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Aviation Workers Raise Alarm Over Imminent Extinction of Sector
Aviation workers have called for the federal government to come to the rescue to prevent the total extinction of the sector, which they described as worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking behalf of the aviation workers, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress, declared that many of the airlines were already on life support prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Lagos-based Nigerian Tribune reported. The union stressed that many of the logistics and other allied companies — such as in-flight catering, flight support services, fuel supplies, etc. — were equally at the verge of winding up.
Ocheme Aba, secretary-general of NUATE, while lamenting the precarious situation in which the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had found itself, cited how the authority had been grappling with the heavy burden of maintaining 23 airports across Nigeria, though only two are viable — a responsibility he said was impossible to shirk due to the socioeconomic importance of maintaining all the airports.
According to Aba, under these circumstances, the pandemic-imposed shutdown cannot but be seen as a killer punch against aviation, to the extent that aviation in Nigeria runs a very high risk of total collapse without urgent and substantial intervention, or bailout, from the federal government.
While admitting that the situation currently faced by aviation was global, which he noted only heightened in Nigeria by historic factors, Aba added: “Based on empirical findings which support the crisis facing aviation organizations, various global institutions such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association, and even the International Labour Organization have all called on governments of all countries to render significant support to their aviation companies to cushion the losses in revenue occasioned by the pandemic.”
“The United States of America, several European countries, including the United Kingdom, have already announced generous bailout packages for their aviation companies in response to the emergency,” Aba said. “These responses signpost the fact that there will be dire consequences should lethargy and indecision hold Nigeria back from towing this global trend.”
The unionist said it was for the purpose of mitigating the imminent disaster that NUATE made an appeal to elicit Congress’ strong support and positive and urgent actions to prevail on federal government to hasten its steps towards releasing a bailout package for the aviation sector in Nigeria.
However, he advised that the federal government should apply methodology that would ensure the mistake of the past is not repeated where airlines could not account for previous aviation intervention that ran into several billions of naira: “It must not be business as usual.”
He noted that there had been two previous such financial interventions in the aviation sector in recent memory, both of which left much to be desired. In those instances, airlines like Arik Air and the now-defunct Kabo Air and Air Nigeria collected billions of naira supposedly for capital injection into their businesses, but the funds were misappropriated.
“The promoters of these airlines then ran away with bloated personal bank accounts and they are walking free until today,” he said. “This was possible because the airlines were individually-owned enterprises without any discernible corporate governance structures. Unfortunately, this particular situation of the airlines, in terms of their ownership and governance structures, remains largely unchanged today. Therefore, if the same methodology as before were to be used, then we fear that the same undesirable result will accrue. This will be most unhelpful.” WI
caribbean now
View Sports Photos by John De Freitas at:
Oliver Joseph, Grenada’s cabinet minister with ministerial responsibility for CARICOM, said that the plan is for CARICOM-member states to open external borders for regional travel only and not international air traffic for the first phase of reopening borders, which is tentatively set to be enforced in June.
“What we are discussing is to first allow regional travel — that is, travel within the islands such as travel between Grenada and Trinidad or between Trinidad and Barbados,” said Joseph, who recently chaired the 50th meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development, according to a report in Now Grenada. “We are not looking at having international carriers come to the island yet.”
During the virtual meeting, the council approved a strategy for the reopening of economies in the Caribbean community. The council is made up of trade ministers and officials agreed to a framework centered on the development and adherence to defined metrics related to the COVID-19 virus, which will guide in the reopening process.
Grenada’s borders as well as many regional ports of entry and exit were closed in March as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Like Grenada, the contagion was introduced to the country by infected travelers from the United Kingdom and the United States in mid-March. Grenada’s index case was a 50-year-old woman who traveled from the United Kingdom. WI
LIFESTYLE
Winner of First Round of the SLAM COVID-19 Competitions Chosen Still Time to Enter Second and Third Rounds; Up to $3000 in Prize Monies Offered
The Black Coalition Against COVID-19 kicked off its series of virtual poetry slam competitions Monday evening with its elementary school slam.
Simulcast on WPFW 89.3 FM and WeACT Radio, the slam, hosted by Kenneth Carroll III and DJ Lance, produced competitors that spoke to their youthful reflections on the impact of the pandemic on their lives.
