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Reps panel asks FG to suspend Nigeria Air operation, says it’s a fraud

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The house of representatives committee on aviation has faulted the process leading to the unveiling of Nigeria Air.

Speaking at an investigative hearing on Tuesday with Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and representatives of ministry of aviation, Nnaji Nnolim, chairman of the committee, said the unveiling of Nigeria Air was a fraud.

The committee also passed a resolution asking the federal government to suspend the operations of Nigeria Air.

Hadi Sirika, former minister of aviation, unveiled Nigeria Air — the national carrier — about three days before the end of the former president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The committee said it is “totally dissatisfied with the actions” of Sirika flagging off the operations of Nigeria Air “despite a standing court injunction” and without any provision for “sustaining the operations of the airline”.

“A careful review of the process indicates the exercise to be highly opaque, shrouded in secrecy, shoddy and capable of ridiculing and tarnishing the image of Nigeria before the international community,” the committee said.

The committee asked the ministry of aviation and its partners in the Nigeria Air project to “immediately suspend flights operations“

The committee also called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently constitute a “high level” presidential committee to “undertake a holistic review” of the processes of setting up Nigeria Air.

The lawmakers said, “all individuals, groups or organisations involved in the controversial shenanigan named ‘Nigeria Air take-off’ must be brought to book, prosecuted and sanctioned”.

THE BACK AND FORTH

While speaking before the committee, Emmanuel Meribole, permanent secretary of ministry of aviation, said there was no money spent on the unveiling of Nigeria Air.

He said the national carrier has yet to be issued an air operator certificate (AOC) but that the processes are ongoing.

Meribole said from 2017 to date, not up to N3.8 billion has been spent on the national carrier project.

However, Rowland Iyayi, a member of the AON, alleged that the Nigeria Air project has gulped about N85.4 billion.

“The Nigerian government has appropriated N85. 2 billion. The point is what exactly are we talking about when you’re talking about Nigeria Air? In one breath, we’re told in the outline business case that it’s a flag carrier. In another breath, we were told it’s a national carrier,” he said.

“There’s a clear distinction between what a national carrier is and a flag carrier and to all intents and purposes, what we have here is a flag carrier.

“Nigerian should not be hoping to believe that we have a national carrier. What we’re saying is, we need accountability to tell us exactly what has been with all the funds appropriated since 2017 and 2016. And if indeed all the shareholders are party to this, how much have they contributed?

Tayib Odunowo, the managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), said the aircraft which was used for the unveiling was granted a landing permit as a chattered flight.

“It was a chartered flight, and it left the next day,” he said.

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Lagos state government begins demolition of illegal shanties in Ikoyi Towers

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The Lagos State Government has begun the demolition of illegal shanties within the abandoned Ikoyi Towers, days after discovering hundreds of undocumented individuals residing in makeshift structures in the compound.

This development was disclosed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, through a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday.

According to Wahab, the enforcement operation commenced after the expiration of the 48-hour eviction notice served by the state government to the inhabitants of these unauthorized structures.

“After the expiration of a 48-hour vacation notice served, the joint team of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps @LAGESCOfficial (KAI) and the Special Taskforce on Environmental Offences commenced enforcement and removal of illegal shanties built inside the Ikoyi Towers compound housing illegal occupants posing a security threat to the environment and nuisance to the State, and whose daily activities could not be ascertained,” Wahab’s post read in part.

Wahab further noted that the government’s issuance of relocation notices and enforcement actions aims to reclaim land and public facilities that have been converted to personal use, ensure public safety, enforce urban planning regulations, and tackle the proliferation of illegal settlements and structures throughout the state.

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Stormy Daniels testifies against Trump at hush money trial

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The porn star at the heart of Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, Stormy Daniels, testified on Tuesday about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the former president in a hotel penthouse suite.

Trump, 77, is accused of falsifying business records to reimburse his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels on the eve of his 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, when the lurid story of marital infidelity could have sunk his campaign.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger announced “The people call Stormy Daniels,” as Trump, who is seeking to recapture the White House in November, sat at the defense table in the Manhattan courtroom flanked by his lawyers, AFP reports.

