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T H I S D AY ˾ NOVEMBER 1, 2019
BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT
A S
A T
REPO 6% 6.86 %
CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH
7% 9.75 % 10.25 %
O C T O B E R S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE
Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875
2 5 , 2 0 1 9
418.83 % 0.04 % 1.58 %
S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 1.58 % YEAR TO DATE 17.33 %
EXCHANGE RATE N306.95/1US DOLLAR* ̩
Quick Takes Oba of Benin, Ooni of Ife Bag Travel Award
The organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Mr Ikechi Uko, has honouredtheObaofBenin,OmoN’ObaN’EdoUkuAkpolokpolo,Ewuare II with the AfricaTravel 100 Global Personalities Award in recognition ofhisculturalandhistoricalupstanding. Theawardwaspresentedtohimathispalaceduringthejustconcluded NationalFestivalofArtsandCulture(NAFEST)inBeninCity,EdoState. ObaEwuareIIwhoisthecustodianofallBeninHeritage,theBeninMoat and Igue Festival becomes the third monarch to win the award after theOoniofIfeObaAdeyeyeEnitanOgunwusiandtheObaofBadagry. ThepresentationwasdonewiththesupportoftheDirectorGeneralof NationalCouncilforArtandCulture(NCAC),OtunbaSegunRunsewe. TheAfricaTravel100AwardsispartoftheAnnualAfricaTravelAwardsthat isnowinher18thyear. Ithasrecognisedovertheyearsleaders,industry practitioners,andthegovernmentofficialswhohavepromotedtourism andimprovedtravelusinguniqueplatformsandnewinformationinAfrica. In2017ithostedtheTop100TravelawardsforWomeninTourismandin 2018theTop100AfricanTourOperators.Theawardswerepresented towinnersatthe15thAkwaabaAfricanTravelMarketthatwasheldat EkoHotelandSuitesinLagosonthe23rdofSeptember. Other notable winners of the award were formerTourism Minister of Seychelles,AlainSt.Ange,ChiefMikeAmachree,OscarIbru,Mayorof AddisAbabaandJamaicanTourismMinister,EdmundBarlett.
Emirates Introduces New Delicacies
RUBBING MINDS
L-R: Manager Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe; First Lady, Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun; Founder/President, Well Being Africa/International Steering Committee, ICPD25, Mrs. Toyin Saraki and Chief, Strategic Partnership, United Nations Population Fund, Mariarosa Cutillo, during a roundtable on the United Nations Population Fund International Conference on Population and Development held in Lagos…recently
Ogbeigun: Nigeria Has Done Enough to Merit IMO Council Seat Eromosele Abiodun The immediate past president of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) and Managing Director/CEO of Starzs Marine and Engineering Limited, Greg Ogbeifun, believes Nigeria has done enough in the last two years to clinch the coveted Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council seat. Nigeria had contested and previously lost the same election twice – in 2011, and 2018, and is currently preparing to go to the stage again this month, when the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), will be having its council meeting. Category C comprises coun-
MARITIME tries that have special interest in maritime transportation or navigation, and whose election to the IMO Council would ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world. In a bid to brighten the country’s chances the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA), in Lagos, inaugurated the implementation monitoring committee for the Nigerian ship register The election to Category “C” of the Council of IMO for the period 2020-2021, would be held
during the 31stRegular Session of the IMO Assembly, from 25th November to 5th December 2019 in London, United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the quest by Nigeria to clinch the IMO Council seat got a boost recently when world known classification society; including Lloyd’s Register, DNV GL, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), accepted to join the Nigeria ship registry implementation committee. Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, Ogbeifun said what the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other
government agencies have put in place in the past two years were enough to get Nigeria the seat. According to him, “As far as I am concerned, Nigeria has done enough to merit more than category C. If you were at the World Maritime Day held in Lagos recently, you can tell from the measure riled out by various agencies at the event especially the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside. That culminated in the Global Maritime Security Conference held in Abuja recently. The IMO was there alongside other major Continued on page 22
Workers Seek Relocation of NCAA Headquarters to Lagos Chinedu Eze Workers of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have called on the federal government to review a current administrative system which designates Lagos as its operational office, while Abuja is the corporate office, noting that it slows down critical decision making. The workers said unless urgent action was taken by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika to address the situation, it may lead to safety breach, saying currently decisions that should be taken in one hour, now takes about three days. A senior NCAA official told THISDAY on Wednesday that airlines could wait for three days before they could receive
AVIATION approval for their aircraft to be inspected because the Director General who is in Abuja would have to approve the request before the mail would be brought to Lagos where directive would be implemented. He said if the situation continues, where airlines would wait for such a long time before they put their aircraft into the air, some of them might begin to breach safety standards, which might lead to accident. “There is a looming crisis in the way NCAA is being run currently. Lagos is now the operational headquarters while Abuja is the corporate headquarters.