The poems were as diverse as the
SLAM Page 31
5 Christian Alvarado (Courtesy photo)
CityDance Phenom Corbin Holloway Shines on ‘Little Big Shots’ Rockland Youth Receives Unexpected Encouragement from Misty Copeland
By D. Kevin McNeir, WI Editor @dkevinmcneir
CityDance Conservatory’s Corbin Holloway (13) from Rockville, took center stage on NBC’s “Little Big Shots” on Sunday, May 17. And for his dance prowess and persistence, the talented teen received the surprise of a lifetime – a visit from prima ballerina Misty Copeland who watched Corbin perform and then shared words of encouragement. Copeland also gave the youth several gifts including a signed pair of her pointe shoes and a check for $10,000 courtesy of Copeland and Little Big Shots.
The show, hosted by two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Melissa McCarthy, showcases the talents and
3 Corbin Holloway (Photo courtesy VAM Production Photography)
stories of youth from around the world.
Corbin, who first began dance training at the prestigious Rockville-based CityDance School & Conservatory at seven years old, continues to astound both his instructors and industry professionals for his talent, abilities and achievements which far exceed many within his age group.
In next week’s edition, we will share more about Corbin including how he and other youth continue to adjust their training regiments in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll also hear from Lorraine Spiegler, founding artistic director of the CityDance School & Conservatory and one of Corbin’s teachers and mentors, who accompanied Corbin to the filming of “Little Big Shots” in Los Angeles in January.
Congratulations Corbin! WI
LIFESTYLE Moments of Resilience: ACM Collecting and Sharing the Stories of COVID-19
By Melanie Adams, PhD, Director, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum
Like many of you reading this column, I am experiencing a new normal that prevents me from engaging in the everyday activities that, until recently, I took for granted. No longer can we come together to celebrate, commemorate, or mourn the many milestones that measure one’s life. Instead, we are confined to spaces that were never meant to contain our entire lives for a day, let alone weeks on end. And while I can sit at home and lament my lack of mobility during this time, it goes without saying that there are many people in our community who are going to work every day making sure the rest of us remain safe, healthy, and fed.
As the world grapples with the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, the word community is more important than ever. As individuals are thrust into situations they never thought possible, they are finding support from the communities they belong to. These communities understand that in order to get through the tough times, we must work together. Your community could be your family, your friends, your religious institution, your school, or your local barbershop/ hair salon.
The Anacostia Community Museum’s mission is to amplify the collective power of the community. Currently, that collective power is the ability to care for and comfort each other in
5 Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum is located at 1901 Fort Place SE - Washington, DC 20020
this time of need. We at ACM want to hear the stories of how community members are supporting each other on a day to day basis. It could be the story of the young man who volunteered to shop for his elderly neighbor. Or the teacher who created a virtual story time out of her kitchen. Or the small restaurant owner who went from feeding the public to feeding the suddenly unemployed. These actions, large and small, demonstrate moments of resilience and our shared capacity to make a difference.
We are asking you to share these stories of resilience on our website, anacostia.si.edu. Some of the stories will be shared on our social media channels while others may become part of the museum’s collection.
Throughout its 53-year history, the Anacostia Community Museum has focused on telling the stories of the individuals and events of the DC region that are usually left out of the history books. The stories of conflict, resilience, and most importantly community action that led to a better future for all. ACM is a proud member of the Ward 8 community and we are honored to tell the stories of the DC region.
When all this is over and we settle into a new normal, the records will reflect the facts and figures related to COVID-19; the number of lives taken, the number of jobs lost, the number of years to develop a vaccine. It is our mission at ACM to look beyond the numbers and amplify the stories of the everyday individuals who helped foster a sense of belonging, connectedness, and community during this time of uncertainty in our history.
From all of us at ACM, take care of each other and stay safe.
Visit https://anacostia.si.edu/collection/moments-resilience WI
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia Suffragist Mary Church Terrell: ‘I Am African American’
This is part of an ongoing Washington Informer series about the Women’s Suffrage Movement and an initiative that includes Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes that will use the lens of history, the fabric of art and culture and the venue of the public square to shine a light into dark places, equipping all with a compass to chart the way forward. The initiative lives in the institutional home of the Washington Informer Charities.
When there’s any mention of the pivotal role Black women played in the suffrage movement, Mary Church Terrell is often among the first names spoken.