What followed was detailed testimony about the sexual encounter Daniels said she had with Trump – his pajamas, his boxer shorts, the sexual position, that he did not wear a condom – all while the former president, sitting just feet away, stared on in silence, stony-faced.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, and his defense team sought, unsuccessfully, to have a mistrial declared.

The extraordinary courtroom face-off comes six months before election day when Trump will try to defeat Democratic President Joe Biden.

Daniels walked prosecutors through her difficult childhood in Louisiana, a stint as a stripper and her eventually joining the adult film industry.

The 45-year-old, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe where she was employed as a greeter by X-rated movie company Wicked Entertainment.

Daniels said she was 27 at the time and Trump was “probably older than my father.”

She said a member of Trump’s security detail told her the real estate tycoon wanted to have dinner with her. She was reluctant but agreed after discussing it with her publicist.

When she arrived at the penthouse where Trump was staying he emerged wearing “silk or satin pajamas which I immediately made fun of,” Daniels told the jury.

“I said ‘Does Mr Hefner know you stole his pajamas?’” she said in a reference to the outfit favored by the late Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner.

Trump changed clothes and they began talking about adult movies.

“He was very interested in a lot of the business stuff,” Daniels said.

Trump, who was married at the time to his current wife, Melania, suggested Daniels be on his hit reality television show, “The Apprentice,” she said.

Daniels said she went to the bathroom at one point and when she emerged Trump was on the bed in boxer shorts and a T-shirt.

“It startled me,” she said. “The intention was pretty clear.”

“I was not threatened verbally or physically,” Daniels said, although there was an “imbalance of power.”

She said they had brief sex on the bed “in missionary position” and Trump did not wear a condom.

“I felt ashamed I didn’t stop it, didn’t say no,” Daniels said.

Daniels said she met with Trump again on several occasions but cut off contact when it became clear she would not appear on “The Apprentice.”

After Trump announced his candidacy for president, Daniels said her publicist suggested she could sell her story and put her in touch with Keith Davidson, a Hollywood lawyer who testified previously at the trial.

“My motivation wasn’t money, it was to get the story out,” Daniels said.

She said she entered into a non-disclosure agreement in October 2016 on the eve of the presidential election negotiated by Davidson and Cohen for which she was paid $130,000.

“I couldn’t tell my story, he couldn’t tell the story,” she said.

After a lunch break, Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche asked Judge Juan Merchan to declare a mistrial, objecting to some of Daniels’ testimony, particularly her claim that she was threatened in 2011 by a man in a Las Vegas parking garage who allegedly warned her not to talk about Trump.

“It’s extremely prejudicial to insert safety concerns into a trial about business records,” Blanche said.

Merchan denied the motion, saying “I don’t think we have reached a point where a mistrial is in order.”

Trump is under a partial gag order prohibiting him from publicly attacking witnesses, the jury or court staff.

Merchan has already fined him $10,000 for breaching the gag order and warned Trump he may face jail time for future violations.

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Since prisons were renamed correctional centres, we’ve had more jailbreaks, says Akpabio

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Senate President Godswill Akpabio says since the name of the Nigerian Prison Service was changed to Nigerian Correctional Service there have been more jailbreaks in the country.

Akpabio spoke on the floor of the senate on Tuesday while commenting on two pieces of legislation billed for concurrence.

The bills for concurrence were one to repeal and enact the law establishing Revenue Mobilsation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and another to repeal the Fire Service Act and enact Federal Fire and Rescue Service.

Abba Moro, senate minority leader, argued that there was no need to change the name because the “rescue component” is already part of the responsibility of the fire service.

“I do not think there is a need for that,” Moro said.

In his response, the senate president said there is a need to examine such laws.

“This is something to be looked at. When you are convicted, you are supposed to learn a skill,” Akpabio said.

“But since we changed the name to the correctional centre, there have been more jailbreaks.”

In 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the bill that changed the name of the Nigerian Prison Service to Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

The law provides that the correctional service is split into the custodial service and non-custodial service.

In the non-custodial service, convicts are eligible for community service, probation, and parole.

Since Buhari signed the bill into law, more than 1,000 inmates have escaped from correctional centres across the country.

On April 25, 119 inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger state, following a downpour.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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