in a blog post. “The price, however, is likely to be high, and paid both by taxpayers and those who use public services – that is, all of us.”

Getting immigration down will be a challenge. The office for National Statistics projects the number of people in the UK will grow by 6.6 million by 2036 – almost all from immigration. The growing population piles pressure on the government to ensure public services can meet the extra demand and there is sufficient housing.

Many Brexit voters hoped leaving the European Union would reduce net migration as freedom-of-movement rules ended. Instead the number of people arriving in the UK has accelerated due to labor shortages. Non-EU immigration for work-related reasons climbed by almost 150,000 to 423,000 in 2023, replacing study as the main reason for long-term migration. Almost half of those people came from India or Nigeria, most commonly in the health and care sector.

For the first time, those arriving as dependants from non-EU countries outnumbered main applicants on work visas. There were 14,000 more dependants than main applicants, at 219,000.

Sunak has made plans to bring down that number by banning most students and care workers from bringing relatives to the UK. He’s also raised the salary threshold required for skilled foreign workers to get a visa to £38,700 ($49,248) a year, although care workers are exempt from that.

Read more: New UK Migration Rules Risk Exploiting Care Workers, Panel Says

The new rules are already having an impact on UK businesses and universities. Earlier this month, CEOs including from Anglo American and Siemens wrote a letter to Sunak saying they were “deeply concerned” about shrinking international student numbers driven by government policy, and the impact this will have on the UK’s “skills base, future workforce, and international influence.”

Student main applications were down 15%, while dependant visa applications declined 80% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to Home Office data. Deposits paid by international students as part of their visa application for the September 2024 intake were down 57%, compared to the previous intake, separate figures from Enroly showed.

ONS migration numbers also indicated that non-EU nationals who came to the UK on study visas were increasingly leaving the country after they arrived in large numbers in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

The government is mulling whether to scrap the graduate visa programme, which enables overseas student to live and work in the UK for a maximum of two years after graduation, as it faces pressure from many Tories to act.

The Migration Advisory Committee warned the government against ditching the graduate visa route, saying it found “no evidence” the scheme was abused as a backdoor entry.

MAY 23, 2024

The two-year period students can stay in the UK after finishing their degrees will remain in place after Lord Cameron and Jeremy Hunt made arguments to the prime minister.

BY  Jennifer Scott

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has bowed to pressure from some of his senior cabinet colleagues over proposed changes to the graduate visa scheme.

Reports had suggested he planned on either shortening or scrapping the two-year period students could stay in the country after completing their studies, as he faced increasing pressure from the right of his party to lower record-high legal migration.

However, Sky News understands the period will remain in place after appeals from Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Home Secretary James Cleverly, who are all said to have raised concerns on the impact on universities and the economy if the rules were changed.

There will be some additional measures announced by the government this week to coincide with the latest net migration figures being published, Sky News also understands.

They will include the tightening of restrictions on agents that market British degree courses overseas and subjecting some international students to mandatory English tests.

But Mr Sunak is still likely to face a backlash from former home secretary Suella Braverman, who today called for the whole graduate visa route to be scrapped, and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who has called it "a backdoor for foreign students to do low-wage work".

A government source told Sky News the decision was "a sign of good government", showing each secretary of state had reviewed the impact of policy plans and communicated them to the leader.

The home secretary ordered an emergency review of the graduate visa route in March to look at whether it was being abused and "driven more by a desire for immigration".

However, in its report released last week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) said it should remain in place as it was key to funding British universities and was "not undermining the quality and integrity" of higher education.

The government has announced a raft of new measures to try to curb legal migration since November, when the Office for National Statistics revealed net migration had hit 745,000 in 2022, including stopping students from bringing their dependents and increasing the salary someone has to earn to qualify for a visa.

MAY 26, 2024

BY  Olasunkanmi Akinlotan

An agency of the Federal Government, responsible for regulating aviation affairs, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, has said it will not hesitate to invoke relevant sections of the regulatory body against Turkish Airlines over the airline’s maltreatment of Nigerian passengers.

The regulatory body said this on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen in Lagos.

Over 300 travellers were stranded at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, following the airline’s failure to airlift them to Istanbul.

Aviation unions on Tuesday shut the airlines over allegations that its management sacked seven and was still planning on sacking more.

My boss colluded with external parties to rob our workplace, but i went to prison for it – Ex-inmate

The situation prevented the airline from operating.

The spokesperson for NCAA, Michael Achimugu, confirmed that hundreds of passengers were stranded as a result of the face-off involving the Turkish Airlines and aviation unions.