A warrior and a civil rights champion, Terrell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1863 to formerly enslaved parents. Despite their bondage, her parents became successful business owners who could afford to send their daughter to college, according to the National Park Service (NPS), which lists Terrell among the “Suffrage Movement Leaders You Should Know.”
Terrell received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oberlin College in Ohio and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1887, where she taught at the M Street School, later known as Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
According to NPS, her involvement in the early civil rights movement began in 1892 when a white mob in Memphis lynched her friend.
Along with Ida B. Wells, Terrell brought attention to the atrocity of lynching. She was also dedicated to racial uplift and firmly believed that African Americans would be accepted by white society if they received education and job training.
She hoped that if Black men and women were seen as successful, they would not be discriminated against. She dedicated herself to educating and helping other African Americans.
In addition to serving as president of the National Association of Colored Women, Terrell also supported the Black women’s right to vote. She even picketed the White House, demanding women’s suffrage.
In 1892, Terrell learned that
5 Mary Church Terrell/Courtesy Thoughtco.com
Thomas Moss, a close friend from Memphis, had been lynched. After Terrell’s and Frederick Douglass’ appeals to President Benjamin Harrison failed to produce a public condemnation of lynching, she formed the Colored Women’s League in Washington to address social problems facing Black communities, according to BlackPast.org.
Four years later, Terrell helped create the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and became its first president. The NACW adopted the motto “Lifting As We Climb” and promoted racial uplifting through education and community activism.
During her tenure as president of the NACW, from 1896 to 1901, Terrell became a well-known speaker and writer in the United States and overseas. During a visit to Germany in 1904, she presented a speech to the International Council of Women entirely in German.
“I cannot help sometimes wondering what I might have become and might have done if I had lived in a country which had not circumscribed and handicapped me on account of my race, that had allowed me to reach any height I was able to attain,” Terrell was famously quoted as saying.
She also implored everyone to recognize Black citizens as Americans.
“Stop using the word ‘Negro,’” Terrell said. “The word is a misnomer from every point of view. It does not represent a country or anything else. I am an African American.”
Terrell died in 1954 in Annapolis, Maryland. WI
review wi book
horoscopes
MAY 21 - 27, 2020
“The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power” By Deirdre Mask c.2020, St. Martin’s Press $26.99 / 336 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer
Take a right turn at the church.
If you’ve ever gotten those words in the directions to some business, you know what comes following them: a feeling of being totally, inescapably lost. The feeling of frustration because there were actually two churches. The anger that your GPS app took you somewhere ridiculous. The thought that, as in “The Address Book” by Deirdre Mask, having a good, strong, easy-to-find address matters.
When was the last time you got a letter in the mail?
That’s all Deirdre Mask wanted to do: send her father a birthday card with a letter from her home in Ireland to his in North Carolina. As she pressed a stamp on the envelope, she idly wondered who got the fee — and that led her to the Universal Postal Union in Switzerland, which decides such things, and to An Address for Everyone, an organization that showed her something surprising: “Most households in the world don’t have street addresses.”
That, of course, is not optimal: at the very least, it means difficulty in receiving mail and packages from businesses outside the household’s area. Worse, economic impacts reach far beyond an individual. Not having an address could prevent access to financial services, credit, and help from government programs. Studies show, in fact, that the no. 1 request from homeless Americans is not a home but an address.
As for you, well, it’s not just the physical address of your customer that matters in the end. Where you place your workplace is equally important and shouldn’t be left to chance, if you can help it.
Because a land address equals power, the street number for your building matters and you can thank the Brits for that. Where you sit on the block makes a difference, for which you can thank Philadelphia’s founders. Your street name matters, especially if you can manage to get your name on the street sign; it can tell others a lot about the racial makeup of your city and, says Mask, “Street names are, in a way, the perfect propaganda tool.”
Have you ever been told that they name streets after people like you? You might consider that a compliment, after reading “The Address Book.”
That’s because this book is fun, serious enough to be useful to businessfolks who understand that its subject matter matters, but light enough with plenty of gee-whiz factor. Who, after all, notices this stuff?
You should, but unless your street address is wacky or borders on the profane (and author Deirdre Mask shows that there are those kinds of addresses around) you might’ve shrugged and went back to business when you moved there. Here, you’ll see why that may have been a bad idea, how addresses might influence others, and how you can (maybe) fix it.