“Every day, we have a courier services that takes documents to Abuja from Lagos where they are signed and returned in the evening to Lagos. The courier service is once a day. This is sluggish because an approval that should take one hour takes days before it is endorsed and returned to Lagos. “The idea of relocating to Abuja is not working because it cannot be sustained. This hampers quick decision making on critical issues. This system, I recall, was started in 2008 by the former Director General, Dr Harold Demuren, but he could not sustain it so he returned to Lagos. “All we do is about safety and safety is a critical issue, which should be dealt with
in a timely manner. Every day you take documents to Abuja and Director General will start working on them and it can take days. “If we don’t take time, this may give rise to major safety breach. Airlines may begin to find ways to short cut these delays. It portends safety breach,” the NCAA official who pleaded to remain anonymous said. However, THISDAY spoke to the General Manager, Public Affairs of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, who allayed fears of safety breach, saying that the system started since 2008 and it has been a process that has not hindered the workings of the agency in any way. Continued on page 22
In celebration of Diwali, Emirates said it will be offering customers a varietyofspecialtreatsthataresynonymouswiththefestivaloflights. DuringtheDiwalifestiveperiodthatheldbetween25thto31stOctober, the airline served a colourful and aromatic array of traditional sweets on all flights to and from India, and savoury meals in selected airport loungesworldwide. EconomyClasscustomerswereservedMotichoorLaddu,atraditional dessertmadefromboondis(verysmallflourballs)whicharedeep-fried ingheeandthensimmeredincardamomandsaffron-flavouredsugar syrup.Theyarelatershapedintosumptuousladdusandthengarnished withsilverleafandpistachio.PassengerstravellingonFirstandBusiness ClasswillbeabletoenjoytheMotichoorLaddualongwithDryFruitTribhuj, afestivespecialofgroundcashewandpistachiofudgefilledwithdried fruitandtoppedwithsilverleaf. In Emirates airport lounges in Dubai, Delhi, CapeTown, Johannesburg andKualaLumpur,Emiratessaiditwouldofferfrequentflyersaswell as First and Business Class passengers special dishes that include traditionalsweetsandsavouryoptionson27October. AttheEmiratesloungeatDelhiInternationalAirport,customerscouldlook forwardtoanassortmentofIndiancashewsweets,alongwithMotichoor Rabri–atraditionalIndiandessertmadeofflourroastedtoconsistency ingheeandmilk,layeredwithcardamom-flavouredsweetcondensed milkandtoppedwithpistachionuts. Meanwhile,theEmiratesloungeatDubaiInternationalAirportserved MiniDalKachoriandMiniPunjabiSamosa,whicharesnacksmadefrom crispy deep-fried breads with spicy stuffing. For dessert, the lounge will serve Angoori Rabdi, a sweet and succulent milky pudding, paired withMotichoorLaddu.
IndiGo Places Order for Family Aircraft
India’sIndiGohasplacedafirmorderfor300A320neofamilyaircraft. ThismarksoneofAirbus’largestaircraftorderseverwithasingleairline operator.ThelatestIndiGoordercomprisesamixofA320neo,A321neo andA321XLRaircraft.ThiswilltakeIndiGo’stotalnumberofA320neo Familyaircraftordersto730. “This order is an important milestone, as it reiterates our mission of strengtheningairconnectivityinIndia,whichwillinturnboosteconomic growthandmobility.Indiaisexpectedtocontinuewithitsstrongaviation growthandwearewellonourwaytobuildtheworld’sbestairtransportation system,toservemorecustomersanddeliveronourpromiseofproviding lowfaresandacourteous,hasslefreeexperiencetothem,”saidRonojoy Dutta,ChiefExecutiveOfficerofIndiGo. “WearedelightedthatIndiGo,oneofourearlylaunchcustomersforthe A320neo, continues to build its future with Airbus, making Indigo the world’sbiggestcustomerfortheA320neoFamily,”saidGuillaumeFaury, AirbusChiefExecutiveOfficer.“Wearegratefulforthisstrongvoteof confidenceasthisorderconfirmstheA320neoFamilyastheaircraft ofchoiceinthemostdynamicaviationgrowthmarkets.”Headded:“We arepleasedtoseeouraircraftallowingIndiGototakefulladvantageof thepredictedgrowthinIndianairtravel.
“Unbundling of FAAN may lead to a more efficient and progressive airport development, creation of enabling environment that will attract private sector investments in tourism development in Nigeria” Chairman, House Committee on Aviation,
Nnaji Nnolim