Following this impasse, the management of the airlines announced the cancellation of flights out of and into Nigeria through their airlines till Thursday.

Achimugu added that the NCAA is currently mediating in the feud between the European carrier and labour unions.

Achimugu, however, added that the airline would not be spared if found wanting for a violation of the human rights of Nigerian passengers.

Achimugu further said though the carrier claimed to have communicated with passengers through electronic mail on the ongoing hitch concerning its operations into and out of the country, some passengers still turned up at the Lagos Airport.

He said, “The NCAA is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the inability of Turkish Airlines to operate flights out of Lagos Airport, due to the picketing of its operations by aviation unions; we will ensure that the rights of Nigerian passengers are not violated.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the NCAA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and relevant agencies that the rights of Nigerian passengers are protected.

“Currently, the NCAA is engaging officials of Turkish Airlines, but we have observed some degree of the insolence of the Country Manager, who engaged our Director General, Captain Chris Najomo in a shouting match, he was even banging the table. This behaviour to the NCAA is unacceptable. At the end of our findings, if the airline is found culpable, we will invoke the relevant parts of our regulation Part 17 to meet out the right punishment.”

According to the unions, Turkish Airlines management had continued its determined bid to exterminate the union, the National Union of Air Transport Employees from the airline.

Achimugu assured the troubled passengers that NCAA would explore all avenues to resolve the issues.

MAY 26, 2024

By Abdullateef Aliyu

Turkish Airlines has explained why it sacked Nigerian staff in response to the ongoing picketing of the airline.

Days after the picketing by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the airline broke silence on Thursday, accusing the staff of engaging in ticket racketeering to the tune of $600,000 in 2023, thereby causing it serious financial losses within the period.

Daily Trust reports that the picketing of the operations of Turkish Airlines disrupted its operations with over 300 passengers of the airline stranded at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA).

The organised labour, had vowed to disrupt the operations of the airline for three days, starting from Tuesday, describing the sack of the staff as unjustified.

The airline in a statement by its Media Relations Department stated that the sacked workers, after going through disciplinary process, were found wanting of corrupt practices against the airline.

It stated that the leadership of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) may be taking sides with the sacked workers unjustly.

The airline regretted that despite the involvement of the union in the disciplinary committee, which indicted the seven workers and led to the advice to resign from its establishment, the unions refused to sign off on disciplinary action to the erring members of staff.

The airline explained that NUATE was invited and acted as a member of the disciplinary committee against the erring employees, where it was established, after the presentation of evidence detailing the employees’ wrongdoings, that they were liable for gross misconduct and ought to be dismissed.

Learn more

The statement hinted that after the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings, the airline gave the employees the option to resign voluntarily in which three out of the seven indicted staff complied with.

It however, said that four out of the seven staff who were indicted and had initially showed interest in resigning from the employment of the airline, later declined to do so.

According to the airline, the union despite the clear and evidence of wrongdoing against it by the sacked staff, still threatened to paralyse its operations in Nigeria by way of industrial action if the former employees were not reinstated.

The airline added: “Premised on the threat of industrial action issued by NUATE by notices dated February 28, 2024 and March 25, 2024, the airline instituted proceedings in Suit No.: NICN/LA/24/2024   Turkish Airlines Incorporated v The Registered Trustees of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), seeking to determine the legality of the union’s (threatened) actions, among other things.

“After the institution of this suit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) and after service had been effected on the union on February 9, 2024 and while motions for injunction were pending before the court, NUATE proceeded to execute their threats to picket.”

According to the airline, on March 26, 2024, NUATE members for two hours, barricaded its check-in stations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), thereby preventing its passengers from boarding to their various destinations.

The airline explained that it took the intervention of the airport authorities to prevent NUATE from causing a complete breakdown of law and order at the airport on the said day.

Besides, the airline emphasised that the action of the union prompted NICN to once again issue formal notices of injunction restraining NUATE and its affiliates from conducting any industrial action in such a way as to disrupt its business on April 30, 2024.

Turkish Airlines reiterated that since it commenced flight services to Lagos in 2006, it had continued to put the interest of its passengers and employees first.

It insisted that it had always encouraged its employees to participate in any union of their choice, while also seeking harmonious working relationship with all governmental and non-governmental bodies in the country.

Turkish Airlines however declared that it had no tolerance for illegal and wrongful actions and emphasised that it would take similar action against such practices in the future no matter who was involved.