Reading this book is like watching someone give directions. It’s great for anyone who’s ever left the GPS at home and gotten truly lost in a big city. “The Address Book” is lighthearted and, for you, that turns out just right.
WI
ARIES Follow your life path even if it’s outside your comfort zone. Take the first step, whether it be through education or meditation, to uncover your purpose. The ideas and creative thinking you do early in the week can take form and shape at the end. It’s time to make it official and announce your plans to the world. Lucky Numbers: 2, 7, 23
TAURUS There are things outside your comfort zone that are worth investigating. it is a good idea to carve out an hour to create a vision board or list of goals to let the Universe know what you want to attract. Taurus are exceptionally good at attracting what you can envision clearly. In this one hour, you can have a single-minded focus on what you want to attract into your life. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 20
GEMINI Reputation is kind of an old-fashioned word for “branding,” it’s how you are seen in the world. Now creative Venus comes along to help you express who you are. With this aspect, you can be creative, fanciful, or artistic. Consider posting something about yourself on social media. Show the real you and let like-minded others find you. Lucky Numbers: 40, 46, 53
CANCER Find time to take care of others and to take care of yourself. And caring for yourself means expressing what you need to your friends. The love of your life may be heaping praise on you for all you do for the family. The best use of this positive energy is to think about expanding your friendship circle by reaching out to people you care about, but haven’t spoken to in some time. Lucky Numbers: 29, 33, 35
LEO Romantic fantasies are on your mind today. If you’re looking for love, it would be good to reach out to interesting people through online dating services. Or consider invoking the magical route and write a short story of how you will meet the greatest relationship of your life. And then over the next few weeks visit the place you wrote about. Allow the Universe to make the magic happen. Lucky Numbers: 2, 21, 27
VIRGO Be disciplined about your work/life balance. Be aware of the number of hours you put in and where you need to put up boundaries to protect your positive energy. If you’re often saying “yes” to unpaid overtime, it’s time to honor yourself and say “no.” This aspect can give you resolute self-confidence to stand your ground. It is a wonderfully efficient aspect. Lucky Numbers: 39, 43, 55
LIBRA You may need to split your time this week between learning new things and the practical application of knowledge to make money. Time slips through your fingers quite easily this week. Try to keep yourself on a schedule. If you have kids, encourage them to create something today. Join them at the dining room table as they paint, draw or write a play to perform for the family later. Lucky Numbers: 3, 15, 43
SCORPIO This week you may have to step in and convince someone to support you. This may concern a passive income source you believe in. It’s good to understand that different people have different risk tolerances. Also, it’s quite possible you will be dealing with issues of home and finance. You may be talking to banks about loans, debt consolidation or refinancing. It’s quite easy for errors to happen or important data to be omitted. Lucky Numbers: 11, 15, 26
SAGITTARIUS You’re pulled in multiple directions this week. You may be choosing between being there for people in your life and your job responsibilities. Fortunately, if you’re already in a love relationship, you can set the mood and bring a little romance in. This is a good aspect for fantasies and inspiration. It’s not good for dishes and folding laundry. Don’t let a fight over chores start when you could be having so much fun. Lucky Numbers: 5, 13, 25
CAPRICORN This week has you jumping from thing to thing, as you try to balance all of your obligations and the family and friends who want your attention. Keep your eye on the clock, or you may miss an important point of communication or transportation. You have responsibilities you are taking seriously and while others may seem to be standing in your way, you can easily step around them to get to your destination. Lucky Numbers: 1, 19, 34
AQUARIUS Even though the emphasis is on domestic matters, you’ll be eager to continue networking with others whether they are friends or business associates. Joining online groups that cater to your interests can keep you in the loop and be a source of potential opportunities. If you want to start a home-based business, now is the time. Do you feel drawn to learn a new skill? This is the time to do so. But you might also enjoy all kinds of puzzles and games that test your dexterity and coordination. Lucky Numbers: 7, 17, 45
PISCES You’re needed at home, but you may also be needed at work or by a friend’s side. Consider doing the practical parts of spirituality. Collect together your crystals and clear them using salt or smudge. Dust off your feng shui cures to reenergize them. Faithfully do your meditation. Get out your calendar and schedule these things in the future so that they become a regular part of your life. Lucky Numbers: 3, 29, 37
