Ibrahim Kana, permanent secretary of the ministry of aviation and aerospace development, has clarified his inaugural statement about the revival of the Nigeria Air project.

On Tuesday, media reports claimed that the newly appointed permanent secretary said he received a directive from President Bola Tinubu to restart the national air carrier project.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Kana, who assumed office earlier in the week, said he “received no such instruction”.

“Since my inaugural statement on Monday at the hand-over ceremony, I have been inundated with inquiries about my reference to the revival of the National Carrier Project,” he said.

“For the avoidance of doubt I never said that there is a mandate to revive the botched Nigeria Air deal with Ethiopian airline.

“I received no such instruction. I was only referring to the general vision of the Administration to still consider a National Carrier Project if it is favourable to the country and under the guidance and directives of Mr. President and the Honourable Minister of Aviation.

“I hope this clarifies all the ambiguities surrounding my earlier statement on this issue.”

Kana reiterated his commitment to supporting Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, in advancing the sector.

“I pledge absolute loyalty to the Honourable Minister and remain dedicated to working closely with him to drive the Ministry’s agenda forward,” he said.

The permanent secretary further assured that the administration’s approach to the aviation sector would prioritise innovation.

He said the future of aviation in Nigeria is “bright, innovative, and reflective of the aspirations of our great nation”.

A businessman, Abubakar Isa has asked a Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, to nullify the acquistion of Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd, operating under the trade name 9Mobile by LH Telecommunication Ltd in 2024.

Isa made the demand in a suit he filed before the court against LH Telecoms, 9Mobile and seven others over alleged mismanagement of his 43 million shares in Teleology Nigeria Ltd, the former majority shareholders of 9Mobile.

Other defendants in the suit marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/1971/2024 are: Seltrix Ltd, Hayatu Hadejia, Mohammed Edewor, Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and General Theophilus Danjuma.

In his statement of claims, Isa averred that sometime in 2018 when Teleology was undergoing restructuring and reorganisation for the acquistion of 9Mobile, he mandated Seltrix as his trustee to acquire 25million shares later increase to 43million ordinary shares in the capital of the telecom firm.

With his 43million acquired shares, Isa averred that Seltrix bacame a majority shareholder in the restructured Teleology while Diama Telecoms Africa held 30million shares, Diama Telecoms Nig, 20million shares, Mohammed Edewor 5million shares and Teleology 2million shares.

The businessman further averred that sometime in 2022, Seltrix acting through its director and majority shareholder, Hadejia purportedly executed a deed of surrender, surrending all its 43million shares to Teleology.

Following the alleged share surrender which he claimed was neither approved by him nor other core investors, Isa averred that Teleology relying on the new shareholding structure which was subsequently registered with CAC, eventually acquired 9Mobile and proceeded replace the representatives of Seltrix from its Board of Directors.

Isa further claimed that Teleology went ahead to further approve a new share structure for 9Mobile with the creation of 1.91billion ordinary shares of one naira each which was later passed on to LH Telecoms as the new majority shareholder.

The plaintiff averred that despite the flurry of objections by other investors including the then chairman of 9Mobile, Alhaji Ado Bayero, over non compliance with licencing regulations in transferring and changing of ownership, the NCC went ahead to approved the acquistion of 9Mobile by LH Telecoms.

Isa is asking the court to amongst other prayers, set aside the purported consent given by Teleology to 9Mobile for LH Telecoms to make investment in the company.

His other prayers include; “A declaration that the acquisition of 43million ordinary shares purportedly transferred or surrendered to Teleology in breach of Seltrix duty as Trustee of the Plaintiff and in contravention of clause 48 of the Memorrandum and Articles of Association of Seltrix, is null, void and of no effect.

” A declaration that the purported registration of the transfer by way of surrender /gift of 43million ordinary shares held by Selftrix in the capital of Teleology is unlawful, null and void.

“An order for the rectification of the Register of Members of Teleology to include the Plaintiff as owner of 43million ordinary shares held by Seltrix Ltd in trust for the Plaintiff.

” An order setting aside the porported ordinary resolution of the shareholders of Teleology dated July 22, 2022 and its subsequent filing with CAC for being invalid, null and void.

“An order setting aside the approval in principle granted by NCC to 9Mobile for the transfer of its ownership and control from Teleology to LH Telecoms same being in contravention of regulations 42 and 43, 2019 and illegal, null and void.

” The sum of N100billion jointly and severally as general damages against the defendants. “

The China Development Bank (CDB) has granted a loan of $254.76 million for the construction of the Kano-Kaduna railway project in Nigeria.

In a statement on Tuesday, the bank said the funding is expected to support the smooth progress of the infrastructure project.

The CDB noted that the construction is being carried out by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), with financial backing from the bank.

“The Kano-Kaduna railway, with a total length of 203 kilometers, is a standard-gauge railway,” the statement reads.

“Once completed, it will provide direct rail connectivity between Kano, an important northern city in Nigeria, and the country’s capital Abuja, offering local residents a safe, efficient, and convenient mode of transportation.”

In addition to improving mobility, the bank said the project is expected to stimulate economic growth along the railway corridor, creating job opportunities and promoting related industries.

“The Kano-Kaduna railway project has been included in the list of practical cooperation projects for the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation,” the CDB added.

The bank said the construction is progressing smoothly, reiterating its commitment to working closely with the Nigerian government to ensure the disbursement of funds and effective management of the next phases of the project.