The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Tuesday inaugurated Xejet’s state-of-the-art Flight Support and Engineering Hub at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, valued at $10 million.

He said that while the government may not have all the money to give to the private sector, it would create an enabling environment and the right policies to support this type of growth and development.

Keyamo emphasized that the current administration would support the growth and development of local operators.

His words: “This is a huge achievement; the concept alone, getting the backing and bringing it to fruition like this, to start off work, with one of the best construction companies we have, is a dream come true. Let me say that we have also attracted similar projects to the part of the airport you’re seeing.”

“Xejet, we will be here with you throughout, from the beginning to the end. Our technical team will be here, the MD FAAN will put the engineering team together, to ensure that they support you; and you comply with all regulations. The DG NCAA too will do the same, to ensure that what we have here will be world-class.”

On his part, Xejet CEO, Emmanuel Iza, said that the facility represents the company’s pledge to elevate aviation services in Nigeria to global standards.

According to him, “Through cutting-edge technology, superior engineering, and unparalleled flight support, Xejet seeks to not only improve operational efficiencies but deliver an exclusive experience that sets us apart in the industry.”

Speaking of the cost implications, he said the project is in two phases.

“The first phase is to prepare the ground, to create the taxiway that is going to connect the runway to our facility and the apron. That’s roughly in excess of $5 million. And we are expecting to put the structure of equal amount on top of it there.”

The Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria, AMMBAN, has warned that its members might be forced to raise service charges due to the recent telecommunications tariff hike.

Ogungbayi Ganiyu, the National Public Relations Officer of AMMBAN, made this statement on Monday, January 20, in response to the Federal Government’s approval of a 50 percent increase in telecom services tariffs.

Ganiyu explained that AMMBAN members primarily rely on telecom services, particularly data, for their operations, and will therefore be significantly affected by the hike.

However, he mentioned that POS operators may attempt to absorb the increased cost of telecom tariffs themselves.

“The telecom tariff hike will impact the operations of our members. I am afraid this may also have a multiplier effect on service charges.

“We have not sat down and looked at the latest tariff hike,” he stated.

On Monday, the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, NATCOMS, pledged to take legal action against the Federal Government over the 50 percent increase in telecoms tariffs.

It is worth noting that the last time telecoms tariffs were raised was in 2013.

Just two days after over 90 people were burnt to death in a tanker explosion that also left scores injured in Niger State, residents massed around another fallen truck in another community.

The fresh incident occurred in Bida town on Monday.

In a widely circulated video online, young persons were seen milling around the broken down truck.

While some managed to scoop, others fled in different directions, apparently to prevent being caught up in an unfortunate situation.

Premium Times quoted a resident, Yinusa Jiya, as saying, “The people were not even afraid despite earlier assumption that it was petrol.”

Another eyewitness, Fatimah Mohammed, told the newspaper that the tanker was carrying groundnut oil.

“It fell around AYM Shafa filling station yesterday (Monday) and residents stole huge amounts of the groundnut oil dripping from the tanker”, she added.

The development came two days after the deadly tanker explosion that killed about 98 people around Dikko Junction, Gurara LGA, Niger State.

Daily Trust reports that the death toll from the deadly explosion has been on the rise as some persons who sustained injuries died in the hospitals where they were being treated.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while reacting to the situation, mandated the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to step up a campaign against scooping during such a situation.

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) said it was worried by the casualty figures and magnitude of burns.

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) said 86 bodies were mass-buried on Sunday.

Several other injured victims are still receiving treatment for first degree burns in various hospitals.

Authorities have blamed citizens for the devastating loss of lives and injuries in the explosion, saying the fire was ignited by those trying to scoop fuel.

Niger State has suffered several incidents in the past which resulted in several loss of lives.

More than 50 travellers died in a midnight tanker explosion along the Agaie-Badeggi road on September 8, 2024.

Watch video below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1881656404005822674