The report that a team of experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations agency that regulates the global aviation industry, has arrived Nigeria to carry out security audits of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Punch reports that a team of experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations agency that regulates the global aviation industry, has arrived Nigeria to carry out security audits of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The audit will cover critical aviation security areas such as Inflight Security, Passenger and Baggage Security, Acts of Unlawful Interference, Facilitation, Legislation, Training, Quality Control Function, Operations, and Cargo, Mail and Catering.
It is tagged the 2024 ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme through Continuous Monitoring Approach for Lagos and Abuja airports.
The development was disclosed in a statement signed by Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, on Monday.
The USAP CMA audit, a nearly two weeks exercise, is expected end on March 22, 2024.
According to the statement, members of the four-man team are Callum Vine (team lead), James Mabala, Tebogo Mphela and Alagie Jeng.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, was quoted as expressing the importance of the audit in upholding the highest standards of security in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
The newspaper says that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has charged the panel members investigating the N30tn “Ways and Means” loans secured from the Godwin Emefiele-led Central Bank of Nigeria by the Federal Government not to leave any stone unturned, saying the panel must unravel everything about the facility.
The panel was also charged to probe the over N1tn Anchor Borrower Programme of the CBN under the immediate past administration.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja while inaugurating the 17-member Ad-hoc Committee probing the N30tn loan obtained during the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Akpabio charged the committee to spend six weeks in carrying out the exercise.
Abkpabio further admonished the lawmakers to shun personal and partisan interest, focus on the task at hand and approach their responsibilities with utmost balance, devotion and impartiality.
Recognising the sensitivity of the investigation at hand, Akpabio reminded them to constantly engage with relevant stakeholders and consultants to provide invaluable insights while maintaining open lines of communication with the executive and the public.
He, however, told the panel that no aspect of the report must be leaked to the public until the task was concluded.
The Vanguard newspaper reports that the Presidency has fingered some sub-regional forces for the escalating incidents of kidnapping of students and other security glitches in Nigeria.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, alleged that some sub-regional forces were “actively conspiring” against the stability of the country during an interview on TVC news late Sunday.
He, however, assured that the Federal Government is “responding” to the conspiracy of these sub-regional forces.
Recall that last Thursday, bandits abducted no fewer than 287 pupils/students from a primary and secondary school at Kuriga, a community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Days later, bandits also abducted some Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso in Gada LGA of Sokoto State. Tsangaya is a school that combines Islamic and Western education.
Speaking on the spate of kidnappings in the country, Ngelale said President Bola Tinubu is working hard to secure all parts of the country, noting that the US government had promised to provide assistance for the release of the abducted Kaduna school children.
The Presidency spoke as the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, urged President Tinubu to go after sponsors of terror.
Also, experts against financial crimes drawn from Anglophone member states of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA, yesterday, called for concerted efforts against terrorism financing and money laundering.
The newspaper says that the Nigerian Government, yesterday, issued a marching order, asking the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to withdraw licenses of non-performing electricity distribution companies, DISCOs.
This is even as power generation dropped year-on-year, YoY, by 21 per cent to 3,475MW in March 2024, from 4,404MW in the corresponding period of 2023, due to many problems, especially low investment and inadequate gas supply.
But, on month-on-month, MoM to 3,475 megawatts, MW in March 2024, from 4,043MW in February 2024, thus causing many Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, to embark on loading.
Data obtained by Vanguard from the National System Operator, a unit in the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, indicated that supply remains low, thus impacting negatively households and businesses nationwide.
The government accused the DisCos of not doing enough to improve supply despite the availability of power on the national grid.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu who stated this during a meeting with the head of the agencies in Abuja said the distribution segment remains the weakest link in the electricity supply value chain.
Adelabu stressed that NERC must look for creative ways of getting the DISCOs to improve supply including the imposition of stiff sanctions on utilities which fail to pick their allocations and outright cancellation of lincences.
He insisted that the franchise areas covered by the DISCOs were too large, adding the government would pursue a restructuring that would create smaller DISCOs with companies restricted to one state each.
“Distribution is our weakest point and it is the closest to the consumers. If we don’t get distribution right, to Nigerians, we’re not doing anything. So, efforts need to be put on this. In fact, we must intensify our efforts in ensuring that we address all issues relating to distribution,” he said.
GIK/APA