The Federal Government says it has completed repair works on the runway of Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu and will be reopened today, Monday, April 28, 2025.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who made the announcement on Sunday, said the work was finished ahead of the scheduled May 6 date.

“Dear compatriots, we worked extra hard to meet the deadline we gave on the repair of the runway of Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu and finished way ahead of the scheduled date. It will now be open for use as from tomorrow (the 28th of April, 2025),” Keyamo wrote on his X handle.

On April 19, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) announced a temporary closure of the airport to allow for essential runway maintenance works.

FAAN had, in a statement,t explained that there was a sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway.

It stated that emergency repairs will be conducted on that portion of the runway from April 22nd to May 6th, 2025.

“In compliance with Nigerian civil aviation regulations, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has, therefore, closed the runway during this period.

“As part of FAAN’s commitment to passenger safety and the modernisation of airport facilities, the runway will not be open for landings or takeoffs during the rehabilitation period.”

WhatsApp has warned that a recent ruling by Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, which upheld the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) authority to penalise the platform and its parent company, Meta, for alleged anti-competitive practices, could jeopardise its operations in the country.

In a statement released yesterday, WhatsApp asserted that its ability to function in Nigeria, and globally, is intrinsically linked to the infrastructure provided by Meta. The company stated that it relies on minimal data to operate its service and ensure user safety, making it “impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria, or globally, without the infrastructure of our parent company, Meta.”

WhatsApp further claimed that the FCCPC order contains “multiple inaccuracies and misrepresents how WhatsApp works.” The company announced that it is urgently seeking a stay of the order and will appeal the tribunal’s decision to prevent any disruption to its users.

The tribunal’s judgment, presided over by Hon. Thomas Okosun, largely sided with the FCCPC, affirming the commission’s authority on almost all contested points. The tribunal upheld the FCCPC’s final order issued on July 19, 2024, imposing a $220 million administrative penalty on Meta and WhatsApp, along with $35,000 in investigative costs.

The case originated from a comprehensive 38-month joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), initiated in 2020, into Meta and WhatsApp’s conduct, privacy practices, and consumer data policies.

Dissatisfied with the FCCPC’s findings and the imposed penalty, Meta and WhatsApp challenged the commission’s legal authority, investigative methods, and conclusions through an appeal.

However, the tribunal largely dismissed Meta and WhatsApp’s objections across seven key issues. It ruled that the FCCPC acted within the bounds of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), and that the companies were afforded adequate opportunity for a fair hearing, contrary to their claims.

A significant point of contention – the FCCPC’s power to regulate matters concerning data privacy – was decided in favor of the commission. The tribunal emphasized the FCCPC’s broad mandate to oversee consumer protection, even within regulated sectors like data privacy, reinforcing its powers under Section 104 of the FCCPA.

The tribunal also supported the FCCPC’s finding that Meta’s privacy policy violated Nigerian laws. However, it did strike down Order 7 of the FCCPC’s final order, deeming it to lack sufficient legal basis.

In response to the judgment, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, hailed it as a “milestone in Nigeria’s regulatory evolution.” He commended the commission’s legal team and reaffirmed the FCCPC’s commitment to protecting consumer rights and promoting fair business practices in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

WhatsApp’s decision to appeal sets the stage for a protracted legal battle that will likely test the limits of Nigeria’s regulatory authority over global technology giants.

Despite the tribunal’s ruling, WhatsApp emphasized its commitment to its millions of users in Nigeria. However, it cautioned that complying with the FCCPC’s current order without relying on Meta’s infrastructure could severely disrupt its services within the country. The coming months will be crucial as both sides prepare for the next stage of this legal confrontation.

The Presidency has stated that the recent defections of opposition politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were voluntary and not under any form of duress, as has been speculated in some quarters.

Denying accusations of a one-party state, the Presidency insisted that democracy is not under threat or undermined “simply because politicians exercise their rights of association.”

This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday.

“Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will, based on the belief that the reforms being executed are in the interest of Nigerians and the unborn generation,” Onanuga said.

This is coming after last Wednesday’s defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Deputy Governor, Monday Onyeme, commissioners, local government chairmen, among others.

The defection of Okowa, who was PDP’s presidential running mate in the last election, and others further depletes the main opposition party.

The other opposition parties, the Labour Party and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), are also grappling with internal crises, leaving observers to wonder if they could challenge the ruling party in 2027.

Some have alleged that the crisis within the opposition parties is being orchestrated by the ruling party, a claim that the Presidency has denied.

“The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs. It is certainly not part of President Tinubu’s job to organise or strengthen opposition parties.

“We find it curious that those who celebrated the defection of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the formation of a regional grand coalition with the sole aim of defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 election are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria’s so-called drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism.

“While the latter-day defenders of democracy raised no anxious voice against the disgruntled politicians cobbling an anti-Tinubu, anti-APC coalition along dangerous regional lines, even before INEC blows the whistle for party politicking, they are quick to ascribe the political shifts in some states to “bribery, blackmail, and coercion” without any shred of evidence.

“Without any equivocation, freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of choice are part of the cherished ideals of democracy.  When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any association or political party of their choice or cannot openly express their views, democracy is imperilled.

“Those opposed to the Tinubu administration should understand that they can issue diatribes, without fear, against the government because we practice a thriving democracy.

“It is hypocrisy writ large when opposition politicians and their collaborators in the ‘human rights’ movement desire that the party of the President should implode so they can gain electoral advantage and cry wolf when their wish does not materialise.

“We want to state that democracy is not threatened or undermined simply because politicians exercise their rights to freedom of association.”

Onanuga maintained that under Tinubu, democracy is strong, and the multiparty democratic system will continue to flourish unhindered.

“His administration remains resolutely committed to upholding and strengthening the democratic foundations upon which our Fourth Republic has stood since 1999. Politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria.

“In more advanced democracies, there are ready examples of notable politicians, statesmen and women who changed their parties,” he said.

Onanuga added that President Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Abdullahi Ganduje, deserve commendation for making the ruling party viable and attractive to all Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.

“President Tinubu is an avowed democrat and a firm believer in multiparty democracy. His political activism and democratic credentials in galvanising and strengthening opposition platforms as a force that defeated a sitting President and the then ruling party attest to his credibility as a tested defender of multiparty democracy.

“We urge all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in protecting our democracy by respecting our people’s choices and giving alarmists, who draw their narratives from the pool of fiction, a wide berth,” the statement added.